CTC Aptitude Test (CCAT): Free 50-Question Replica
The Chicago Trading Company aptitude test for trading candidates is widely reported to be the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT): 50 questions in 15 minutes, no calculator, mixing verbal, math and logic, and spatial items, with difficulty that ramps up. Most candidates do not finish, and there is no penalty for wrong answers. Take a full generated run in the same shape below, get a score, and see which sections cost you points. No signup.
What the CTC aptitude test actually is
Chicago Trading Company splits its online assessment by role: software engineers get a coding challenge, while Quantitative Trading Analyst candidates get an aptitude test of critical thinking skills. Candidate reports widely identify that screen as the CCAT, the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test, a general pre-employment test built by Criteria Corp and used by many trading firms. The CTC Criteria assessment follows the standard CCAT format: 50 questions in 15 minutes, multiple choice, no calculator allowed, and no penalty for wrong answers, so a fast guess always beats a blank.
The 50 questions mix three strands rather than running in blocks: verbal items (analogies, syllogisms and word logic), math and logic items (mental-math word problems, number sequences, deduction), and spatial-abstract items (rotated shapes, odd one out). Difficulty ramps as you go. The clock is the real opponent: 15 minutes over 50 questions is 18 seconds each, and most candidates do not reach the last question. Reports on the exact CTC screen vary by cycle, and some candidates describe a probability-heavy variant instead, so treat this replica as CCAT-shape practice and check the format notes in our CTC online assessment guide before your sitting.
The format, as reported
The separate coding round
The aptitude test is only the trading-track screen. Software engineering candidates instead get the CTC Codility round: a coding challenge of roughly three data-structures-and-algorithms problems at an easy-to-medium level, with arrays and stacks coming up most in reports. If you are interviewing for engineering, or you want the full stage-by-stage map of either funnel, the CTC online assessment guide covers both tracks, and our CTC interview questions set covers the probability and options rounds that follow.
How to beat a 50-in-15
- Triage ruthlessly. Every question is worth the same point. Verbal analogies and detail checks take 5 seconds when you know the word; a two-step percentage takes 30. Bank the fast points and skip anything you cannot start immediately.
- Never leave a blank. There is no penalty, and eliminating even one option makes a guess profitable. If the clock is dying, pick something on every remaining question you can reach.
- Do arithmetic the mental-math way. Percentages via 10% blocks, ratios via the unit share, averages via sums. If you are reaching for long division, you have mis-read the question.
- On syllogisms, trust the rules, not the picture. "Must be true" means true in every world consistent with the premises. Test each option for a counterexample instead of picking the one that sounds right.
- Do not perfect the spatial items. Track one marked corner through the rotation and commit. Spatial questions punish second-guessing more than any other family.
How this replica works
Every run is generated fresh in your browser: word problems, sequences, syllogisms, orderings, detail checks and rotated-shape items come from parametric templates, and the analogies come from a hand-checked bank. Each generated question's correct answer is re-derived by an independent check before it is shown, so the option marked correct always is. This page is an independent practice tool from QuantVault: it is not affiliated with Chicago Trading Company or Criteria Corp, and it does not reproduce real CCAT items. If you have sat a recent CTC screen and something here is off, tell us at [email protected].