Zetamac (arithmetic.zetamac.com) is the default answer when someone asks how to train mental math for trading interviews: a free, no-signup, 120-second sprint of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It is genuinely good at the one thing it does, and it costs nothing — this page is not going to talk you out of using it. The real question is what score you need, and what to do about the rest of the interview loop, which Zetamac does not touch.
What Zetamac is best at
- Raw arithmetic speed. The drill is pure and the feedback loop is instant. Daily two-minute sessions measurably raise your operations-per-minute within a couple of weeks.
- A shared benchmark. Because everyone uses the same default settings, a Zetamac score is a lingua franca — forums and study groups speak in "I'm at 55" terms, so you can locate yourself against other candidates.
- Zero friction. Free, no account, loads instantly. There is no reason not to have it in your rotation.
What QuantVault is best at
- The actual test formats. Firms do not run bare Zetamac. Optiver's 80-in-8 is 80 questions in 8 minutes with negative marking; SIG and IMC wrap arithmetic in sequences, percentages, and expected-value questions. QuantVault's 80-in-8 simulator and firm-modeled OA tests reproduce those formats, timing and scoring included.
- Everything after the mental-math screen. Probability and expected-value problems, brainteasers, market-making games, firm-by-firm funnels for 55+ companies, and 2,800+ problems with full worked solutions — the stages that decide the offer once arithmetic gets you through the door.
- Trading games. Market-making and betting games modeled on the rounds trading firms actually run — the skill Zetamac's arithmetic feeds into but never tests.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | QuantVault | Zetamac |
|---|---|---|
| Core product | Full quant interview prep platform | 2-minute arithmetic sprint |
| Mental math | Firm-modeled formats (80-in-8, OA sims) with negative marking | Pure arithmetic, configurable ranges |
| Probability / brainteasers | 2,800+ problems with worked solutions | None |
| Firm-specific prep | 55+ firm funnels, stage by stage | None |
| Trading games | Market-making, betting, hedging games | None |
| Price | ~400 problems + games free; Pro for the full bank | Free |
Which one should you use?
Both — this is not really a versus. Keep Zetamac as your daily two-minute warm-up for raw speed. Then do your format-specific training where the format actually lives: if you have an Optiver, SIG, IMC, or Flow Traders screen coming, drill the 80-in-8 and the firm's OA simulation on QuantVault so the negative marking and question mix are not a surprise, and spend the rest of your prep time on the probability, games, and firm rounds that Zetamac was never meant to cover.
Start practicing on QuantVault
The 80-in-8 mental-math test, several trading games, and the free problem set (~400 problems with full solutions) are free, no card required.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zetamac enough to prepare for trading interviews?
No — Zetamac trains raw arithmetic speed, which is one slice of one early stage. Real firm screens (Optiver's 80-in-8, SIG, IMC) use different formats with negative marking and mixed question types, and the later rounds test probability, expected value, and market-making — none of which Zetamac covers.
What Zetamac score do trading firms expect?
There is no official cutoff, but competitive candidates on default settings commonly report scores in the 50–70+ range. More important than the number is transferring that speed into the actual test format your target firm uses — timed, negatively marked, mixed-operation assessments.
What is the best Zetamac alternative for firm-specific practice?
For raw arithmetic, Zetamac itself is free and hard to beat. For the formats firms actually run — Optiver's 80-in-8, firm-modeled OA simulations with real timing and scoring — QuantVault reproduces those tests and covers the probability, games, and firm rounds that follow.
Can I use Zetamac and QuantVault together?
That is the recommended setup: Zetamac as a daily two-minute speed warm-up, QuantVault for firm-modeled mental-math formats, the 2,800+ problem bank, trading games, and per-firm interview funnels.
Practice the real thing
QuantVault has 2,800+ quant interview problems with full solutions, intuition, and hints, firm-by-firm interview funnels, and an auto-graded coding judge. Start free.