80 in 8 — Mental Math Speed Test (Optiver-Style)
The classic trading-firm arithmetic screen: 80 questions, 8 minutes, typed answers, −1 for every wrong answer, pass mark 60. Six seconds per question. Free, no signup, freshly generated questions every run.
80 questions · 8 minutes · typed answers
+1 per correct answer, −1 per wrong answer, skips are free. Pass mark: 60. Mix of 2-digit multiplication, decimals, large division, fractions, and multi-step arithmetic.
Tip: answer with plain numbers (e.g. 4732, 0.75). Fractions like 2/3 are accepted too. Press Enter to submit.
What this test is
If you apply to trading firms, some version of this test is usually the first thing between you and an interview. Optiver's version — 80 arithmetic questions in 8 minutes — is the most famous, and firms like Akuna Capital and Flow Traders screen with close variants (Flow's is commonly reported as 75 questions in 8 minutes with multiple choice). The format sounds trivial until you do the division: you have six seconds per question, including reading it and typing the answer.
| Length | 80 questions · 8 minutes (6 seconds per question) |
|---|---|
| Input | Typed answers (open input, not multiple choice) |
| Scoring | +1 correct · −1 wrong · 0 skipped |
| Reported pass mark | ≈ 60 net |
| Content | 2-digit multiplication · decimals · large division · add/subtract · fractions · multi-step arithmetic |
Why people fail it (and it's not arithmetic)
Nearly everyone who sits this test can do every individual question given 30 seconds. The three actual failure modes:
- Decision latency. The bottleneck isn't computing 47 × 62 — it's the half-second spent deciding how to compute it. Drilling makes the approach automatic, which is where the real speed comes from.
- Negative-marking discipline. Guessing is rational on tests without penalties — here it costs 2 net points per miss. Skipping feels like losing; on this format it's often the winning move.
- The last 90 seconds. Accuracy collapses at the end of the run as fatigue and panic set in. Short practice bursts never expose this — only full 8-minute simulations train it.
A 2-week training plan
- Days 1–3: untimed accuracy. Two-digit multiplication, fraction–decimal conversions, and long division with clean numbers. Zero errors before speed.
- Days 4–8: timed bursts. 20 questions in 2 minutes, repeatedly, tracking net score. Learn your personal skip threshold — the confidence level below which answering loses points on average.
- Days 9–14: full 80-in-8 runs, one or two per day, reviewing every miss afterward. Most people gain 10–15 net points in this phase from pacing alone.
FAQ
What is the Optiver 80 in 8 test?
Optiver's famous first-round screen asks 80 mental arithmetic questions in 8 minutes — 6 seconds per question. Answers are typed (not multiple choice in the classic form), wrong answers cost a point, and the commonly cited pass mark is around 60. Several other trading firms use close variants of the same format.
What kind of math is on it?
Pure arithmetic: two-digit multiplication, decimals (0.25 × 4,000), large clean division (63,000 / 700), addition and subtraction of 3–4 digit numbers, and fraction operations that cancel neatly. There's no algebra and no word problems — it's raw speed and accuracy.
Is 60 out of 80 really the pass mark?
Around 60 net (correct minus wrong) is the widely reported bar for Optiver-style tests, though firms don't officially confirm cutoffs and they can vary by role and region. Under negative marking, a 75-attempted / 68-correct run scores 61 — accuracy matters as much as speed.
Should I skip questions I'm not sure about?
Yes — this is the key strategic difference from tests without negative marking. A wrong answer costs you 2 points of net score (the +1 you didn't get, plus the −1 penalty). If you're not confident within a couple of seconds, skip and move on. Skips are free.
How do I get faster?
Three highest-ROI drills: (1) two-digit × two-digit multiplication until it's a single fluid motion, (2) instant fraction–decimal–percentage conversions (3/8 = 0.375 = 37.5%), (3) trailing-zero bookkeeping for big multiplications and divisions. Then run full 8-minute simulations to build pacing — most people's accuracy collapses in the final 90 seconds, and only full runs fix that.
TradeMind is an independent training tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Optiver, Akuna Capital, Flow Traders, or any other firm mentioned. This simulator is a reconstruction based on publicly available descriptions of trading-firm speed tests, built for practice purposes only. Firm names are used solely to describe the style of assessment being practiced.