CTC Online Assessment — Free Practice Simulator
A full-length, browser-based simulation of the Chicago Trading Company (CTC) style online assessment: 50 questions in 15 minutes, mixing numerical, spatial, verbal, and logic reasoning — with no negative marking, based on publicly reported descriptions. Free, no signup — one fixed practice set, the same for everyone.
Full CTC-style simulation
50 questions · 15 minutes · all four sections mixed · no negative marking · instant per-section score
This is one fixed set — the same 50 questions in the same order for everyone, every time, so scores here are directly comparable.
What the CTC OA actually looks like
| Length | 50 questions · 15 minutes (≈18 seconds per question) |
|---|---|
| Scoring | +1 per correct answer · no penalty for wrong answers |
| Format | Multiple choice, four question families mixed together |
| Published cutoff | Published cutoff: Not publicly available. Format and scoring may vary by region, role and recruiting cycle. |
| Sections | Numerical reasoning · Spatial/abstract reasoning · Verbal reasoning · Logic & attention to detail |
CTC aptitude test and Chicago Trading Company OA — same screen
Search results use several names for one early-funnel test: CTC OA, CTC online assessment, CTC aptitude test, Chicago Trading Company OA, and Chicago Trading Company aptitude test. They all refer to the same reported format: 50 mixed-reasoning questions in 15 minutes, no negative marking. This page is a free, no-signup simulator of that format — not a second product and not a different URL for each synonym.
The four question families
1. Numerical reasoning
Business-flavored arithmetic under time pressure: percentage increases and discounts, number series, averages with a missing value, compound depreciation, work rates, simple probability, and pay-structure algebra. Nothing beyond solid mental arithmetic — the trap is that 18 seconds leaves no room to set up equations slowly. Drill until the approach is instant: the computing is the easy part.
2. Spatial / abstract reasoning
Pattern completion (a shape rotating by a fixed angle each step, or gaining one side per step) and odd-one-out puzzles. These reward recognizing which rule family you're looking at within a couple of seconds — rotation, counting, or fill/outline alternation cover most of what appears.
3. Verbal reasoning
Antonyms of capitalized words, fill-in-the-blank sentence completion, and analogies (BAG is to CARRY as…). For non-native English speakers this is usually the highest-variance section — the math is learnable in a week, but vocabulary isn't. If that's you, start verbal practice earliest and keep a running list of every word you miss.
4. Logic & attention to detail
Column-comparison questions (how many of five company names match exactly between two columns?), letter-series puzzles where each position steps through the alphabet independently, and True/False/Uncertain syllogisms. The attention-to-detail questions are free points if you scan systematically — left to right, pair by pair — instead of eyeballing.
Strategy that actually moves your score
- Never leave blanks. No negative marking means an unanswered question is a guaranteed zero while a guess is a free 20% (or better after eliminating one option). In the last 30 seconds, answer everything remaining.
- Bank the fast families first. Attention-to-detail and syllogism questions take 8–10 seconds with a system; a multi-step depreciation problem can take 40. Learn your own per-family speed and stop being a perfectionist on the slow ones.
- Train switching, not just solving. The real difficulty is context-switching between a percentage problem, a rotating hexagon, and an antonym in consecutive questions. Full mixed simulations train exactly this; isolated drills don't.
- Fix your weakest family in isolation. After each full run, this page shows your per-section breakdown. Drilling that weakest section untimed, with worked explanations, is what the TradeMind app's practice modes are built for — the simulator here tells you where to aim.
Continue preparing
Three genuinely related next steps. Browse every route on Free Tests.
- Mental MathBuild arithmetic speed
- Sequences & ProbabilityPractice transferable reasoning
- Quant interview prep guidePlan the full funnel
FAQ
What is the CTC Online Assessment?
Chicago Trading Company (CTC) screens candidates for trading and related roles with a timed online aptitude test. It is widely reported as 50 questions in 15 minutes, mixing four question families: numerical reasoning, spatial/abstract reasoning, verbal/linguistic reasoning, and logic & attention to detail. That's an average of 18 seconds per question.
What is the Chicago Trading Company OA?
"Chicago Trading Company OA" and "CTC online assessment" refer to the same early-funnel screen: a timed mixed-reasoning test candidates report as about 50 questions in 15 minutes. Unlike Optiver-style mental math speed tests, the CTC-style format mixes four families (numerical, spatial, verbal, logic) and is commonly reported to have no penalty for wrong answers — so finishing every item matters more than pure arithmetic speed.
What is the CTC aptitude test?
CTC aptitude test is another name candidates use for the Chicago Trading Company online assessment (CTC OA): a timed mixed-reasoning aptitude screen, widely reported as 50 questions in 15 minutes covering numerical, spatial, verbal, and logic. Same test as "CTC OA" — not a separate exam.
What is the Chicago Trading Company aptitude test?
The Chicago Trading Company aptitude test is the same assessment as the CTC OA / CTC online assessment. Candidates report 50 mixed questions in 15 minutes with no negative marking. This page is a free, no-signup practice reconstruction of that format.
Is there negative marking on the CTC OA?
Candidates report there is no penalty for wrong answers — your score is simply the number of correct answers. That has a direct strategic consequence: never leave a question blank. If time is running out, guess on everything remaining.
How does this CTC-style page calculate my score?
This fixed web set reports raw correct answers out of 50. Wrong and skipped answers both add zero; neither subtracts a point. For example, 38 correct, 10 wrong and 2 skipped is 38/50. That is the scoring configuration used by this TradeMind simulator, while the firm's current format and scoring may vary by role, region and cycle.
What score do you need to pass the CTC OA?
CTC does not publish a pass mark, and it likely varies by role and cycle. There is no widely cited single number the way ~60 net is discussed for Optiver-style 80-in-8. The practical goal is maximizing raw correct answers under severe time pressure — most candidates find the constraint is time and context-switching, not individual question difficulty.
How should I prepare for the CTC OA?
Practice under real timing. The questions themselves are not individually hard — the challenge is answering 50 of them in 15 minutes while switching between four very different question styles. Full timed simulations train the pacing; untimed section practice — in the app — fixes your weakest family.
Is it the same questions every time?
Yes — this page serves one fixed 50-question set, identical for every visitor and identical on every retake. That's deliberate: it makes scores here directly comparable between people, and it keeps this page honest as a free sample rather than a stand-in for real practice. Retaking it will inflate your score, because by then you're recalling these specific questions rather than solving them. The TradeMind app generates a brand new 50-question set on every single run, which is what you actually want when training.
Is this the real CTC test?
No. This is an independent practice reconstruction based on publicly available descriptions of the format — they train the same skills and timing, but they are not CTC's actual questions. TradeMind is not affiliated with Chicago Trading Company.
TradeMind is an independent training tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Chicago Trading Company. This simulator is a reconstruction based on publicly available descriptions of the assessment format, built for practice purposes only. Question content is procedurally generated and does not reproduce actual test material.