Mako Trading is a global proprietary trading firm with offices in London, Amsterdam, Sydney and elsewhere, known for a meritocratic culture and a demanding multi-stage interview. Candidates in our community rate the process as above average in difficulty, and describe it as hard but fair.
The Graduate Trader process runs two online assessments, an HR interview, and two back-to-back technical rounds, with some locations adding a final assessment day or onsite panel. It is designed to read your mental agility, problem solving, trading instincts and fit, in that order.
- 1Online assessments. A 15 minute aptitude test of 37 questions, then a longer second test known as Codility.
- 2HR interview. 30 minutes with recruitment, on motivation, communication and fit.
- 3Technical interviews. Two back-to-back 30 minute sessions with traders, fast and dense.
Stage 1: Online assessments
After your CV clears, recruitment invites you to a fast-paced online test. Clear it and a second, longer assessment follows, nicknamed the Codility test. Together they are the primary filter, and they advance only candidates with strong quantitative instincts.
| Test | Questions | Time | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aptitude test | 37 | 15 minutes, roughly 24 seconds per question | Arithmetic, logical reasoning, linear Diophantine equations, probability and pattern recognition. No skipping and no revisiting, scored +1 per correct answer with no penalty for wrong or skipped ones |
| Codility test | 28 | 30 minutes, roughly 64 seconds per question | Single-answer multiple choice spanning probability, reasoning, statistics and mental maths. Sat after the aptitude test rather than instead of it |
The two reward different things, and the pacing is the clue. At 24 seconds a question the first test is about recognition and speed, so never leave an answer blank and never let one question eat 90 seconds. At 64 seconds the Codility test expects you to actually work the problem, so the failure mode there is rushing rather than stalling.
How to prepare
- Work the questions reported at Mako.
- Drill arithmetic to a 24 second pace with the Math Trainer, then push below it so the real pace feels slow.
- Solve pattern and sequence puzzles, including spatial reasoning and dice rotations, on the Sequence Trainer.
- Review basic probability: Bayes' rule, expected value and combinations. Candidates report dice roll and conditional probability problems.
- Practise under timed conditions in a distraction-free setting, so test day is a repeat rather than a new experience.
Stage 2: HR interview
A 30 minute phone or video interview with someone from recruitment, on your motivation, your communication and your fit for the role. Conversational, but still an assessment.
What comes up
- "Why Mako?" and "why trading?"
- What you think a market maker does
- Behavioural questions on teamwork, high-pressure situations and leadership
- Light technical checks such as "what is a strike price?" or "what is 15 percent of 80?"
How to prepare
Have concise reasons for trading and for Mako specifically. Learn the basics of market making and the vocabulary around it. Structure your examples with STAR. Expect the small arithmetic and finance questions to be about composure rather than knowledge, and answer them slowly and out loud.
Mako's own recruitment advice emphasises punctuality, clear communication and enthusiasm. Test your video setup, dress presentably, and have one or two real questions ready for the end.
Stage 3: Technical interviews
Two back-to-back 30 minute interviews with Mako traders. These are intense and fast, moving through logic puzzles, brainteasers, arithmetic and trading scenarios with little pause between them.
Mental maths
Percentages, ratios and decimals at speed, dropped in between harder questions.
Brainteasers and logic
Pattern recognition, probability puzzles and the classic riddles, the mislabeled jars and the light bulb and switch problem among them. Work the reasoning puzzles and the top 50 brainteasers for coverage.
Probability and game theory
Expected value, Bayes' theorem, and simplified trading games such as the two-thirds of the average question. Reported examples include the probability of drawing 2 red cards from a deck, and the expected number of coin flips until the first head, so cards and coins is the collection to work.
Financial maths and options
Calls, puts, spreads and the basic Greeks such as delta and vega. You do not need a finance degree, but you do need the fundamentals.
Market intuition
Hypothetical trading decisions, pricing exercises, and reasoning about how a price responds to news. If you have not priced anything out loud before, read our guide to make me a market and practise on the market games.
How to prepare
Practise speaking your reasoning aloud, because the thought process is what is being marked. Anticipate layered and open-ended puzzles, clarify the question before solving it, and stay methodical. If you stumble, keep engaging: composure is being assessed alongside the answer.
Closing remarks
Each stage of Mako's process has a distinct purpose, and knowing which is which tells you where to spend your preparation. The aptitude test filters for raw speed, and the Codility test that follows it filters for whether you can actually work a problem given room to. The HR interview checks fit and communication. The technical rounds probe how deep your problem solving goes. Where a final assessment day is included, it stands in for the pressure and teamwork of the job itself.
Mako repeatedly emphasises that trading experience is not required for graduates, provided you can show genuine interest in markets. If you are a student, be ready to talk about finance societies, competitions or self-directed projects. If you are experienced, be ready to explain why you still like the work and how you handle the bad days.
Work through everything we have for Mako, and read our full interview guide for how these stages compare across firms.