The Formula 1 company uses a series of straightforward maths tests derived in
the 1960s by Birkbeck College.
The questions are a mixture of adding up, multiplying and division, as well as
basic fractions, logarithms and theory.
One question asks candidates to write three quarters as a decimal, another
asks for the square root of 81. More complex questions include what is 11pc
of 250, and what is 7,713 divided by nine.
Mr Burns said: “It’s pretty frustrating that the young people cannot complete
these tests. A few years’ back, we had such a small pass rate that we now
only give the tests after we’ve invited them to an open day.”
One of the adding up and subtracting tests is “pretty straightforward”,
according to the chief executive, although candidates only have two minutes
to complete it.
When asked whether the testing process should be made easier, or candidates
should be given more time, he said: “Well, no. We are looking for the best
people we can find, and these tests are pretty generic.”
Mr Burns said he was considering whether to update the tests – as they are
more than 50 years old – but at the end of the day, “maths is maths”.
He added: “Finding the staff we need to fill the technical roles we have is
probably the biggest constraint on the growth of our business at the moment.
We’re a cash-positive business, so we reinvest the cash we generate in the
business and I see lots of opportunity to take Formula 1 technologies and
adapt those for use outside the business. Our biggest constraint is getting
the people we need with the skills that we need.”
Mr Burns said Williams was doing a lot to train young people, including
running robust apprenticeship and undergraduate schemes. But he urged the
Government to improve basic education
so school leavers could take advantage of the Williams opportunities on
offer. “We are taking people on and giving them the skills they need. What
we look for from government is a very strong education system that gives us
young people that are very strong in STEM [science, technology, engineering
and maths subjects], and we will then give them the specific skills we need
for them to grow at our
company,” he said.
Take the test
The Williams F1 maths test is a series of basic sums derived by Birkbeck
college in the 1960s. The current failure rate among young people taking the
test, hoping to work as apprentices at the company, is two-thirds. Can you
do any better? Take the Williams F1 maths test now and check
your answers here afterwards.
1. 44 + 12 + 35 = ?
2. 735 – 576 = ?
3. 7523 x 8 = ?
4. 7713 / 9 = ?
5. 2 + 3 = ?
6. Write 0.3 as a fraction
7. The square of 7 is = ?
8. The cube of 2 is = ?
9. What is 11pc of 250 = ?
10. Increase 64 by 12.5pc = ?
11. Find the value of x2 + 2xy + y2 where x = 6
and y = -3
12. 5/16 / 1/8 = ?
13. If log 3 = 0.4771 and log 4 = 0.6020, log 40 = ?
14. If log 3 = 0.4771 and log 4 = 0.6020, log 0.12 = ?
15. The cube root of 27 is = ?
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