Math Experts — Assessment

$40–200/hrrate as listed

AfterQuery screens math experts through an unpaid qualifying assessment; passing places you in a pool matched to paid projects rather than one fixed job. Observed rates across those projects span $40–200/hr, varying with difficulty, specialization, and project type.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

What the work involves

AfterQuery contracts mathematicians and quantitative specialists to build and grade material that stresses reasoning models: writing problems with verifiable single answers, producing complete step-by-step solutions, checking model derivations line by line, and flagging where an answer is right for the wrong reason. Day to day this looks less like teaching and more like refereeing — you are asked whether a chain of reasoning actually holds, where exactly it breaks, and how to write a problem whose correct answer cannot be guessed or pattern-matched. Work spans undergraduate through research-level topics: real and complex analysis, abstract algebra, number theory, combinatorics, probability, optimization, topology, differential equations, and mathematical statistics.

What the assessment screens for

The qualifying assessment is unpaid and is the gate to everything downstream. It generally tests three things: whether you can solve non-routine problems correctly under time pressure, whether your written solutions are rigorous and legible to a reviewer who did not solve the problem themselves, and whether you can spot subtle errors in plausible-looking arguments. Expect LaTeX-formatted submission and an expectation that every claim in a proof is justified rather than gestured at. Passing enters you into an ongoing pool; project matching then depends on your specific subfield and current demand, so a pass is not a guarantee of immediate work.

Logistics

Fully remote and largely asynchronous, with task batches claimed through a platform queue.
No fixed weekly minimum on most projects; contributors commonly work 5–20 hours a week, and consistent availability tends to lead to more offers.
Rates are stated as observed across past projects — the low end reflects routine verification work, the upper end specialized or research-level tasks.
Work is contract-based, and payment is per task or per hour depending on the project.

What they look for

Graduate-level or advanced undergraduate mathematics (MS/PhD or equivalent research record)
Rigorous proof writing — complete, checkable arguments rather than sketches
LaTeX fluency for problems, solutions, and notation-heavy review
Error diagnosis: locating the precise step where a derivation fails
Depth in at least one named subfield (analysis, algebra, number theory, combinatorics, probability, optimization)
Written English clear enough for a reviewer to audit your reasoning

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: Whether your claimed depth is verifiable and maps onto a specific area the platform staffs, rather than general 'strong math background'.
A strong answer: Name the degree, institution, advisor or research group, and state the thesis topic in a sentence a non-specialist mathematician would follow, then name the two or three areas you would take work in unsupervised.
Where people lose it: Claiming breadth across all of mathematics. Screeners follow up inside whichever area you named, and 'I'm comfortable with everything through graduate level' invites a question you cannot answer precisely.