Clerical Test Practice

What the real test usually looks like

"Clerical test" covers two quite different things: short online screens from private employers, and longer civil service exams for government office jobs. Both test the same everyday office skills.

Private employer screens. These are usually short and online. Criteria's CLIK computer skills test, for example, takes 13 minutes: three short task simulations, then ten multiple choice questions, covering web browsers, email and word processing. Criteria recommends it for administrative assistants, clerical workers, receptionists and similar roles. Employers often add a typing test, a data entry test, or a short set of filing, checking and math questions like the free sample above.

Civil service clerical exams. State and local governments publish test guides. The New York State Entry-Level Clerical Series has an overall time allowance of 3 hours and draws on five subject areas:

• Spelling: three words, and you pick the misspelled one or "None of the above is misspelled".
• Alphabetizing: find where a name falls in an alphabetical file, such as which name would be third.
• Record keeping: sets of questions on collating data from several sources, scheduling, running balances, and tables with totals, subtotals, averages and percents.
• Operations with letters and numbers: alphabetizing, comparing, checking and counting groups of letters and numbers. Every exam in the series includes this area.
• Using a directory: update a telephone directory with name and room changes, then answer questions a caller might ask.

The exam announcement lists which areas your exam covers. These exams are taken on paper at a test site, and phones and other electronic devices are not allowed.

US federal clerical jobs. OPM's qualification standard for clerical and administrative support positions is based on experience and education. Typing titles add a skill requirement: 40 words per minute for clerk-typist and office automation positions, on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors.

Criteria and CLIK are trademarks of their owner. Intellect Council is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.

Question types with worked examples

Seven worked examples in the style of the subject areas above, with the method and the trap for each. None repeat the free sample.

1. Alphabetizing: which name is third? Hartley, Ann / Hart, Daniel / Hartman, Joe / Harte, Lisa.

Answer: Hartley, Ann. The order is Hart, Harte, Hartley, Hartman. Method: compare letter by letter, and remember that "nothing comes before something": Hart is shorter than Harte, so it goes first. Then e comes before l, and l before m. Trap: reading the first names. They only matter when last names are identical.

2. Spelling with a "none" option. Which one, if any, is misspelled? (A) accommodate (B) occurrence (C) liaison (D) None of the above is misspelled.

Answer: D. All three are spelled correctly. Method: check each word on its own, then choose "none" with confidence. Trap: assuming one of the three must be wrong. Commonly misspelled words appear spelled correctly too.

3. Record keeping: running balance. A supplies budget starts at $1,500. Purchases of $240.00 and $315.50 are made, a $60.00 return is credited, then $129.75 is spent. What is the balance?

Answer: $1,500 - $240.00 = $1,260.00. Then $1,260.00 - $315.50 = $944.50. Add the $60.00 return: $1,004.50. Subtract $129.75: $874.75. Trap: subtracting the return instead of adding it.

4. Record keeping: completing a table. A help desk logs 80, 64, 72, 90 and 69 calls from Monday to Friday. What is the daily average, and what percent of Monday's 80 calls were the 28 billing calls?

Answer: the total is 375, so the average is 375 / 5 = 75. Billing is 28 / 80 = 0.35, or 35%. Trap: dividing by the wrong total, such as the week's 375 instead of Monday's 80. Our percentage questions guide has more practice.

5. Counting with a condition. In the string 571837927477, how many times does 7 come directly after an odd digit?

Answer: 3. The 7s follow 5, 3, 2, 4 and 7. Only 5, 3 and 7 are odd. Method: find every 7 first, then check the digit before each one. Trap: answering 5, the total number of 7s.

6. Letter distance. Which letter is as far before R as M is before T?

Answer: K. M is 7 letters before T, and 7 letters before R is K. Method: count the steps between the two given letters, then count the same number of steps from the new letter, in the same direction. Trap: counting the letters in between (6) instead of the steps (7).

7. Using a directory. Ana Ortiz is on extension 4410, Raj Patel on 4415 and Lee Quinn on 4420. Changes: Raj Patel is on leave and his calls go to Lee Quinn. Ana Ortiz's extension is now 4499. Calls for anyone not listed go to reception on 4400. Where should a call for Raj Patel go?

Answer: 4420, Lee Quinn. Method: check the list of changes before the directory itself. Trap: giving Raj Patel's old extension, 4415, because it is the first number you see.

How to prepare

1. Read your exam announcement or invitation first. For civil service exams it lists the subject areas you will face. Spend your time on those.
2. Set a pace. Criteria's CLIK fits three short simulations and ten questions into 13 minutes, which leaves roughly 25 to 40 seconds per multiple choice question. Most single clerical questions should take you well under a minute. Move on from any that take longer and come back.
3. Practice alphabetizing with tricky starts: Mac and Mc, hyphenated names, and short names that match the start of longer ones.
4. Learn the commonly misspelled business words, such as accommodate, occurrence, liaison, receive, separate, necessary and correspondence.
5. Practice running balances and tables on paper. Write each step down. On record keeping sets, one early mistake carries into every later answer.
6. Check the calculator rule. Some government exams do not allow phones in the room at all, so plan for the calculator the exam allows, or for mental math.
7. Train comparing and counting in short daily sessions. Our attention to detail test is good practice for the operations with letters and numbers area.
8. If the job is a typing title, practice typing too. Federal clerk-typist positions require 40 words per minute on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors.

How scoring usually works

Raw score. Clerical tests count correct answers, sometimes section by section. Online screens often report a total score or a proficiency band to the employer. Criteria, for example, scores CLIK out of 25 with no deduction for wrong answers, then groups results into three bands: Not Proficient, Proficient and Highly Proficient.

Compared with what. Private employers compare your score with a target for the role or with other applicants. For civil service exams, read the exam announcement: it explains how the exam is rated and how results are used.

Typing requirements are usually pass or fail against a stated speed, such as the federal 40 words per minute for clerk-typist positions.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you got right, with a breakdown by section: filing, checking, spelling and grammar, math and scheduling. It is not a score from any real test, and it does not predict a civil service rating.

Civil service clerical exam day checklist

Government clerical exams are usually taken in person. The New York State clerical test guide gives a typical list, so check your own admission notice for the exact rules:

• Bring: your admission notice, two No. 2 pencils, a photo ID with your signature, and a quiet snack.
• Leave at home: cell phones, headphones and other electronic devices. Using one anywhere on the test site grounds can lead to disqualification.
• Do not bring the test guide itself into the test room.
• Arrive on time and follow the monitor's instructions.
• Keep track of the time yourself across the sections.
• After the test, do not discuss or reproduce the questions. Test material is protected, and breaking the rules can disqualify you from future exams.

For an online clerical screen, the checklist is simpler: a laptop, a quiet room, a working keyboard, and any system check done the day before.

Common clerical test mistakes

• Filing by first name when the instructions say last name, or ignoring a rule like "file by date, then by name".
• Treating Mc and Mac differently from the instructions. Some filing rules spell them out letter by letter, others group them. Follow what the test says.
• Rushing the "none of the above" option on spelling questions, or avoiding it entirely.
• Losing your place in a record keeping set. Use the margin to note running totals.
• Not reading the list of changes before answering directory questions.
• Spending too long on one question. Each question carries the same weight, so a stuck question costs time you need for easier ones.

A one-week clerical test study plan

Day 1. Take the free sample above and note the sections you missed. If you have a civil service exam, read the announcement and its test guide.

Day 2. Alphabetizing and filing: sort 30 names, including Mac, Mc, hyphenated and identical last names.

Day 3. Spelling and grammar: 20 commonly misspelled business words, and pronoun choices like "to Sam and me".

Day 4. Record keeping: running balances, schedules and tables with averages and percents, on paper.

Day 5. Comparing, checking and counting drills for 15 minutes, then take a full timed mock and review every explanation.

Day 6. Redo your weakest section from scratch and practice typing if the job requires it.

Day 7. Rest. Prepare your admission notice, ID and pencils, or test your laptop for an online screen.