Clerical Ability Reviewer for the Civil Service Exam

Clerical Ability looks at how quickly and accurately you handle routine office tasks such as filing, sorting and comparing details. These questions reward careful, methodical work more than anything else.

4 parts59 questions80% passing markFree

This free Clerical Ability reviewer on Civil Service Exam Reviewer has 4 parts and about 59 practice questions. Every question shows the correct answer and, in most cases, an explanation. Your score is checked against the 80% passing mark, and you can retake any part as often as you like.

What the Clerical Ability section covers

  • Alphabetical filingArranging names, titles and organizations in alphabetical order.
  • Filing by surnameSorting by last name, then first name, then middle name or initial.
  • Numerical filingPlacing numbers, codes and dates in the right order.
  • Checking and comparingSpotting differences between two sets of names, numbers or addresses.
  • Spelling and word usageChoosing the correctly spelled word.

How to prepare for Clerical Ability

  • Compare names letter by letter from the beginning. Do not try to eyeball the whole list.
  • Know the filing conventions your question follows, such as filing by surname first and ignoring words like "of" and "the" in organization names, and apply them consistently.
  • Work in two passes: sort quickly first, then check the order once more from top to bottom.
  • Keep your eyes on the line you are working on. Using a finger or pen as a guide reduces skipped lines.
  • Practice regularly with timed sets. Speed in this section comes from repetition.

Sample Clerical Ability questions

Try these sample questions from our reviewer, then check the explanation below each one.

Sample question 1

This is a type of document issued by a seller to a buyer relating to a sale transaction and indicating
the products, quantities and prices sold to the buyer.

  • Check voucher
  • Purchase order
  • Delivery receipt
  • Sales invoice
Answer: Sales invoice
A sales invoice is issued by the seller to the buyer and lists the products, quantities and prices sold. A purchase order is issued by the buyer; a delivery receipt only proves delivery; a check voucher supports a payment.

Sample question 2

A. Commission on the Filipino Language
B. Commission on Human Rights
C. Commission on Higher Education
D. Commission on Population

  • a. ABCD
  • CBDA
  • BCDA
  • ACBD
Answer: CBDA
Word-by-word:
1. C Commission on Higher Education
2. B Commission on Human Rights
3. D Commission on Population
4. A Commission on the Filipino Language
"Higher" before "Human" (i before u); "Population" (P) before "the" (t). Answer: CBDA.

Sample question 3

If you don’t "spill the beans" now, you might gonna regret it.

  • spread rumors
  • let out a secret
  • plant some seeds
  • none of the above
Answer: let out a secret
"Spill the beans" is an idiom that means to reveal a secret or disclose confidential information.

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