253 practice questions for the written civil service tests that office, clerical and administrative jobs use, built on the nine subjects the New York State Department of Civil Service publishes free guides for: spelling, alphabetizing, record keeping, operations with letters and numbers, using a directory, name and number checking, understanding written material, preparing written material, and working and interacting with others. Counties, cities, towns and school districts give the same subjects, and most merit systems test some mix of them. The tables, passages and directories are our own, and the drills are drawn so every key is checked by a script. Every answer explains the method with a Remember line, and your score report shows the skills you miss.
The real test: Each civil service test has its own examination announcement listing its subjects, date, fee and scoring; many score out of 100 with 70 to pass. New York State's entry-level clerical test allows 3 hours. The office subjects in the state's free test guides are spelling, alphabetizing, record keeping, operations with letters and numbers, using a directory, name and number checking, understanding written material, preparing written material, and working with others. Our practice test is 60 questions in 90 minutes across all nine, passing at 70% (42 of 60).
Here: 253 questions. Our own practice questions on the nine entry-level office subjects in the New York State Department of Civil Service test guides. Passages, tables and directories are made up; not any agency's test questions. Free.
Start studying, freeOpens the Civil Service Ticket study guide. No sign-up, nothing to install.| Topic | On the test | In the guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Spelling | ~6 | 25 |
| 2. Alphabetizing | ~6 | 25 |
| 3. Record Keeping | ~8 | 32 |
| 4. Operations with Letters and Numbers | ~7 | 30 |
| 5. Using a Directory | ~5 | 22 |
| 6. Name and Number Checking | ~7 | 30 |
| 7. Understanding and Interpreting Written Material | ~8 | 34 |
| 8. Preparing Written Material | ~7 | 30 |
| 9. Working and Interacting with Others | ~6 | 25 |
"On the test" is the rough share of a 60-question test for each topic, following the exam's published weights.
Which one of the following words is misspelled?
A. recieve
Of the following names, which one would be SECOND in an alphabetic file?
C. Marsten, Carl
Which one of the following letters is as far after O in the alphabet as P is after M?
B. R
Consider these sentences: "The clerk misfiled the deed. The misfiled deed delayed the closing by two weeks." Which one of the following best presents the information?
C. The clerk's misfiling of the deed delayed the closing by two weeks.
Your supervisor gives you an assignment with instructions you do not fully understand. The supervisor is in the office but busy. What is the best thing to do?
C. Note your questions and ask the supervisor briefly at the first good moment
Which one of the following words is misspelled?
C. seperate
Of the following names, which one would be THIRD in an alphabetic file?
B. Pellitier, Russ
Which one of the following letters is as far after P in the alphabet as Q is after L?
A. U
Consider these sentences: "Ms. Ortiz supervises the records unit. The records unit processed 4,000 requests last year. That was a record for the unit." Which one of the following best presents the information?
A. Last year the records unit, which Ms. Ortiz supervises, processed a record 4,000 requests.
A coworker often asks you to cover her phone while she takes long personal calls, and your own work is falling behind. What should you do first?
B. Tell her privately and politely that covering is hurting your own work