Civil Service Numerical Reasoning Test Data Interpretation Tables

Question 1

A government department's expenditure table shows the following quarterly spending (in £ thousands): Q1: £245, Q2: £312, Q3: £278, Q4: £365. What was the total annual expenditure?

Accepted Answer

£1,200,000

Answer

Adding all quarters: £245k + £312k + £278k + £365k = £1,200k = £1,200,000. When working with figures in thousands, remember to convert back to full values for the final answer.

Question 2

A staffing table shows Department A has 120 staff, Department B has 95 staff, and Department C has 85 staff. If Department B increases its headcount by 20%, how many staff will Department B have?

Accepted Answer

114

Answer

20% of 95 = 0.20 x 95 = 19. Adding this to the original: 95 + 19 = 114 staff members.

Question 3

A table shows council tax collection rates across four boroughs: Northfield 94.2%, Eastdale 91.8%, Southmere 96.1%, Westbrook 89.5%. What is the range of collection rates?

Accepted Answer

6.6 percentage points

Answer

The range is the difference between the highest and lowest values: 96.1% minus 89.5% = 6.6 percentage points. The range measures the spread of data.

Question 4

A departmental budget table shows: Salaries £4.2m, IT £1.8m, Estates £2.1m, Travel £0.6m, Training £0.3m. What percentage of the total budget is spent on IT?

Accepted Answer

20%

Answer

Total budget = £4.2m + £1.8m + £2.1m + £0.6m + £0.3m = £9.0m. IT as a percentage: (£1.8m / £9.0m) x 100 = 20%.

Question 5

A table shows Freedom of Information requests received by a department: 2022: 1,450; 2023: 1,682; 2024: 1,935. What is the approximate percentage increase from 2022 to 2024?

Accepted Answer

33.4%

Answer

Increase = 1,935 minus 1,450 = 485. Percentage increase = (485 / 1,450) x 100 = 33.4% (to one decimal place).

Civil Service Numerical Reasoning Practice Test

Civil Service Numerical Reasoning Practice Test

Civil Service Numerical Reasoning Test Data Interpretation Tables