How hard is the LA County BBC exam — typing speed and clerical sections?
I've got my BBC exam scheduled in about 5 weeks and I'm trying to figure out where to focus my prep time. I scored around 42 WPM on my last typing test but I've heard the BBC requires at least 45 WPM net to be competitive. Does the typing portion count heavily toward the final score, or is it more of a pass/fail threshold?
The clerical aptitude section is what worries me more honestly. I've been practicing alphabetizing and filing tasks for about 30 minutes a day but I don't know if that's enough. Anyone know how many questions are on that section and what the time limit is like?
I also saw conflicting info about whether the exam is still done in person at the HR department or if there's an online option now. My application is for a Secretary I position. If anyone's taken it recently I'd really appreciate knowing what the current format looks like.
I scored 91% overall and got ranked pretty high on the eligible list. The grammar and vocabulary section caught me off guard — there were a few archaic office terminology questions I wasn't expecting. Worth brushing up on business writing basics before you go in.
Typing was weighted at roughly 40% of the total score from what I could tell.
I took the BBC last year for a clerical assistant role. The typing is timed at 5 minutes and you need 45 WPM net after deducting errors, so 42 WPM is cutting it close. Practice with actual timed tests, not just casual typing.
The clerical section had around 80 questions and felt rushed — alphabetizing accuracy matters more than speed there.
Don't stress too much about the math portion. It's basic arithmetic — nothing beyond percentages and simple fractions. I finished that section with 8 minutes to spare.
When I took it in 2024 it was still in-person at Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. They gave me about two weeks' notice after the application window closed. Bring two forms of ID or they'll turn you away.
I was in the same boat last year with my typing speed hovering right around that 42-43 WPM range. Honestly the typing portion matters but it's not the thing that sinks most people. The clerical sections are where I'd focus your energy, and here's the thing that changed everything for me: I stopped just memorizing answer patterns and started figuring out why the wrong answers were wrong. Like, what specifically made option B a trap? Once I started doing that, my accuracy on the filing and alphabetizing questions went way up. I actually used a smarter balanced assessment consortium practice test to get into that mindset of really analyzing each distractor before I switched to BBC-specific materials, and it built good habits.
For typing, five weeks is enough time to get from 42 to 45+ if you practice daily, even just 15-20 minutes. But don't neglect the clerical reasoning stuff because that's where the score separation really happens. You'll feel way more confident going in if you understand the logic behind the questions rather than just hoping you remembered the right answer.
Honestly the clerical section is what trips most people up, not typing. I was in a similar spot with my WPM and ended up spending way too much time drilling speed when I should've been working through the reasoning behind wrong answers on the clerical stuff. Like, it's not enough to just remember "that one was C" — you need to know exactly why B was wrong, otherwise a slightly different version of the same question will get you again. I found that approach way more useful than flashcards, and it's the same thing I did when I was prepping with a smarter balanced assessment consortium practice test earlier in the year — understanding the mistake matters more than memorizing the answer.
For the typing, 42 to 45 WPM isn't a huge jump. A week of focused daily practice should close that gap. But don't neglect the filing and alphabetizing sections — they're timed and people underestimate how much pressure that adds. Focus your last two weeks on clerical reasoning with that "why is this wrong" mindset and you'll be in much better shape.