New Jersey Civil Service Clerical Aptitude and Filing Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are tasked with filing the following four business folders alphabetically. Which folder should be filed FIRST?
- St. James Medical Supply (Correct answer)
- South-East Plumbing
- The Smith Group
- Southard Legal Services
Correct answer: St. James Medical Supply
Standard alphabetizing rules for business names require treating abbreviations like 'St.' as if they are fully spelled out ('Saint'). 'The' at the beginning of a name is disregarded for filing purposes. Hyphenated names are treated as a single word. Therefore, 'Saint James' comes before 'Smith', 'South-East', and 'Southard'.
Question 2: A municipal clerk is verifying a batch of sequentially issued permit numbers before archiving the daily report. The standard format is YY-DD-#### (Year-Department-Sequence). Which of the following statements accurately describes the error in this sequence: 24-07-1056, 24-07-1057, 24-07-1058, 24-07-1060, 24-07-1061?
- The numbers are filed in reverse order.
- A number is missing from the sequence. (Correct answer)
- The department code is incorrect in one number.
- The year is incorrectly formatted.
Correct answer: A number is missing from the sequence.
The permit numbers are issued sequentially. In the list provided, the number jumps from 24-07-1058 to 24-07-1060, indicating that permit number 24-07-1059 is missing from the batch.
Question 3: A new clerk in a county administration office is responsible for coding incoming mail based on the following system:
- FIN: Correspondence related to budgets, invoices, or purchasing.
- HR: Correspondence related to personnel, benefits, or job applications.
- PRC: Correspondence from the public regarding services or complaints.
- LEG: Correspondence from attorneys or related to legal matters.
The clerk receives a letter from a resident asking about the status of a recent job application and inquiring about the health benefits for the position. What is the correct code for this piece of mail?
- FIN
- PRC
- LEG
- HR (Correct answer)
Correct answer: HR
The letter's content, which involves a job application and employee benefits, directly corresponds to the 'HR' category, which covers personnel-related matters. The other codes relate to finance, public comments, and legal issues.
Question 4: The procedure for processing a travel reimbursement form is as follows:
1. Employee submits Form TR-101 to their immediate supervisor.
2. The supervisor reviews and signs the form.
3. The supervisor forwards the signed form to the Department Head.
4. The Department Head approves the form. If the total is over $500, the Department Head must also attach a 'High-Value Justification' memo.
5. The form (and memo, if applicable) is sent to the Finance Department.
An employee submits a correct TR-101 form for $650 to their supervisor, who signs it and forwards it to the Department Head. What is the correct next step for the Department Head?
- Send the form directly to the Finance Department.
- Return the form to the employee for additional information.
- Approve the form, attach the justification memo, and send both to Finance. (Correct answer)
- Approve the form and send it to the Finance Department.
Correct answer: Approve the form, attach the justification memo, and send both to Finance.
According to step 4 of the procedure, any reimbursement request exceeding $500 requires the Department Head to attach a 'High-Value Justification' memo before forwarding the approved form to the Finance Department. Since the amount is $650, this step is mandatory.
Question 5: A clerk is verifying data entered into a new system. By comparing the 'Data Entry List' against the 'Original List' below, on which line was the error made?
Original List:
Line 1: Michele P. O'Connell
Line 2: David R. Andersen
Line 3: Catherine J. Stephenson
Line 4: Thomas E. MacGuire
Data Entry List:
Line 1: Michele P. O'Connell
Line 2: David R. Anderson
Line 3: Catherine J. Stephenson
Line 4: Thomas E. MacGuire
- Line 1
- Line 3
- Line 4
- Line 2 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Line 2
When comparing the two lists, the name on Line 2, 'David R. Andersen', was incorrectly typed as 'David R. Anderson' in the data entry list. The other three lines match perfectly. This type of detail-oriented checking is a critical clerical skill.
Question 6: A file folder for 'Project Alpha' contains correspondence filed chronologically, with the most recent document placed at the front of the folder. The documents currently in the folder are dated: March 15, 2024; February 28, 2024; and January 30, 2024. A clerk needs to file a new document dated March 5, 2024. According to the described filing system, where should the new document be placed?
- At the very front of the folder, in front of the March 15 document.
- Between the March 15 and February 28 documents. (Correct answer)
- At the very back of the folder, behind the January 30 document.
- Between the February 28 and January 30 documents.
Correct answer: Between the March 15 and February 28 documents.
The system is chronological with the most recent document at the front. The current front document is March 15, 2024. The next is February 28, 2024. The new document, dated March 5, 2024, is more recent than February 28 but older than March 15. Therefore, it should be filed between them.
