Ohio Civil Service Exam Clerical Aptitude 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A clerk must alphabetize files for 'St. Claire County,' 'Saint Bernard Hospital,' and 'Stanton Office Supply.' What is the correct order?
- Saint Bernard, St. Claire, Stanton (Correct answer)
- St. Claire, Saint Bernard, Stanton
- Stanton, Saint Bernard, St. Claire
- Saint Bernard, Stanton, St. Claire
Correct answer: Saint Bernard, St. Claire, Stanton
When filing, 'Saint' and 'St.' are treated as 'Saint,' so all three are compared as: Saint Bernard, Saint Claire, Stanton.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a cardinal number?
- Third
- Fifth
- Twelve (Correct answer)
- Twenty-second
Correct answer: Twelve
Cardinal numbers express quantity (twelve), while ordinal numbers express rank or order (third, fifth, twenty-second).
Question 3: An office receives invoices numbered sequentially. Invoice #1047 is missing from the files. The clerk should:
- Skip the gap and continue filing
- Create a placeholder noting the missing invoice (Correct answer)
- Re-number subsequent invoices to fill the gap
- Discard surrounding invoices to maintain consistency
Correct answer: Create a placeholder noting the missing invoice
Best practice is to create a placeholder or out-card so anyone searching the files knows the invoice is missing and can locate it.
Question 4: A clerk types the sentence: 'The meeting is schedled for friday at 3:00 p.m.' How many errors does this sentence contain?
- 1
- 2 (Correct answer)
- 3
- 4
Correct answer: 2
There are 2 errors: 'schedled' is misspelled (should be 'scheduled') and 'friday' should be capitalized.
Question 5: A supervisor asks a clerk to 'copy this for the record.' What does this typically mean in an office setting?
- Send the document to a records archive
- Make a photocopy to retain as an official file copy (Correct answer)
- Record the document number in a log
- Email the document to all staff
Correct answer: Make a photocopy to retain as an official file copy
'For the record' means keeping an official copy, so the clerk should make a photocopy to file.
Question 6: If a filing system uses the rule 'nothing comes before something,' how would 'Smith, J.' be filed relative to 'Smith, James'?
- Smith, James comes first
- Smith, J. comes first (Correct answer)
- They are filed in the same location
- Order depends on the date received
Correct answer: Smith, J. comes first
Under the 'nothing before something' rule, a shorter entry (J.) precedes a longer one (James) when identical up to that point.
Question 7: A clerk must calculate the total pages photocopied: 45 pages × 4 copies each, plus 30 pages × 6 copies each. What is the total?
- 330
- 360 (Correct answer)
- 390
- 420
Correct answer: 360
(45 × 4) + (30 × 6) = 180 + 180 = 360 total pages copied.
Ohio Civil Service Exam Clerical Aptitude 4
A clerk must alphabetize files for 'St.
Claire County,' 'Saint Bernard Hospital,' and 'Stanton Office Supply.' What is the correct order?