Public Service Entrance Exam (PSEE 371) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: No homework is enjoyable. Homework includes reading. Not fun is reading. The third statement is: if the first two claims are accurate.

False
Uncertain
True (Correct answer)

Correct answer: True

This is a valid logical deduction. If 'No homework is enjoyable' means all homework falls into the category of 'not enjoyable,' and 'Homework includes reading' means reading is a type of homework, then it logically follows that reading must also be 'not fun' (not enjoyable). The conclusion is a direct consequence of the premises.

Question 2: Memo: 'Requests under the Access to Information Act must be acknowledged within 30 calendar days. A 30-day extension may be taken with notice to the applicant. Further extensions require approval from the Information Commissioner.' An institution receives a request on May 1, acknowledges it on May 28, and sends an extension notice on May 30. Is the process compliant?

Yes, acknowledgement was within 30 days and the extension was properly noticed. (Correct answer)
Yes, but only if the Information Commissioner also approved the extension.
No, acknowledgement was too late.
No, the extension notice must be sent at the same time as acknowledgement.

Correct answer: Yes, acknowledgement was within 30 days and the extension was properly noticed.

Acknowledgement on May 28 = day 27 (within 30 days). Extension notice sent May 30 = day 29 (before the 30-day deadline). Both steps comply.

Question 3: A supervisor says: 'Flag all files with status PENDING or ESCALATED. Do not flag CLOSED or UNDER REVIEW files.' Which action is correct?

Flag a file marked UNDER REVIEW because it needs attention.
Flag all files regardless of status to be safe.
Flag a file marked ESCALATED and do not flag one marked CLOSED. (Correct answer)
Do not flag a file marked PENDING because it is not urgent.

Correct answer: Flag a file marked ESCALATED and do not flag one marked CLOSED.

ESCALATED = flag. CLOSED = do not flag. Option C correctly applies both rules.

Question 4: Find the next term: 7, 14, 28, 56, ___

112 (Correct answer)
108
100
120

Correct answer: 112

Each term doubles: 56×2=112.

Question 5: Phone extension list: Legal = 4421; Finance = 4432; HR = 4443; IT = 4454; Communications = 4465. An employee needs to reach HR. Which number do they dial?

4421
4454
4443 (Correct answer)
4432

Correct answer: 4443

HR = 4443 per the extension list.

Question 6: Which of the following words is spelled correctly?

Neccessary
Neccesary
Necesary
Necessary (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Necessary

'Necessary' has one 'c' and two 's' letters: n-e-c-e-s-s-a-r-y.

Question 7: Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

It's' a beautiful morning in the office.
It's a beautiful morning in the office. (Correct answer)
Its a beautiful morning in the office.
Its' a beautiful morning in the office.

Correct answer: It's a beautiful morning in the office.

'It's' is the contraction of 'it is,' so option B is correct; 'its' without an apostrophe is the possessive form.

Question 8: List 1: Pelletier, Ouellette, Tremblay, Bouchard, Gauthier. List 2: Pelletier, Ouellette, Tremblay, Boucher, Gauthier. What changed?

Bouchard was changed to Boucher. (Correct answer)
Gauthier was replaced.
Pelletier was replaced.
Ouellette was changed.

Correct answer: Bouchard was changed to Boucher.

Bouchard (List 1) became Boucher (List 2) — a subtle one-letter difference.

Question 9: Which sentence correctly uses the apostrophe?

The departments budget was approved yesterday.
The departments' budget was approved yesterday.
The departments's budget was approved yesterday.
The department's budget was approved yesterday. (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The department's budget was approved yesterday.

For a singular noun ('department'), the possessive is formed by adding 's: department's.

Question 10: A pie chart shows that 35% of government employees work in administration, 25% in operations, 20% in finance, and 20% in legal. If there are 4,000 employees total, how many work in operations?

800
1,000 (Correct answer)
1,400
1,200

Correct answer: 1,000

25% of 4,000 = 0.25 × 4,000 = 1,000 employees work in operations.

Question 11: If an employee works overtime, they receive a pay supplement. Jean did not receive a pay supplement. What can be concluded?

Jean did not work overtime. (Correct answer)
Jean refused the supplement.
Jean was absent that day.
Jean worked overtime.

Correct answer: Jean did not work overtime.

By contrapositive: if no supplement, then no overtime. Jean did not get a supplement, so Jean did not work overtime.

Question 12: Think about the sequences 6, 12, 24, and 48. <br> What figure should come after that?

96 (Correct answer)
86
48
60

Correct answer: 96

This is a geometric sequence where each number is obtained by multiplying the previous number by 2. Starting with 6: 6 * 2 = 12, 12 * 2 = 24, and 24 * 2 = 48. Following this pattern, the next number in the sequence will be 48 * 2 = 96. Therefore, 96 is the next figure.

Question 13: Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to 'ARDUOUS'?

Effortless (Correct answer)
Strenuous
Difficult
Exhausting

Correct answer: Effortless

Arduous means requiring great effort, so its opposite is 'effortless,' meaning requiring little or no effort.

Question 14: A government form requires the date in MM/DD/YYYY format. How would March 5, 2026 be correctly entered?

2026/03/05
03/05/2026 (Correct answer)
05/03/2026
3/5/2026

Correct answer: 03/05/2026

MM/DD/YYYY format requires two digits for the month and day, so March 5, 2026 is correctly written as 03/05/2026.

Question 15: What is the next number? 2, 6, 18, 54, ___

108
180
144
162 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 162

Each term is multiplied by 3: 54×3=162.

Question 16: The hiring procedure for the accounting department is now complete, and a training session is being planned. Recently hired staff members are all highly qualified. The trainees are all recently engaged workers. <br> What conclusion is logically drawn from the information presented above?

All very well qualified employees are trainees
Some of the trainees are not very well qualified
None of the trainees are very well qualified
All of the trainees are very well qualified (Correct answer)

Correct answer: All of the trainees are very well qualified

The premises state that 'Recently hired staff members are all highly qualified' and 'The trainees are all recently engaged workers' (meaning recently hired). Since all trainees fall into the category of 'recently hired workers,' and all 'recently hired workers' are 'highly qualified,' it logically follows that 'All of the trainees are very well qualified.' This is a direct application of the given information.

Question 17: Find the missing number: 2, 5, 11, 23, 47, ___

89
95 (Correct answer)
97
93

Correct answer: 95

Each term = previous × 2 + 1: 47×2+1=95.

Question 18: If a government project is 60% complete and has used $720,000 of its budget, what is the total estimated project budget?

$1,440,000
$1,200,000 (Correct answer)
$1,000,000
$900,000

Correct answer: $1,200,000

If 60% = $720,000, then 100% = $720,000 ÷ 0.60 = $1,200,000 total budget.

Question 19: Which of the following words is spelled correctly?

Accommadate
Acommodate
Accomodate
Accommodate (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Accommodate

'Accommodate' is the correct spelling, with double 'c' and double 'm'.

Question 20: What is the primary function of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)?

To confirm presidential appointments
To audit and evaluate federal programs and expenditures (Correct answer)
To process federal tax returns
To draft legislation for Congress

Correct answer: To audit and evaluate federal programs and expenditures

The GAO, known as the 'congressional watchdog,' audits federal agencies, investigates complaints, and evaluates government programs for Congress.

Question 21: Which document establishes the supreme law of the United States?

The U.S. Constitution (Correct answer)
The Civil Rights Act
The Federalist Papers
The Declaration of Independence

Correct answer: The U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land, establishing the framework of the federal government and individual rights.

Question 22: A public servant earns $52,800 per year. What is their monthly salary?

$4,800
$4,600
$4,400 (Correct answer)
$4,200

Correct answer: $4,400

$52,800 ÷ 12 = $4,400 per month.

Question 23: You are assigned a project with a two-week deadline. After one week, you realize it will take three weeks total. What should you do?

Reassign the project to a colleague without informing your supervisor.
Submit incomplete work at the deadline.
Continue working and hope to finish on time.
Tell your supervisor immediately that more time is needed. (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Tell your supervisor immediately that more time is needed.

Proactively notifying your supervisor of a deadline risk allows management to adjust resources or expectations — this demonstrates accountability.

Question 24: Instructions: 'Enter surname first, then a comma and given name, then employee number in square brackets.' Which entry is correctly formatted for Dana Tremblay, employee number 9034?

Tremblay Dana, [9034]
[9034] Tremblay, Dana
Dana Tremblay [9034]
Tremblay, Dana [9034] (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Tremblay, Dana [9034]

Surname first, comma, given name, then employee number in square brackets: Tremblay, Dana [9034].

Question 25: A citizen calls demanding an immediate answer to a complex question requiring policy research. What is the best response?

Transfer the call immediately without explanation.
Tell the caller the question is too complex and end the call.
Acknowledge the question, explain research is needed, and commit to a specific callback time. (Correct answer)
Give a quick answer based on partial knowledge to satisfy the caller.

Correct answer: Acknowledge the question, explain research is needed, and commit to a specific callback time.

Acknowledging the caller's need, being honest about the research required, and committing to follow-up demonstrates good judgment and service orientation.

Question 26: Which term describes the principle that government actions must be authorized by law?

Rule of law (Correct answer)
Judicial review
Executive discretion
Sovereign immunity

Correct answer: Rule of law

The rule of law means that no person or government is above the law, and all government actions must have legal authorization.

Question 27: What comes next in the series? 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, ___

56
60
64 (Correct answer)
72

Correct answer: 64

Perfect squares: 1², 2², ..., 7²=49, 8²=64.

Question 28: Compared to black fish, silver fish can swim more quickly. Compared to black fish, the gold fish can swim more quickly. Compared to silver fish, the gold fish can swim more quickly. The third statement is: if the first two claims are accurate.

False
True
Uncertain (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Uncertain

The first two statements establish that both silver fish and gold fish are faster than black fish. However, they provide no information to compare the speeds of silver fish and gold fish relative to each other. Gold fish could be faster, slower, or the same speed as silver fish, based solely on the given premises. Therefore, the third statement is uncertain.

Question 29: A automobile is being sold for $12,590, which is a 20% discount from the original cost. <br> What was the initial cost?

$14,310.48
$14,990.90
$15,737.50 (Correct answer)
$15,108.00

Correct answer: $15,737.50

The selling price of $12,590 represents a 20% discount from the original cost, meaning it is 80% of the original cost. To find the original cost, divide the discounted price by 0.80 (which represents 80%). So, $12,590 / 0.80 = $15,737.50. This is the initial cost before the discount.

Question 30: Passage: 'The Public Service Employment Act requires that appointments be based on merit. Merit means that the person appointed must meet the essential qualifications for the position and may be assessed on asset qualifications and organizational needs.' Which factor is MANDATORY for appointment?

Asset qualifications
Essential qualifications (Correct answer)
Years of experience
Organizational needs

Correct answer: Essential qualifications

The passage states the appointed person 'must meet the essential qualifications' — making it mandatory. Asset qualifications and organizational needs are optional ('may be assessed').

Public Service Entrance Exam (PSEE 371)

The PSEE 371 is the Canadian federal government's officer-level aptitude test used for public service hiring, assessing reasoning ability and professional judgment across five cognitive domains including number series, logical reasoning, memory, general knowledge, and situational judgment.

Questions

45 min

Time Limit

70%

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