Civil service clerical assessments are used for clerk, office assistant, records, typist and related public-sector titles. There is no national clerical civil service exam: the controlling announcement determines the format, subjects, typing requirements and scoring rules.

Use this page as the role-family owner for clerical preparation. The former /civil-service-exams/clerical-ability/ route consolidates here. Administrative-assistant roles remain separate because they may include broader coordination, prioritization or written-work responsibilities.

Competencies that may appear

Depending on the announcement, clerical assessment may involve:

  • comparing names, numbers, codes and dates;
  • filing and alphabetizing;
  • reading written instructions;
  • record keeping;
  • proofreading or written communication;
  • basic workplace arithmetic;
  • coding or information ordering;
  • typing or keyboarding as a separate performance requirement.

Do not assume every clerical title tests every area.

Original practice questions

Question 1: checking

Which pair is exactly the same?

A. File 48317-B / File 48371-B
B. Case 70142 / Case 70142
C. Unit 26-A / Unit 26-4
D. Morales, J. / Morales, I.

Answer: B. Every character matches.

Question 2: alphabetical filing

Which surname comes first alphabetically?

A. Kramer
B. Kane
C. Keller
D. King

Answer: B. Ka... comes before Ke..., Ki... and Kr....

Question 3: written instruction

A notice says completed forms must be placed in the blue tray before 4:00 p.m. Where should a form completed at 3:40 p.m. be placed?

A. Blue tray
B. Red tray
C. Mail room
D. Anywhere convenient

Answer: A. The instruction directly identifies the blue tray.

Question 4: arithmetic

A clerk processes 18 records in the morning and 27 in the afternoon. How many are processed in total?

A. 35
B. 45
C. 55
D. 65

Answer: B. 18 + 27 = 45.

Clerical versus typing

A clerical examination can include several office skills. A typing test is narrower and measures keyboarding performance under its own rules.

Use Civil Service Typing Test when the announcement specifies a WPM, accuracy or typing-certificate requirement.

Clerical versus administrative assistant

Administrative-assistant titles may overlap with clerical work but can also test document review, scheduling, prioritization, written communication or other coordination skills. Use Administrative Assistant Exam for that role family.

Preparation sequence

  1. Open the current official announcement.
  2. Highlight the exact tested subjects.
  3. Take a short diagnostic in those subjects.
  4. Practice accuracy before speed.
  5. Review transpositions and rule errors separately.
  6. Add timed sets only when the real examination is timed.
  7. Confirm whether typing is part of the examination or a separate qualification.

All practice questions here are original examples, not official examination items.