24 Clerical Accuracy Practice Questions & Answers

Every Clerical Accuracy practice question from the Civil Service Clerical Exam Practice Test, with the correct answer and a short explanation.

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1. Compare each pair of numbers below character by character. How many of the four pairs are EXACTLY alike? 1. 48592 — 48529 2. 73016 — 73016 3. 90284 — 90248 4. 61375 — 61735
- A.1✓ Answer
- B.2
- C.3
- D.4
Only pair 2 matches. Pair 1 swaps the 4th and 5th digits (92 vs 29), pair 3 swaps the 4th and 5th digits (84 vs 48), and pair 4 swaps the 3rd and 4th digits (61375 vs 61735). All three are transpositions: the same digits are present and only their order changes, which is why reading a number for its overall shape instead of position by position hides the error.
Source: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Entry-Level Clerical/Steno/Typist Series — subject area "Clerical Operations with Letters and Numbers" (comparing and checking number groups); transposition error typeReport a problem with this question
2. Compare each pair of names below character by character. How many of the five pairs are EXACTLY alike? 1. Kalverton, Marcia J. — Kalverton, Marcia J. 2. Peterson, Dwayne — Peteson, Dwayne 3. Ruzicka, Elena — Ruzicka, Elena 4. Vandermeer, Otis — Vandermeer, Ottis 5. Brantwood, Cheryl — Brantwood, Cheryl
- A.5
- B.4
- C.3✓ Answer
- D.2
Pairs 1, 3 and 5 are identical, so the count is 3. Pair 2 drops a letter (Peterson has an r as its 5th letter; Peteson does not), and pair 4 adds a letter (Otis becomes Ottis with a doubled t). A dropped or doubled letter changes the length of the string, so a quick length check on each side catches this error type faster than reading the name for meaning.
Source: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Entry-Level Clerical/Steno/Typist Series — "Clerical Operations with Letters and Numbers" (name checking); dropped-character and doubled-character error typesReport a problem with this question
3. Read every character exactly as printed: the digit 0 is not the letter O, and the digit 1 is not the lowercase letter l. Which ONE of the pairs below is exactly alike? A. RL0A9482 — RLOA9482 B. MK1P7365 — MKlP7365 C. TD5W2140 — TD5W2140 D. GZ2N8607 — GS2N8607
- A.B
- B.C✓ Answer
- C.D
- D.A
Only C matches. In A the 3rd character is the digit 0 on the left and the letter O on the right; in B the 3rd character is the digit 1 on the left and the lowercase letter l on the right; in D the 2nd character changes from Z to S. Visually confusable characters (0/O, 1/l/I, 5/S, 2/Z) are deliberately planted in clerical checking items because the eye reads them as the same shape, so each character must be identified by class (letter or digit), not by appearance.
Source: Clerical checking standard — visually confusable character substitution (0/O, 1/l/I, 5/S, 2/Z) in letter-and-number group comparisonReport a problem with this question
4. SOURCE LINE: PERMIT A-90427 COPY: PERMIT A-90247 The copy contains one transposition. Which two characters were swapped?
- A.The 9 and the 0 (1st and 2nd digits)
- B.The 4 and the 2 (3rd and 4th digits of the number)✓ Answer
- C.The 2 and the 7 (4th and 5th digits)
- D.Nothing was swapped; the two lines are identical
Lining the digits up by position gives 9-0-4-2-7 against 9-0-2-4-7: positions 1, 2 and 5 agree, and only positions 3 and 4 are reversed. The digit sum and the digit set are unchanged, which is exactly why a transposition survives a casual glance and must be caught by a position-by-position pass.
Source: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Entry-Level Clerical/Steno/Typist Series — checking permit/ID strings; transposition of adjacent charactersReport a problem with this question
5. Exactly two of the four address entries below are identical to each other. Which two? 1. 5580 Kingsbarrow Ave 2. 5850 Kingsbarrow Ave 3. 5580 Kingsbarow Ave 4. 5580 Kingsbarow Ave
- A.2 and 4
- B.1 and 2
- C.3 and 4✓ Answer
- D.1 and 3
Entries 3 and 4 agree in every character. Entry 1 differs from them in the street name only (Kingsbarrow has a double r; Kingsbarow has one), and entry 2 differs from entry 1 in the house number (5580 vs 5850, the 2nd and 3rd digits transposed) as well as carrying the double r. A four-way match item must be checked field by field — house number first, then street name — because the two entries that share a house number are not necessarily the matching pair.
Source: Clerical checking standard — multi-way address match item; combined transposition and dropped-letter error typesReport a problem with this question
6. NOTE THE WORDING: count the pairs that are DIFFERENT, not the pairs that are alike. 1. WQ-3382-B — WQ-3382-B 2. WQ-3328-B — WQ-3382-B 3. HN-7041-C — HN-7041-G 4. HN-7041-C — HN-7041-C 5. RB-5093-D — RB-5093-D 6. RB-5903-D — RB-5093-D How many of the six pairs are DIFFERENT?
- A.3✓ Answer
- B.1
- C.2
- D.4
Pairs 2, 3 and 6 differ, so the count is 3. Pair 2 reverses the last two digits of the number block (3328 vs 3382), pair 3 changes the final letter (C vs G), and pair 6 reverses the 2nd and 3rd digits (5903 vs 5093). Pairs 1, 4 and 5 are identical, so a candidate who counts matches out of habit gets 3 pairs alike and marks the same number for the wrong reason on a different stem — the capitalized qualifier DIFFERENT has to be read before counting starts.
Source: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Entry-Level Clerical/Steno/Typist Series — "you must determine the specific answer to each question" from the directions given for that item (alike vs. different wording)Report a problem with this question
7. ORIGINAL: Please forward the file to the records unit by Friday. COPY: Please foward the file to the records unit by Friday. What changed in the copy?
- A.Nothing changed; the two lines are identical
- B.A word was added to the copy
- C.Two letters were transposed in "records"
- D.A letter was dropped: "forward" became "foward"✓ Answer
Aligning the words shows every word matching except the second: forward is f-o-r-w-a-r-d, while the copy reads f-o-w-a-r-d, so the r in the 3rd position is missing. Proofreading against a source means comparing word slots in order and then spelling out any word whose length looks short, because a single dropped letter still leaves a pronounceable word that the eye supplies from memory.
Source: Transcription/proofreading accuracy — comparing a typed copy against the source document; dropped-character error typeReport a problem with this question
8. ORIGINAL: The clerk verified the totals on the ledger sheet before filing. COPY: The clerk verified the the totals on the ledger sheet before filing. What changed in the copy?
- A.The word "ledger" was replaced by another word
- B.The word "the" was typed twice in a row✓ Answer
- C.A word was dropped from the copy
- D.Two letters were transposed in "verified"
The copy runs "verified the the totals", so the article is duplicated; every other word matches the original exactly. Doubled short function words (the, of, to, is) are among the hardest transcription errors to see because silent reading collapses the repetition, so the reliable technique is to count words in each line rather than read the line for sense.
Source: Transcription/proofreading accuracy — checking a typed entry against a source document for doubled wordsReport a problem with this question
9. ORIGINAL: Send the stationery order to the supply room. COPY: Send the stationary order to the supply room. What changed in the copy?
- A."supply" was replaced by "supplies"
- B.Nothing changed; the two lines are identical
- C."stationery" was replaced by the near-homophone "stationary"✓ Answer
- D.The final period was replaced by a comma
The two words differ at the 8th letter only: stationery is s-t-a-t-i-o-n-e-r-y (writing paper and office supplies) while stationary is s-t-a-t-i-o-n-a-r-y (not moving). Homophone and near-homophone substitutions survive a spell-check because both spellings are real words, so they can only be caught by comparing the copy against the source character by character.
Source: Transcription/proofreading accuracy — homophone substitution errors (stationary/stationery) in copy checkingReport a problem with this question
10. SOURCE LINE: Items received — 214, 178, 306, 92 ENTRY MADE IN THE LOG: Total = 780 Checking the log entry against the source line, is the total correct?
- A.No; the total should be 800
- B.No; the total should be 770
- C.Yes, 780 is correct
- D.No; the total should be 790✓ Answer
Adding the source figures in order gives 214 + 178 = 392, 392 + 306 = 698, and 698 + 92 = 790, so the logged total of 780 understates the true figure by 10. Verifying a transcribed total means recomputing from the source line rather than trusting the figure already written, because a total that is only slightly off looks reasonable and is the error clerical checking exists to catch.
Source: Clerical verification standard — checking a transcribed total against the supplied source lineReport a problem with this question
11. CODE KEY Department: Payroll = P, Permits = M, Personnel = N, Purchasing = U Floor: 2nd = A, 3rd = B, 4th = C RECORD TO BE CODED: Personnel, 4th floor What is the correct two-character code?
- A.UC
- B.NC✓ Answer
- C.NB
- D.PC
Personnel is assigned N by the key (P belongs to Payroll, not to every department starting with P), and the 4th floor is C, giving NC. Coding items are graded on error-free lookup, not reasoning, so each element must be read off the key again for every record; the built-in trap here is four department names beginning with P, which tempts a coder who is working from memory to write PC.
Source: Standard clerical/office-assistant coding item — applying a supplied code key exactly as writtenReport a problem with this question
12. CODE KEY Color: Blue = 1, Green = 2, Gray = 3, Brown = 4 Size: Small = S, Large = L RECORDS AS CODED Record 1: Gray, Large = 3L Record 2: Brown, Small = 4S Record 3: Green, Small = 3S Record 4: Blue, Large = 1L Which record was coded INCORRECTLY?
- A.Record 4
- B.Record 3✓ Answer
- C.Record 2
- D.Record 1
The key assigns Green the digit 2, so record 3 should read 2S; the coder wrote 3, which is the code for Gray. Records 1, 2 and 4 match the key in both positions, and the way to check a pre-coded batch is to verify one position at a time down the whole column rather than reading each code as a unit, since only a single character is ever wrong.
Source: Standard clerical/office-assistant coding item — identifying the incorrect assignment against a supplied code keyReport a problem with this question
13. CODE KEY If the last digit of the file number is even, code the file E. If the last digit is odd, code the file O. RECORDS AS CODED Record 1: 4478 = E Record 2: 6135 = O Record 3: 2290 = E Which record was coded INCORRECTLY?
- A.None of the records was coded incorrectly✓ Answer
- B.Record 1
- C.Record 3
- D.Record 2
The last digits are 8, 5 and 0: 8 is even so E is right, 5 is odd so O is right, and 0 is an even digit so E is right for record 3 as well. The item tests two things at once — that zero counts as even, and that the "no error" option must actually be selected when it is true, since candidates habitually assume an error has been planted and talk themselves out of it.
Source: Standard clerical coding item with a genuine "none is coded incorrectly" option; parity rule (0 is an even digit)Report a problem with this question
14. How many of the six code groups below contain a doubled letter (the same letter twice in a row)? 1. FRLLNQ 2. TBKWPM 3. GHHSDV 4. XQRPTZ 5. MNCCJB 6. WKDFAA
- A.3
- B.2
- C.4✓ Answer
- D.1
Group 1 has LL, group 3 has HH, group 5 has CC and group 6 has AA, giving 4; groups 2 and 4 contain no two identical letters side by side. The condition is adjacency, so the correct method is to scan each group once comparing every letter with the letter immediately to its right, which also prevents counting a letter that repeats later in the group but not next to itself.
Source: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Entry-Level Clerical/Steno/Typist Series — counting operations on letter groups (conditional counting, adjacency condition)Report a problem with this question
15. How many of the five account numbers below contain the digit 7 EXACTLY twice? 1. 47301 2. 78472 3. 70977 4. 57273 5. 90764
- A.1
- B.3
- C.4
- D.2✓ Answer
Number 2 (7-8-4-7-2) and number 4 (5-7-2-7-3) each contain exactly two 7s, so the count is 2. Number 3 contains three 7s and therefore fails the condition "exactly twice", while numbers 1 and 5 contain one each; the qualifier EXACTLY makes the item a test of reading the condition, since a candidate counting "numbers that contain a 7 more than once" would wrongly include number 3.
Source: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Entry-Level Clerical/Steno/Typist Series — counting operations on number groups (stated condition read strictly)Report a problem with this question
16. ORIGINAL Line 1: Hollis Brantmoor Line 2: 4471 Wexbury Lane Line 3: Apt 12-C Line 4: Fernvale, NR 60218 COPY Line 1: Hollis Brantmoor Line 2: 4471 Wexbury Lane Line 3: Apt 12-C Line 4: Fernvale, NR 60128 Which line of the copy was mis-transcribed?
- A.Line 1
- B.Line 3
- C.Line 2
- D.Line 4✓ Answer
Lines 1 to 3 match character for character; on line 4 the postal code reads 60218 in the original and 60128 in the copy, so the 3rd and 4th digits (2 and 1) are reversed. Errors in a multi-line block are commonly planted at the end, where attention has dropped, which is why experienced checkers make a second pass starting from the last line and working upward.
Source: Clerical checking standard — identifying the mis-transcribed line in an address block; transposition within a numeric fieldReport a problem with this question
17. SOURCE: MERIDIAN-4408-XV Which transcription below matches the source EXACTLY?
- A.MERIDLAN-4408-XV
- B.MERIDIAN-4408-XY
- C.MERIDIAN-4048-XV
- D.MERIDIAN-4408-XV✓ Answer
The third option reproduces all three segments exactly. The first changes the final letter from V to Y, the second transposes the 2nd and 3rd digits (4408 becomes 4048), and the fourth substitutes L for I in the 6th letter of MERIDIAN. Because each distractor is wrong in only one character and in a different segment, the reliable method is to check one segment across all four options before moving to the next.
Source: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Entry-Level Clerical/Steno/Typist Series — checking ID/permit strings; substitution and transposition error typesReport a problem with this question
18. ORIGINAL: Case No. RT 2214-09 COPY: Case No. RT2214-09 What changed in the copy?
- A.The space between RT and 2214 was dropped✓ Answer
- B.A digit was dropped from 2214
- C.The hyphen was replaced by a space
- D.Nothing changed; the two lines are identical
Every letter, digit and the hyphen are unchanged; only the blank between RT and 2214 is missing in the copy. Spaces and punctuation marks are characters for checking purposes, so a comparison that only reads letters and digits will report the two lines as identical, and case numbers that differ solely by spacing can index to different records in a filing system.
Source: Clerical checking standard — inserted or missing space/hyphen as a checkable character differenceReport a problem with this question
19. The access code below is case-sensitive: an uppercase letter and its lowercase form are different characters. SOURCE CODE: kFR7tqM2 Which copy matches the source EXACTLY?
- A.kFR7tqm2
- B.kFr7tqM2
- C.KFR7tqM2
- D.kFR7tqM2✓ Answer
The first option is character-for-character identical. The second lowercases the M in the 7th position, the third uppercases the k in the 1st position, and the fourth lowercases the R in the 3rd position. When the stem states that case matters, letter identity alone is not enough: each character must be matched on both its letter and its case, which is why case changes are the easiest difference to skim past.
Source: Clerical checking standard — case-sensitive string comparison where a change of case is a character differenceReport a problem with this question
20. SOURCE: Vandergrift Modern Fixtures Which copy matches the source EXACTLY?
- A.Vandergrlft Modern Fixtures
- B.Vandergrift Modem Fixtures
- C.Vandergrift Modern Fixtues
- D.Vandergrift Modern Fixtures✓ Answer
The second option is identical. The first replaces the letter pair rn in Modern with the visually similar single letter m (Modem), the third replaces the i in Vandergrift with a lowercase l, and the fourth drops the r from Fixtures. The rn/m and i/l confusions work because the shapes are nearly the same on the page, so each word has to be checked by letter count as well as by appearance.
Source: Clerical checking standard — visually confusable character sequences (rn vs m, i vs l) and dropped-letter errors in name checkingReport a problem with this question
21. Read every character exactly as printed: the letter O is not the digit 0, and the capital letter I is not the digit 1. How many of the four pairs below are EXACTLY alike? 1. SERIAL 5OO482 — SERIAL 500482 2. SERIAL 731905 — SERIAL 731905 3. SERIAL 4I8267 — SERIAL 418267 4. SERIAL 620143 — SERIAL 620143
- A.3
- B.4
- C.2✓ Answer
- D.1
Pairs 2 and 4 are alike, giving 2. In pair 1 the 2nd and 3rd characters of the serial are the letter O on the left and the digit 0 on the right, and in pair 3 the 2nd character is the capital letter I on the left and the digit 1 on the right. A serial number that mixes letters and digits has to be checked by character class, because a purely visual scan treats O and 0, or I and 1, as the same mark and reports a false match.
Source: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Entry-Level Clerical/Steno/Typist Series — comparing letter-and-number groups; visually confusable character substitution (O/0, I/1)Report a problem with this question
22. SOURCE LINE: Deposit 1,204.50 Which ledger entry matches the source line EXACTLY?
- A.1,240.50
- B.1,024.50
- C.1,204.05
- D.1,204.50✓ Answer
Only the third entry reproduces every digit in its original position. The first transposes the 3rd and 4th digits of the dollar amount (1204 becomes 1240), the second transposes the two cents digits (50 becomes 05), and the fourth transposes the 2nd and 3rd digits (1204 becomes 1024). All three distractors contain exactly the same digits as the source, so the only safe check on a money figure is to read it position by position, including the cents.
Source: Clerical verification standard — checking a transcribed dollar figure against a supplied source line; digit transpositionReport a problem with this question
23. ORIGINAL: All requests must be received before the close of business. COPY: All request must be recieved before the close of buisness. How many words in the copy differ from the original?
- A.3✓ Answer
- B.2
- C.1
- D.4
Three words differ: requests loses its final s and becomes request, received has its e and i reversed to give recieved, and business has its s and i reversed to give buisness. The two transpositions leave the same letters in the word and the dropped s leaves a real word, so the count is only reliable if each word slot is compared letter by letter against the original rather than read for sense.
Source: Transcription/proofreading accuracy — counting words changed between a source line and its copy; transposition and dropped-character error typesReport a problem with this question
24. ROUTING KEY - If the file number begins with 3, route to Unit A. - If the file number begins with 5 AND ends in an even digit, route to Unit B. - If the file number begins with 5 AND ends in an odd digit, route to Unit C. - All other file numbers route to Unit D. FILE NUMBER: 74216 Where should this file be routed?
- A.Unit B
- B.Unit D✓ Answer
- C.Unit A
- D.Unit C
The file number begins with 7, so none of the first three rules can apply and the catch-all rule sends it to Unit D. The last digit 6 is even, but that condition only takes effect inside a rule that also requires a leading 5, and an if-then key must be tested in order with every part of a compound condition satisfied before the rule fires.
Source: Standard clerical routing/classification item — applying a supplied if-then processing rule set, including the catch-all ruleReport a problem with this question

Practice questions modeled on the common domains of civil service clerical-ability exams (grammar/spelling, math, filing, clerical accuracy). Not affiliated with or endorsed by any civil-service commission or testing vendor. Jurisdictions use different exams — check your announcement for its specific format. USAJOBS →

1. Compare each pair of numbers below character by character. How many of the four pairs are EXACTLY alike? 1. 48592 — 48529 2. 73016 — 73016 3. 90284 — 90248 4. 61375 — 61735

3. Read every character exactly as printed: the digit 0 is not the letter O, and the digit 1 is not the lowercase letter l. Which ONE of the pairs below is exactly alike? A. RL0A9482 — RLOA9482 B. MK1P7365 — MKlP7365 C. TD5W2140 — TD5W2140 D. GZ2N8607 — GS2N8607

4. SOURCE LINE: PERMIT A-90427 COPY: PERMIT A-90247 The copy contains one transposition. Which two characters were swapped?

5. Exactly two of the four address entries below are identical to each other. Which two? 1. 5580 Kingsbarrow Ave 2. 5850 Kingsbarrow Ave 3. 5580 Kingsbarow Ave 4. 5580 Kingsbarow Ave

6. NOTE THE WORDING: count the pairs that are DIFFERENT, not the pairs that are alike. 1. WQ-3382-B — WQ-3382-B 2. WQ-3328-B — WQ-3382-B 3. HN-7041-C — HN-7041-G 4. HN-7041-C — HN-7041-C 5. RB-5093-D — RB-5093-D 6. RB-5903-D — RB-5093-D How many of the six pairs are DIFFERENT?

7. ORIGINAL: Please forward the file to the records unit by Friday. COPY: Please foward the file to the records unit by Friday. What changed in the copy?

8. ORIGINAL: The clerk verified the totals on the ledger sheet before filing. COPY: The clerk verified the the totals on the ledger sheet before filing. What changed in the copy?

9. ORIGINAL: Send the stationery order to the supply room. COPY: Send the stationary order to the supply room. What changed in the copy?

10. SOURCE LINE: Items received — 214, 178, 306, 92 ENTRY MADE IN THE LOG: Total = 780 Checking the log entry against the source line, is the total correct?

11. CODE KEY Department: Payroll = P, Permits = M, Personnel = N, Purchasing = U Floor: 2nd = A, 3rd = B, 4th = C RECORD TO BE CODED: Personnel, 4th floor What is the correct two-character code?

12. CODE KEY Color: Blue = 1, Green = 2, Gray = 3, Brown = 4 Size: Small = S, Large = L RECORDS AS CODED Record 1: Gray, Large = 3L Record 2: Brown, Small = 4S Record 3: Green, Small = 3S Record 4: Blue, Large = 1L Which record was coded INCORRECTLY?

13. CODE KEY If the last digit of the file number is even, code the file E. If the last digit is odd, code the file O. RECORDS AS CODED Record 1: 4478 = E Record 2: 6135 = O Record 3: 2290 = E Which record was coded INCORRECTLY?

14. How many of the six code groups below contain a doubled letter (the same letter twice in a row)? 1. FRLLNQ 2. TBKWPM 3. GHHSDV 4. XQRPTZ 5. MNCCJB 6. WKDFAA

15. How many of the five account numbers below contain the digit 7 EXACTLY twice? 1. 47301 2. 78472 3. 70977 4. 57273 5. 90764

16. ORIGINAL Line 1: Hollis Brantmoor Line 2: 4471 Wexbury Lane Line 3: Apt 12-C Line 4: Fernvale, NR 60218 COPY Line 1: Hollis Brantmoor Line 2: 4471 Wexbury Lane Line 3: Apt 12-C Line 4: Fernvale, NR 60128 Which line of the copy was mis-transcribed?

17. SOURCE: MERIDIAN-4408-XV Which transcription below matches the source EXACTLY?

18. ORIGINAL: Case No. RT 2214-09 COPY: Case No. RT2214-09 What changed in the copy?

19. The access code below is case-sensitive: an uppercase letter and its lowercase form are different characters. SOURCE CODE: kFR7tqM2 Which copy matches the source EXACTLY?

20. SOURCE: Vandergrift Modern Fixtures Which copy matches the source EXACTLY?

22. SOURCE LINE: Deposit 1,204.50 Which ledger entry matches the source line EXACTLY?

23. ORIGINAL: All requests must be received before the close of business. COPY: All request must be recieved before the close of buisness. How many words in the copy differ from the original?