Civil Service Exam Reviewer | Clerical Reasoning

Direction: This exercise aims to familiarize you with some common clerical office procedures. Choose the best answer from the choices given. The correct answers are found after each item.


  1. If the following procedures are to be arranged in proper order, what be the best order of arrangement for a receiving or purchasing clerk to do?
    A. Inspect the goods delivered
    B. Request for the quotation/price of the goods ordered etc.
    C. Write a claim for damage or shortage of delivery
    D. Prepare the form for purchase order
    E. Pay the goods that are ordered
    F. Make a request for the goods, services or order

    CHOICES:
    1) ABCDEF
    2) FBDACE
    3) CEADBF
    4) ABDEFC
    5) BCDAFE


    ANSWER: 2

2. Which of the following is not a way to requisition a product?
1) By filling up the purchase order form
2) By telephoning
3) By writing
4) By ordering through the sales representative
5) By getting the product short of prior notice


ANSWER: 5

3. To whom will the duty of ordering needed goods fall?
1) Purchasing clerk
2) Salesman
3) Receiving clerk
4) Manager
5) Accounting clerk


ANSWER: 1

4. Which of the following is not a necessary document in an office?
1) Purchase invoice
2) Credit memorandum
3) Official receipt
4) Marriage license
5) Requisition voucher


ANSWER: 4

5. The following except one are outstanding clerical abilities expected by a head of his employees. Which is the exception?
1) Willingness to work well with others
2) Taking unnecessary leave of absence
3) Taking responsibility on the assigned task
4) Needing the least amount of supervision
5) Acquiring new procedures and techniques for the job.


ANSWER: 2

6. Which of the following is not a term used in the filling process?
1) Cross-referencing
2) Coding
3) Unit
4) Decoding
5) Indexing


ANSWER: 4

7. All except one of the following are commonly used systems. Which one is the odd?
1) Directory
2) Alphabetic
3) Geographic
4) Subject files
5) Numeric


ANSWER: 1

8. Which department in an office takes care of preparing the customers’ accounts to the company?
1) Indexing section
2) Ordering section
3) Billing section
4) Purchasing section
5) Wholesale/retail section


ANSWER: 3

9. If you were to handle an order of your company’s merchandise from a customer, which of the following is not one of the things you will do?
1) Prepare on voice of the order you received
2) Note the customer and his address
3) Carefully check the order
4) Keep the enclosed payment in your custody
5) Consult your head if some information are missing regarding orders.



ANSWER: 4

10. Which documents indicate the returned items and deducted payment by a customer to your company?
1) Circular
2) Purchase invoice
3) Letter of credit
4) Credit document sales invoice


ANSWER: 4

11. Which one of the following does not fall under the major duties of an efficient office clerk?
1) Getting acquainted with people
2) Making letters
3) Buying and requisitioning
4) Operating the telephone switch board


ANSWER: 4

12. Almost all business organizations require appointments to be made, attending to officer caller and promoting the company interest in general. In this regard, which of the following clerical moods should be observed in the office at all times?
1) Give immediate attention to people
2) Serve the Boss his morning coffee
3) Keep the file well organized
4) Attend to the cleanliness of the table.


ANSWER: 1

13. The telephone provides the rapid relay of communication from one office to another. A large part of a clerk’s duty is to receive and give office messages through the phone. Which of the following should be practiced as regards telephone use?
1) Answer the telephone after the third ring
2) Say “yes” as soon as the phone is picked up.
3) Let the Boss pick up the ring.
4) Identify the company and get the message.


ANSWER: 4

14. Your company wants to requisition some goods from Company A. which of the following ways will you use to ensure quick delivery of the ordered goods?
1) Send a letter via ordinary mail
2) Wait for the company salesman to arrive
3) Fill up a purchase order for the purpose, fax it to the company concerned.
4) Wait for the company to inquire about your order.


ANSWER: 3

15. All the following items below except one is not found in a purchase order form. Which is the item?
1) Name and address of the company vendor
2) Name and address of the vendee
3) Quantity of items ordered
4) Vehicles used for the delivery of goods


ANSWER: 4

16. Which of the following forms is not the concern of a clerk in a business establishment?
1) Stock room requisition
2) Voucher for requisition
3) DECS Form 137
4) Purchase order


ANSWER: 3

17. Which one of the following forms is not the concern of a clerk in a business establishment?
1) Processing orders
2) Billing buyers
3) Typing and filing correspondence
4) Providing customers with promotional sample of products


ANSWER: 4

18. Order for company products made through phone calls should be received carefully in order to serve the customers. Which one of the following does not contribute to the customer’s satisfactions?
1) Listen carefully to what the customer orders and jot them down carefully.
2) Repeat the information jotted down to be sure you got the order right
3) Type the order in a sales invoice and send at once to the sales department
4) Consider the caller a nuisance.


ANSWER: 4

19. All the following except one is associated with indexing. Which is this one?
1) Sophomoric
2) Numeric
3) Geographic
4) Alphabetic


ANSWER: 1

20. In receiving inter-office telephone calls, one of the following is definitely a proper procedure to do. which one is this?
1) Answer the phone promptly and give your department
2) Answer with “Hello” and wait until the other line send the message
3) Get a ball pen and a memo pad, then answer the phone
4) Engage the caller in a social talk, or send reply thru texting.


ANSWER: 1

21. Which is preferable in addressing a correspondence for the Lady President of the Philippines?
1) Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
2) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
3) Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
4) President GMA


ANSWER: 1

22. In address the Pope, which way is preferred?
1) Your Majesty
2) Your Excellency
3) His Excellency
4) Your Honor


ANSWER: 2

23. The law which mandates the use of Filipino in government office correspondence.
1) R.A. 336
2) Executive Order 336
3) Exec Order 335
4) Adm. Order 338


ANSWER: 3

24. Which one of the following is not a way of relaying information to various
1) Department Order
2) Memorandum Circular
3) Department Memo
4) Order Form


ANSWER: 4

25. Which is not an appointment given to a hired in any establishment?
1) Temporary
2) Regular
3) Emergency appointment
4) Permanent-casual

ANSWER: 4