Civil Service Exam Practice Test
This is a free 15-question sampler in the style of the written tests used for government hiring, written by the StudyPDF team. There is no single national civil service exam, so this covers the skills that show up on almost all of them: reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar, arithmetic word problems, number and letter series, spatial reasoning, observation, coding and filing, clerical checking and situational judgment. Answer all 15 questions, then check your score and read the explanation for every question.
Which word is closest in meaning to EXPEDITE?
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All 15 questions at a glance
Prefer to read before you play? Every question in the sampler is listed below. Answers and explanations stay collapsed until you open them.
1. Which word is closest in meaning to EXPEDITE?
- A. Postpone
- B. Speed up
- C. Record
- D. Question
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Speed up
To expedite something is to make it happen faster. The word comes from Latin roots meaning to free the feet, so the picture behind it is clearing an obstacle out of the way. Vocabulary items usually offer one near opposite, here postpone, because a test taker who half remembers the word tends to grab it.
2. Which sentence is written correctly?
- A. The list of applicants were sent to the hiring office.
- B. The list of applicants have been sent to the hiring office.
- C. The list of applicants was sent to the hiring office.
- D. The lists of applicants was sent to the hiring office.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. The list of applicants was sent to the hiring office.
The subject is list, which is singular, so the verb is was. The phrase of applicants sits between the subject and the verb and has no effect on the verb form. Cross out any phrase that starts with a preposition and the agreement gets obvious, which is why the last option is wrong in the opposite direction: lists is plural and needs were.
3. Complete the series.
4, 7, 13, 25, _____, 97
Options for blank 1: 37, 49, 50, 61
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 49
The gaps are 3, 6, 12 and 24, so each gap doubles, which makes the next gap 24 doubled, or 48. Adding 48 to 25 gives 49, and 49 plus 96 gives 97, which confirms the rule. The same series also follows the rule double the number and subtract one, and when two rules both fit, checking them against the last given term settles it.
4. A department received 1,260 applications. One clerk sorted 40 percent of them and the two remaining clerks split the rest evenly. How many did each of those two clerks sort?
- A. 252
- B. 378
- C. 420
- D. 504
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. 378
Forty percent of 1,260 is 504, so 756 are left. Split evenly between two clerks, that is 378 each. The wrong answers are the traps you get by stopping early: 504 is the first clerk's share, and 420 is what you get by splitting all 1,260 three ways and ignoring the percentage.
5. Which of these are standard rules in an alphabetical filing system?
Select all that apply.
- A. A personal name is filed by surname first, then given name, then middle name or initial.
- B. Nothing comes before something, so Bell is filed before Bellamy.
- C. A prefix such as De, Van or Mac stays attached to the surname rather than being treated as a separate word.
- D. A title such as Dr. or Captain decides the order when two surnames are identical.
- E. Names written with digits are always filed after every alphabetic name.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. A personal name is filed by surname first, then given name, then middle name or initial., B. Nothing comes before something, so Bell is filed before Bellamy., C. A prefix such as De, Van or Mac stays attached to the surname rather than being treated as a separate word.
Filing items reward knowing the ordering logic rather than guessing. Names are compared unit by unit, surname first, and a shorter unit sorts before a longer one that starts the same way, which is the nothing before something rule. A prefix is part of the surname, so Van Dyke files under V. Titles are used only as a last resort after every other unit matches, and numeric filing usually comes before alphabetic, not after. Where a specific agency's manual differs, its manual is what the test follows, so read the one you are given.
6. A coding key assigns A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5. The rule is: shift each letter one position later in the alphabet, then write the number of the new letter. What code does BAD produce?
- A. 325
- B. 214
- C. 132
- D. 436
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. 325
Shift each letter first: B becomes C, A becomes B, D becomes E. Then read the numbers: C is 3, B is 2, E is 5, giving 325. The wrong answer 214 is what you get by skipping the shift and coding the letters as they stand, which is the single most common slip on coding items. Do the steps in the order the rule gives them, one letter at a time.
7. Complete the sentence.
A candidate answers 45 of 60 questions correctly, which is _____ percent. Answering the same share of an 80 question test correctly would mean _____ correct answers.
Options for blank 1: 66, 70, 75, 80
Options for blank 2: 55, 60, 65, 70
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 75, 60
45 divided by 60 is 0.75, which is 75 percent. Applying that share to 80 questions gives 0.75 times 80, which is 60. Once you have the share as a decimal you can move it onto any total, and that is faster than setting up a new proportion each time. Note that a percentage correct is not the same as a passing score, since each jurisdiction sets its own passing standard.
8. A county office posts this notice: Applications delivered in person are date stamped at the counter. Applications sent by mail are date stamped on the day they are opened, which may be later than the postmark. Applications are reviewed in date stamp order. Based only on the notice, which statement is supported?
- A. An application handed in at the counter can be reviewed before one that was mailed earlier.
- B. A mailed application is reviewed according to its postmark date.
- C. Two applications mailed on the same day are always reviewed together.
- D. Applications delivered in person are reviewed before all mailed applications.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. An application handed in at the counter can be reviewed before one that was mailed earlier.
The notice says review order follows the date stamp, and that a mailed application is stamped when it is opened, which can be after its postmark. That is enough to support the first statement and it rules out the second. The other two overreach: always and all are stronger than anything the notice says, since a mailed application opened today is stamped the same day as one handed in today. On reading items, answer from the passage alone and be suspicious of absolutes.
9. You are working a public counter. A resident becomes loud and angry after learning the form they filled out was the wrong one. Which of these are appropriate first responses?
Select all that apply.
- A. Let the person finish speaking before you start explaining.
- B. Tell them calmly which form is the correct one and what happens next.
- C. Point out that the instructions were posted and they should have read them.
- D. Keep your voice level and stay at the counter unless you feel unsafe.
- E. Walk away and start serving the next person in line.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Let the person finish speaking before you start explaining., B. Tell them calmly which form is the correct one and what happens next., D. Keep your voice level and stay at the counter unless you feel unsafe.
Situational judgment items are looking for the response that solves the problem and keeps the situation calm, not the one that assigns blame. Listening first, giving a clear next step and keeping your own tone steady all do that. Telling someone they should have read the instructions is correct and useless at the same time, and walking off leaves the problem unsolved. Keep in mind that the scoring key is written by the hiring agency and reflects how it wants its staff to behave, so read any published values statement for the job you applied to.
10. A square sheet of paper is folded in half, then folded in half again. A single hole is punched through all the layers. When the paper is unfolded, how many holes are there?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Eight
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Four
Each fold doubles the number of layers. One fold gives two layers, a second fold gives four, and the punch goes through every layer, so unfolding reveals four holes. The rule is that the number of holes equals two multiplied by itself once per fold, so three folds would give eight. Counting layers is the reliable way through paper folding items, and sketching the folds in the margin costs a few seconds and saves the guess.
11. A dispatcher records this description: blue sedan, license plate RTK 4192, traveling north on Third Street. Which report below matches that description exactly?
- A. Blue sedan, plate RTK 4912, northbound on Third Street
- B. Blue coupe, plate RTK 4192, northbound on Third Street
- C. Blue sedan, plate RTK 4192, northbound on Third Avenue
- D. Blue sedan, plate RTK 4192, northbound on Third Street
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Blue sedan, plate RTK 4192, northbound on Third Street
Only the last option matches on all three details. The others each change exactly one thing: 4912 transposes two digits, coupe changes the body style, and Avenue changes the street type. Observation items are built from single small changes like these, so compare one field at a time, in the same order every time, instead of reading each option as a whole sentence.
12. In each pair below, the same record has been copied from one list to another. Which pairs are exact matches?
Select all that apply.
- A. Kowalczyk, Anna 5583041 and Kowalczyk, Anna 5583041
- B. Reyes-Ortega, M. 4471902 and Reyes-Ortega, M. 4471902
- C. Stephenson, Carl 8820376 and Stephenson, Carl 8820736
- D. O'Donnell, Sean 3319548 and ODonnell, Sean 3319548
- E. Whitfield, Dana 6604215 and Whitfield, Diana 6604215
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Kowalczyk, Anna 5583041 and Kowalczyk, Anna 5583041, B. Reyes-Ortega, M. 4471902 and Reyes-Ortega, M. 4471902
The first two agree character for character. The third transposes 3 and 7 in the middle of the number, the fourth drops the apostrophe, and the fifth turns Dana into Diana. Checking items are scored on accuracy under time pressure, and the reliable method is to split each record into fields and compare them in the same order every time, reading numbers in small groups rather than as one long string.
13. Complete the sentence.
Filing Sanders, Sandburg and Sandoval in strict alphabetical order, the name that comes first is _____ and the name that comes last is _____.
Options for blank 1: Sanders, Sandburg, Sandoval
Options for blank 2: Sanders, Sandburg, Sandoval
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Sandburg, Sandoval
All three share the first four letters, S, a, n and d, so the fifth letter decides: b in Sandburg, e in Sanders, o in Sandoval. That gives Sandburg, Sanders, Sandoval. Compare letter by letter and stop at the first letter that differs, because judging by how the whole name looks or sounds is what puts Sanders first for most people.
14. Which sentence uses affect and effect correctly?
- A. The new rule will effect how many forms you file, and the affect was immediate.
- B. The new rule will affect how many forms you file, and the effect was immediate.
- C. The new rule will affect how many forms you file, and the affect was immediate.
- D. The new rule will effect how many forms you file, and the effect was immediate.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. The new rule will affect how many forms you file, and the effect was immediate.
In ordinary use affect is the verb, meaning to influence, and effect is the noun, meaning the result. The rule affects the forms, and the result is the effect. Effect does exist as a verb, meaning to bring about, as in effect a change, but it does not fit here, where the sentence is about influencing something that already exists.
15. Which letter comes next in this series: B, D, G, K, P?
- A. S
- B. T
- C. U
- D. V
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. V
Turn the letters into their positions in the alphabet: 2, 4, 7, 11, 16. The gaps are 2, 3, 4 and 5, so the next gap is 6, giving position 22, which is V. Converting letters to numbers is the standard move on letter series, because a growing gap is nearly invisible in letters and obvious in numbers.
There is no one civil service exam
This is the first thing to get straight, because it changes how you study. There is no single national civil service exam. Federal agencies, state governments, counties, cities, transit authorities, school districts and police and fire departments each run their own hiring process, and each one decides what its written test contains. Two clerk jobs in neighboring counties can use completely different tests.
So no page on the internet can tell you what will be on yours. The number of questions, the time limit, the passing score, how the list is ranked, whether veterans get extra points and how long a passing score stays on file are all set by the jurisdiction that gives the test. Anything a US state or a local government sets is set by them alone, not by a national rule. Get the announcement or candidate handbook for your exact exam number and read it before you buy a single study guide.
What you can do without that document is build the underlying skills, because those repeat. A test written for a county clerk and a test written for a state office assistant will not share questions, but they will share the kinds of thinking they ask for.
The skills that transfer across almost all of them
Nearly every civil service written test draws from the same pool of general abilities. Reading comprehension asks you to answer from a passage and only from the passage, usually a memo, a notice or a section of a procedure manual. Vocabulary and grammar ask you to pick the right word or the correctly written sentence. Arithmetic and word problems stay practical: percentages, averages, rates, splitting a workload. Number and letter series ask you to find the rule behind a sequence. Spatial and pattern items ask you to picture something folded, rotated or assembled.
The rest of the pool is clerical. Memory and observation items give you details and then ask you to recall them accurately. Coding items hand you a key and a rule and ask you to apply it without slipping. Filing items test alphabetical and numeric order. Clerical checking gives you two lists and asks whether they match, which sounds easy until you meet a transposed digit at speed. Situational judgment items describe a problem with a coworker or a member of the public and ask what you would do first.
This sampler puts at least one item in each of those styles. Take it in one sitting without notes, then read the explanation for every question, including the ones you got right. Treat a wrong answer as a skill to drill rather than a fact to memorize. Missing a checking item and an observation item points at the same habit, which is reading in whole chunks instead of field by field.
How StudyPDF builds full practice tests from your own materials
Fifteen questions can show you which skills are weak. They cannot get you ready on their own, and a generic bank cannot match an announcement that names the exact subject areas your jurisdiction will test.
StudyPDF works from your material instead. You upload the exam announcement, the study guide your agency published, a prep book or your own notes, and Bo, the study agent, builds full-length practice tests from those exact pages. Every question is grounded in your material, and every explanation cites where the answer comes from, so you can go straight to the source when something looks off. You can regenerate fresh tests as often as you like, narrow them to one area such as filing rules or word problems, and track which skills you keep missing.
You do not have to upload anything to start. If you have no file at hand, name a topic instead, for example number series or clerical checking, and Bo writes a practice test from that. Starting is free.
Written by the StudyPDF team. Last updated 2026-08-19.