Clerical Aptitude Test

Clerical Aptitude Test Helps Your Career Choices

Employers have used clerical aptitude test for many years to test a prospective employee’s ability to handle the position they have applied for. Prospective employers can test your clerical skills and ability to interpret tasks to get desired outcomes efficiently. This also gives you insight as to whether clerical work is a career you want to pursue, and you can get an indication of your strengths and weaknesses.

The test of clerical aptitude measures your speed and accuracy in clerical tasks, and how you perform and think under pressure. Usually the test is given in two parts and is timed. You are required to complete the test in the set time to measure your speed and accuracy.

Clerical work has evolved to almost paperless offices and it is essential you have a high level of computer understanding and experience across a wired range of software applications to achieve success in your clerical career.

Tips to Prepare for Test

Here are some tips to help you prepare and sit you clerical aptitude test:

• The answer is always there as it is a multiple choice questionnaire.

• There may only be slight differences in the answers so be careful.

• Answers can be randomly mixed to confuse you.

• Answer quickly as you are working against the clock.

• While it is a test of speed, accuracy is the most important criteria and just one answer wrong could cost your score dearly.

Subjects covered in the Test

It is important to get the right staff for the right job as it can mean the difference between success and failure for a business. Staff is a vital part of an organization and employees are usually at the front line and the face of an organization, supporting the leaders of the organization.

A clerical aptitude will typically test your:

• Verbal Reasoning Skills: This part of the test measures how you communicate verbally and whether you have the appropriate verbal reasoning skills for the position.

• Numerical Skills: You need to use numbers in all sorts of tasks (pay bills, deal with office and travel expenses) as a clerk so your numerical skills are tested as part of the clerical aptitude test.

• Attention to Detail: A vital part of the clerical is your attention to detail and the ability to quickly and efficiently proofread documents for errors.

• Language Skills: There is nothing worse than receiving professional communication from a company and it is full of typing and formatting errors. It looks unprofessional and can make customers hesitate to deal with the company the communication came from. Your language skills (grammar, spelling) are tested to ensure you have the professional language skills required for the job

• Typesetting Skills: Your typing skills are tested for accuracy and speed to measure your ability to complete tasks accurately and efficiently.

• Filing Skills: This section tests your ability to logically file information in an electronic filing system.

• Bookkeeping Skills: Part of a clerk’s job is to help out the bookkeeper with their tasks so you are tested to measure your knowledge of bookkeeping tasks.

• Problem Solving Skills: A clerk needs to think quickly and logically to solve any issues that arise within the office. This part of the test measures how quickly and accurately you think under pressure.

Preparing for Your Clerical Aptitude Test

The clerical aptitude test results measure how accurately you answered the questions in the time you have to complete the test. If you are taking an aptitude as part of your job application, here are some tips to help you prepare:

1. Ask what type of questions the test covers.

2. Do your research to help you find examples of the types of questions asked on the test.

3. Find free online tests and practice.

4. Check your results so you can see your strengths and weaknesses.

5. Have a strategy to strengthen your weaknesses.

6. Practice every day until you take the test.

When you decide on a practice strategy, make sure you spend time working on your weak points and you should have no trouble showcasing your clerical skills to your prospective employer.