WorkKeys Workplace Documents cheat sheet

Level 3 items are answered by locating one or two explicit facts in a short document; the correct choice restates the text rather than inferring from it.

"Must" marks a requirement, "may" marks something permitted but not required, and "should" marks a recommendation that carries no penalty.

An effective date is the date a rule begins to apply; anything done before that date follows the previous version.

In a numbered procedure, steps are performed in ascending order unless a step says otherwise; words like before, after, then, and finally signal sequence.

A form field labeled optional may be left blank; a field with no label, or marked required, must be completed before submission.

"Immediately" means at the next available moment, not at the next scheduled cycle or reporting period.

For a "what should this employee do" item, find the rule that names that person's role and apply it, rather than a general statement in the same notice.

Memo headers (TO, FROM, DATE, SUBJECT) identify audience, sender, date, and topic; the operative instruction appears in the body.

Complete steps in the written order unless a step says "simultaneously," "concurrently," or "in any order."

"Repeat steps 3–5 until [condition]" is a loop: keep cycling while the condition is unmet, then continue with the step after the loop.

"Within X business days" counts weekdays only and excludes weekends and holidays; "within X calendar days" counts every day.

A phrase like "up to three per month" sets a maximum, not a target; any number at or below the limit is permitted.

"Submit [document] to [office] by [date]" contains three separate facts that questions often test independently.

When two documents conflict, the later effective date controls, and a document that names and supersedes a specific section overrides that section.

A step placed after "then" or "upon approval" occurs only after the prior approval is granted; it cannot be performed out of order.

A routing slip or sign-off block records the order of approvals; a missing signature invalidates the steps that follow it.

"Unless" means "if not": "unless approved by a supervisor" bars the action when supervisor approval is absent.

"Shall" creates a mandatory duty, "may" grants discretion, and "shall not" or "must not" prohibits the action.

In a compound condition, "and" requires every listed element to be met; "or" requires at least one.

"Provided that" and "subject to" attach a condition or limit to the main clause, which holds only when that condition is satisfied.

Apply the general rule first, then remove the cases covered by "except," "excluding," or "other than."

A defined term (often capitalized, e.g., "Employee") carries the meaning given in the definitions section, not its everyday meaning.

A condition precedent must be satisfied before the related obligation arises; failure to satisfy it suspends the duty.

"In the event of" means "if," "prior to" means "before," and "subsequent to" means "after."

An acronym is normally spelled out at first use in parentheses; later occurrences of the short form refer to the same thing.

"Notwithstanding" means "despite" and signals that the clause it introduces overrides a conflicting provision elsewhere.

Background, history, and information about unrelated parties do not change the answer; strip them out and read the sentence that states the rule.

In a long noun string, read right to left: the final noun is the object and the preceding words modify it.

Confirm units before calculating: hours versus days, gross versus net, per-unit versus total.

Resolve negatives and double negatives to plain meaning ("not uncommon" = common) before selecting an answer.

A table header, including its units, applies to every cell in that column or row.

When the document defines a jargon term, that definition outranks the common meaning of the same word.

For an undefined term, infer meaning from examples, contrasts, or the sentence that immediately follows its first use.

When wording is ambiguous, the correct answer is the one requiring the fewest assumptions beyond the printed words.

The sentence carrying the obligation, deadline, or prohibition outranks descriptive or background sentences when deciding what to do.

Passive constructions leave the doer unnamed; assume the party responsible for running the process must perform the action.

Trace an ambiguous "it" or "they" to the nearest preceding noun that fits the verb before acting on the sentence.

Extract every number from dense prose into a list before comparing or calculating.

If a definition restates its own term, rely on the example or illustration the document supplies instead.

When two statements conflict and neither is labeled controlling, the more specific statement and the later signature-block terms govern.