Records, Documentation and Data Entry
This domain tests the records lifecycle - creation, capture, classification, storage, retention and lawful disposal - plus the accuracy controls that make data trustworthy. Questions often hinge on a single indexing rule or on whether an action was authorised.
Core rules
- File unit by unit, letter by letter, and remember that nothing comes before something: MacLeod files before Maddox because C precedes D.
- File names as written; O'Brien is filed as OBrien, and Mc and Mac are filed as spelled rather than forced into one convention.
- Retention follows the schedule, not personal judgement. Disposal requires the stated authority and is logged so the record's destruction is provable.
- Never overwrite or erase an original entry. Correct by striking through, adding the correction, the date and your initials, so the audit trail survives.
- Accuracy controls: key verification (double entry) for high-value data, validation rules and drop-down lists, checksums on batch transfers, and source documents kept for reconciliation.
Worked example
A clerk notices a client's address was keyed as 14 Elm Road instead of 41 Elm Road after the letter has gone out. Reasoning: the record must reflect reality and the trail must show what happened. Correct the field, add a dated note explaining the source of the error, keep the original source document, reissue the letter, and report the error if it falls under the incident process. Deleting the old value would destroy the evidence needed for the correction.
Traps that cost marks
- Saving working copies on a personal drive or desktop where no one can find them.
- Destroying records early because storage is inconvenient.
- Assuming a scanned copy is always acceptable when the schedule requires the original.