Word Processing
What this domain tests
The word-processing questions test whether you can produce a clean, well-formatted document and explain the difference between character, paragraph and page-level formatting.
Core rules
- Character formatting affects selected text: font, size, bold, italic, underline, color.
- Paragraph formatting affects whole paragraphs: alignment, line spacing, indents, bullets/numbering, space before/after.
- Page setup controls margins, orientation, paper size and columns.
- Headers/footers repeat on pages; page numbers are usually inserted in a footer.
- Styles give consistent headings and allow automatic tables of contents.
- Find and Replace can change repeated text; spell check finds possible errors but does not replace proofreading.
- Save editable work as .docx; export a fixed copy as .pdf when layout must not change.
Worked example
Format a one-page notice: title centered and bold, body justified with 1.5 line spacing, page number in the footer. Type the notice, select the title and apply Center and Bold. Select the body, open Paragraph settings, choose Justified and 1.5 lines. Use Insert → Page Number → Bottom of Page. Finally, check in Print Preview that the notice fits one page. The reasoning: alignment and spacing are paragraph properties, while the page number belongs to the page layout.
Traps
- Pressing Enter starts a new paragraph; Shift+Enter inserts a line break inside the same paragraph.
- Applying formatting with no text selected changes only the insertion point’s settings.
- “Save As” creates a new file/format; “Save” overwrites the current file.
- A PDF is not normally edited like a .docx file.
- Do not use repeated spaces or blank lines to align text; use tabs, tables or indents.