Clerical Aptitude
Clerical Aptitude measures the accuracy a clerk needs at a desk: matching entries across lists, alphabetical and numerical filing, spotting mismatches, and checking dates and numbers without slips.
Core skills
- Alphabetical order: compare letter by letter, ignoring spaces, titles and initials unless they are identical.
- Numerical order: sort by place value, not by the length of the number.
- List matching: compare each character of a name or code, not the general look of the word.
- Filing: classify, index, then place; use cross-reference slips for related papers.
Worked example
Arrange Rajesh Patil, Rakesh Patil and Ramesh Patil in filing order. Ignore the surnames because they are identical; compare the first names letter by letter. All start with 'Ra'; the third letters are j, k and m. Since j (10) < k (11) < m (13), the order is Rajesh, Rakesh, Ramesh. Reasoning: filing follows the dictionary, one character at a time, and never the whole word by instinct.
Traps that cost marks
- Skipping initials: 'S. Deshmukh' and 'Sunil Deshmukh' may file in different places depending on the office rule - apply the given rule consistently.
- Reading a transposed digit pair (12345 vs 12354) as identical.
- Being fooled by similar-looking names such as Patil and Patel, or by Mr/Mrs prefixes.
- Rushing through list matching; a single unchecked character decides the answer.
Method
Cover the rest of the entry with a finger and compare one position at a time.