FCSC Aptitude Test cheat sheet

Recruitment is the process of attracting candidates; appointment is the formal conferment of a post - recruitment ends where appointment begins.

Vacancies are normally advertised publicly; the advertisement must state the post title, grade level, qualification requirements, and closing date.

The Federal Character principle requires that appointments reflect the diversity of the federation; a candidate from a non-represented state may be preferred where qualification and merit are equal.

Minimum entry requirements for most junior cadres include the relevant school certificate; higher cadres require a degree or HND plus NYSC discharge or exemption certificate.

Age limits apply to first appointments in many cadres; candidates above the prescribed age are normally ineligible for entry-level posts.

Appointment is subject to a probationary period; confirmation follows satisfactory performance and is usually formalized in writing.

Every appointment must be supported by a valid certificate of medical fitness and a certificate of origin for federal posts.

A candidate who submits false credentials or forged documents forfeits the appointment and may be prosecuted, even after confirmation.

Promotion is movement to a higher grade with higher salary; it is not a right but a privilege conferred on merit and availability of a vacancy.

Eligibility for promotion normally requires a minimum number of years in the current grade, an unblemished record, and completion of prescribed training.

The promotion process typically involves a written examination, an oral interview, and evaluation of annual performance reports (APER).

A promotion committee considers the vacancy list, seniority, merit, and the establishment ceiling before recommending candidates.

Promotion takes effect from the date approved by the approving authority, not necessarily the date of the examination.

A denied promotion can be challenged through the grievance and appeal machinery; the candidate should request written reasons.

Acting appointments do not automatically confer substantive promotion; a person may act for long periods without substantive upgrading.

Refusal of promotion may be recorded and can affect subsequent eligibility; acceptance should be documented in writing.

Recommendation is advisory; approval is the formal decision that gives the recommendation legal or administrative effect.

The officer who recommends must have the authority to do so; recommendation outside delegated authority is void.

Approval thresholds follow the delegation instrument: lower-value transactions are approved at departmental level, higher ones at management or board level.

A recommendation must be accompanied by supporting documents - memo, cost analysis, vacancy list, or committee minutes - for the approval to be valid.

No approval is valid if the approving officer has a personal interest in the transaction; the officer must declare and recuse.

Approval must be in writing and referenced; verbal approval is not sufficient for financial or personnel decisions.

Where approval is conditional, the conditions must be satisfied before implementation; otherwise the approval lapses.

Records of recommendations and approvals are retained for audit and are subject to periodic review by internal audit.

Disciplinary action must follow due process: query, response, investigation, hearing, and decision.

A query must state the alleged misconduct clearly and give the officer reasonable time to respond in writing.

Serious misconduct - fraud, forgery, theft, insubordination, sexual harassment - may warrant interdiction pending investigation.

Interdiction is not a punishment; it suspends the officer from duty, usually on half salary, until the case is determined.

Penalties range from warning and reprimand to reduction in rank, deferment of increment, suspension, dismissal, and termination.

Dismissal removes the officer from service and bars re-employment in the public service; termination ends the appointment without that bar.

An officer has a right of appeal against a disciplinary decision; the appeal must be lodged within the prescribed period, usually in writing to the next higher authority.

The appeal authority may uphold, vary, or set aside the decision; it must give reasons for its determination.

The Public Service Rules govern conditions of service, discipline, leave, retirement, and conduct; the Civil Service Handbook provides operational guidance.

Working hours are normally 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday; officers must sign the attendance register.

Annual leave accrues at the prescribed rate per year of service and must be approved in advance; leave not taken may be forfeited.

Sick leave requires a medical certificate from a recognized medical practitioner for absences beyond the prescribed short period.

Maternity leave is granted on prescribed terms; the officer resumes duty at the end of the leave or applies for extension.

Retirement is compulsory at the prescribed age or after the prescribed years of service, whichever comes first.

An officer must not engage in private business that conflicts with official duties or use public office for personal gain.

Gifts and hospitality must be declared; acceptance of gifts beyond token value is prohibited.

Official information is confidential and may not be disclosed without authorization.

A service charter is a public commitment stating the services offered, the standards of service, and the remedies available to the citizen.

Charters must be specific and measurable: state the turnaround time, the responsible officer, and the complaint channel.

Service standards should be displayed at the service point and published on the organization's website.

Corporate ethics requires integrity, transparency, accountability, fairness, and respect for the rule of law.

A code of conduct must be signed by officers; breaches are handled under the disciplinary process.

Conflict of interest must be declared in writing; the officer recuses from the decision.

Whistle-blowers who report misconduct in good faith are protected from retaliation.

Customer complaints must be logged, acknowledged within the stated time, and resolved or escalated with reasons.

ICT governance assigns accountability for information systems to a designated officer, usually the CIO or Head of ICT.

Data classification determines handling: public, internal, confidential, and restricted data each carry different controls.

Access control follows least privilege and need-to-know; accounts are unique and must not be shared.

Passwords must meet complexity requirements and be changed periodically; multi-factor authentication is required for privileged accounts.

Backups must be taken at the prescribed frequency, stored off-site or in a separate system, and tested by restore.

Incident response follows a defined sequence: identify, contain, eradicate, recover, and review.

Personal data must be processed lawfully, collected for a specified purpose, and protected against unauthorized disclosure.

Change management requires testing and approval before deployment to production.

Acceptable use policies prohibit unauthorized software, personal use of official resources, and removal of official data.

Planning is the process of setting objectives, choosing strategies, and allocating resources to achieve them within a defined period.

A plan must be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound.

The planning cycle runs from situation analysis through objective setting, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

Research design must specify the population, sample, instrument, and method of analysis before data collection.

Sampling error decreases as sample size increases; a representative sample supports generalization to the population.

Data quality dimensions are accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency, and validity.

Statistics summarize data through measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and dispersion (range, variance, standard deviation).

Monitoring tracks progress against indicators; evaluation assesses relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability.

Indicators must be defined with a numerator, denominator, data source, and frequency before they are used for reporting.

The accounting equation is Assets = Liabilities + Equity; every transaction preserves the balance.

Double-entry bookkeeping records each transaction as a debit and a credit of equal amount.

The trial balance lists closing balances and must balance; an imbalance signals an error in posting or arithmetic.

Cash basis recognizes transactions when cash moves; accrual basis recognizes revenue when earned and expenses when incurred.

Budgeting follows preparation, approval, execution, monitoring, and reporting; expenditure must fall within the approved vote.

Internal controls include segregation of duties, authorization, reconciliation, physical safeguards, and audit trails.

Bank reconciliation explains the difference between the cash book and the bank statement using timing differences and errors.

Depreciation allocates the cost of an asset over its useful life using straight-line or reducing-balance methods.

Public funds must be applied only to the purpose for which they were appropriated; virement requires approval.