TT Clerical Entrance cheat sheet

A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb. With either/or and neither/nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) for subjects and object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) after prepositions and transitive verbs.

A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a conjunction; a colon follows a complete clause and introduces a list, explanation, or quotation.

Do not use a comma between a subject and its verb or between a verb and its object; use commas for introductory elements, nonessential clauses, and items in a series.

A dangling modifier must be revised so that the noun it modifies is the subject of the main clause.

Parallel structure requires items in a list or comparison to use the same grammatical form.

Use an apostrophe plus s for a singular possessive, an apostrophe after the s for a plural possessive, and no apostrophe in possessive pronouns such as its.

Use who for subjects and whom for objects; use that for restrictive clauses and which, usually with commas, for nonrestrictive clauses.

Write i before e except after c or when the sound is long a (receive, ceiling, weigh); exceptions include seize, either, and weird.

Double the final consonant before a suffix when a one-syllable word ends in consonant-vowel-consonant (run to running) or when the final syllable of a longer word is stressed (begin to beginning).

Drop a silent final e before a vowel suffix (make to making); keep it before a consonant suffix (hope to hopeful).

Change final y to i before a suffix unless the y follows a vowel (city to cities; play to played).

Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence; effect is usually a noun meaning a result.

Their shows possession, there shows place or existence, and they're means they are.

Form plurals of most nouns by adding s; add es after s, x, z, ch, and sh; change consonant plus y to ies.

Commonly misspelled words include accommodate, occurrence, separate, definitely, necessary, and receive.

Context clues include definition, synonym, antonym, example, and cause-effect relationships.

The main idea is the central point; it may be stated in the first or last sentence or implied through supporting details.

Supporting details answer who, what, when, where, why, or how and must be traceable to the passage.

An inference is a conclusion supported by textual evidence but not directly stated.

A fact can be verified; an opinion expresses belief, judgment, or feeling and often uses evaluative words.

Tone is the author's attitude, revealed by word choice and details; mood is the feeling created in the reader.

Common passage structures are chronological, cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, and description.

For a pronoun-reference item, substitute each candidate noun into the sentence and choose the one that preserves meaning and grammar.

Eliminate answer choices that are too broad, too narrow, extreme, or unsupported by the passage.

Vocabulary-in-context items require the meaning that fits the sentence, not necessarily the most common dictionary meaning.

Order of operations: parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Percent: part/whole = percent/100; to find a percent increase or decrease, divide the change by the original amount and multiply by 100.

To add or subtract fractions, use a common denominator; to multiply, multiply numerators and denominators; to divide, multiply by the reciprocal.

A ratio compares quantities; proportions are solved by cross-multiplication: a/b = c/d gives ad = bc.

Average (mean) = sum of values divided by number of values.

Distance = rate times time; time = distance divided by rate; rate = distance divided by time.

Simple interest: I = P times r times t, where r is the annual rate as a decimal and t is time in years.

Divisibility: by 2 if even; by 3 if digit sum divisible by 3; by 5 if ends in 0 or 5; by 9 if digit sum divisible by 9; by 10 if ends in 0.

A number is divisible by 4 if its last two digits form a number divisible by 4; by 6 if divisible by both 2 and 3.

Alphabetize letter by letter, ignoring spaces, punctuation, and capitalization; compare corresponding letters from left to right.

Nothing comes before something: a shorter entry identical up to its end is filed before a longer entry (Brown before Browne).

Index personal names as last name, first name or initial, middle initial; for example, Smith, John A.

Initials are filed before complete names beginning with the same letters; single letters are filed before longer words.

Numeric files are arranged from smallest to largest number; dates are filed chronologically by year, month, and day.

In a checking task, compare two strings character by character, including spaces and punctuation, and note the first position where they differ.

In a simple substitution code, replace each letter with its alphabet position (A=1, B=2, through Z=26) or apply the stated shift consistently.

For coding items, decode one word at a time and verify the rule against every letter before applying it to the target.

A business letter contains heading, date, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close, and signature.

A memorandum uses the headings To, From, Date, and Subject and does not include a salutation or complimentary close.

Common filing systems are alphabetic (by name), numeric (by number), geographic (by location), and subject (by topic).

Office records should be retained according to an approved retention schedule and destroyed securely when no longer required.

Confidential information should be shared only with authorized persons and stored in a secure location.

A photocopier requires correct paper size, a clean glass surface, careful removal of jams, and reporting of persistent error codes.

Telephone etiquette includes identifying yourself, speaking clearly, taking accurate messages, and returning calls promptly.

General knowledge may include capital cities, national symbols, CARICOM membership, and basic postal abbreviations; verify current facts before use.