Clerical Exams CLERICAL Interpreting Data 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A time log shows that Clerk A completed 36 tasks on Monday, 42 on Tuesday, and 30 on Wednesday. Clerk B completed 28, 47, and 38 on the same days. Which clerk had the higher three-day total, and by how many tasks?
- Clerk A by 5 tasks
- Clerk B by 5 tasks (Correct answer)
- Clerk A by 3 tasks
- Both clerks completed the same total
Correct answer: Clerk B by 5 tasks
Clerk A's total is 36+42+30=108 tasks. Clerk B's total is 28+47+38=113 tasks. Clerk B exceeded Clerk A by 5 tasks.
Question 2: A monthly budget report shows office spending of $3,200 on supplies, $1,800 on postage, $4,500 on equipment, and $2,100 on miscellaneous expenses. Approximately what percentage of the total budget was spent on equipment?
- 29%
- 35%
- 39% (Correct answer)
- 45%
Correct answer: 39%
The total budget is $3,200+$1,800+$4,500+$2,100=$11,600. Equipment accounts for $4,500/$11,600≈38.8%, which rounds to approximately 39%.
Question 3: A filing log records that 480 documents were processed in Q1 and 600 documents were processed in Q2. What is the percentage increase in documents processed from Q1 to Q2?
- 15%
- 20%
- 25% (Correct answer)
- 30%
Correct answer: 25%
The increase is 600−480=120 documents. Dividing by the Q1 total: 120÷480=0.25, or 25%.
Question 4: A weekly absence chart shows the following daily counts: Monday 4, Tuesday 2, Wednesday 7, Thursday 3, Friday 6. What is the median number of daily absences for the week?
- 3
- 4 (Correct answer)
- 5
- 6
Correct answer: 4
Arranged in ascending order the values are 2, 3, 4, 6, 7. The middle (third) value is 4, making 4 the median.
Question 5: A data entry log shows that 5 clerks processed a combined total of 375 forms in one day. If two of the clerks each processed exactly 85 forms, what was the average number of forms processed by the remaining three clerks?
- 55
- 62
- 68 (Correct answer)
- 75
Correct answer: 68
The two clerks processed 85×2=170 forms. The remaining three clerks processed 375−170=205 forms. Their average is 205÷3≈68.3, rounded to 68.
Question 6: A productivity report shows that Department X processed 2,100 records in the first half of the year and 1,890 records in the second half. By approximately what percentage did output decrease in the second half?
- 5%
- 8%
- 10% (Correct answer)
- 12%
Correct answer: 10%
The decrease is 2,100−1,890=210 records. Dividing by the first-half total: 210÷2,100=0.10, or exactly 10%.
A time log shows that Clerk A completed 36 tasks on Monday, 42 on Tuesday, and 30 on Wednesday.
Clerk B completed 28, 47, and 38 on the same days.
Which clerk had the higher three-day total, and by how many tasks?