Clerical Exams CLERICAL Interpreting Data 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A clerical report shows that Department A processed 1,240 forms in January and 1,085 forms in February. What is the approximate percentage decrease from January to February?
- 12.5% (Correct answer)
- 14.2%
- 10.8%
- 15.0%
Correct answer: 12.5%
The decrease is 155 forms; dividing 155 by 1,240 gives approximately 12.5%.
Question 2: According to a supply inventory chart, the office used 48 reams of paper in Week 1, 52 in Week 2, 61 in Week 3, and 55 in Week 4. What was the average weekly paper usage?
- 54 reams (Correct answer)
- 53 reams
- 55 reams
- 56 reams
Correct answer: 54 reams
Adding all four weeks (48+52+61+55=216) and dividing by 4 gives an average of 54 reams.
Question 3: A staffing table shows 12 full-time and 8 part-time employees in the Records Division, while the Permits Division has 9 full-time and 14 part-time employees. Which division has a higher ratio of part-time to full-time staff?
- Permits Division (Correct answer)
- Records Division
- Both divisions have the same ratio
- Cannot be determined from the data
Correct answer: Permits Division
Permits has a 14:9 ratio (about 1.56) compared to Records at 8:12 (about 0.67), so Permits is higher.
Question 4: A bar graph displays monthly customer complaints: March had 34, April had 29, May had 41, and June had 22. During which month did complaints decrease the most compared to the previous month?
- June (Correct answer)
- April
- May
- March
Correct answer: June
June saw a drop of 19 complaints from May's 41, which is the largest single-month decrease shown.
Question 5: An expense summary shows the following quarterly costs: Q1 $14,500, Q2 $16,200, Q3 $15,800, Q4 $18,100. What percentage of the total annual expenses occurred in Q4?
- 28% (Correct answer)
- 25%
- 30%
- 22%
Correct answer: 28%
Total annual expenses are $64,600, and $18,100 divided by $64,600 equals approximately 28%.
Question 6: A data table lists five clerks and their daily filing rates: Clerk 1 files 87, Clerk 2 files 94, Clerk 3 files 76, Clerk 4 files 91, and Clerk 5 files 82. If management sets a benchmark of 85 files per day, how many clerks meet or exceed the benchmark?
- 3 (Correct answer)
- 2
- 4
- 5
Correct answer: 3
Clerks 1 (87), 2 (94), and 4 (91) all meet or exceed the 85-file benchmark.
A clerical report shows that Department A processed 1,240 forms in January and 1,085 forms in February.
What is the approximate percentage decrease from January to February?