NYS Clerical Checking and Accuracy 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A court officer must verify that the defendant's name on an indictment matches exactly the name on the arrest record. Indictment: 'JOHNSON, DWAYNE A.' Arrest Record: 'JOHNSON, DUANE A.' What is the error?
- The surname is spelled differently.
- The first name is spelled differently. (Correct answer)
- The middle initial is missing on the arrest record.
- There is no error; both names are identical.
Correct answer: The first name is spelled differently.
'DWAYNE' on the indictment differs from 'DUANE' on the arrest record, a spelling discrepancy that must be resolved before proceedings continue.
Question 2: A filing log lists case statuses in a column: Open, Open, Closed, Open, Closed, Closed, Open. How many cases are listed as 'Closed'?
- 2
- 3 (Correct answer)
- 4
- 1
Correct answer: 3
Counting each 'Closed' entry: position 3, 5, and 6 — there are exactly 3 Closed cases in the column.
Question 3: A court officer spots the following batch of case IDs and must find the one that does not conform to the format 'XX-YYYY-NNNNN' (two letters, four digits, five digits): CR-2024-10345, BU-2023-98712, MN-24-10933, FE-2025-00451
- CR-2024-10345
- BU-2023-98712
- MN-24-10933 (Correct answer)
- FE-2025-00451
Correct answer: MN-24-10933
'MN-24-10933' uses only two digits in the year segment instead of the required four, making it non-conforming.
Question 4: Two officers independently log the same fine amount. Officer A records '$1,250.00'; Officer B records '$1,205.00'. What is the dollar discrepancy?
- $45.00 (Correct answer)
- $50.00
- $55.00
- $500.00
Correct answer: $45.00
$1,250.00 minus $1,205.00 equals $45.00, representing a digit-swap error in the tens and units position.
Question 5: An officer must check that a defendant's fingerprint classification code 'R-13-W-17-16' is entered the same way in two systems. System A shows 'R-13-W-17-16'; System B shows 'R-13-M-17-16'. Which segment differs?
- The first letter segment.
- The first numeric segment.
- The middle letter segment. (Correct answer)
- The final numeric segment.
Correct answer: The middle letter segment.
The third segment is 'W' in System A but 'M' in System B, a single-character difference in the middle letter segment.
Question 6: A court scheduling log must show hearings in time order. The log reads: 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 2:00 PM, 11:15 AM, 3:45 PM. Which hearing is out of order?
- 10:30 AM
- 2:00 PM
- 11:15 AM (Correct answer)
- 3:45 PM
Correct answer: 11:15 AM
11:15 AM is listed after 2:00 PM even though it occurs earlier in the day, breaking the chronological sequence.
Question 7: An officer checks that five signatures on a jury waiver form are each accompanied by a printed name. Upon review: signature 1-name present, signature 2-name present, signature 3-name MISSING, signature 4-name present, signature 5-name present. What should the officer do?
- Accept the form since four of five names are present.
- Print the missing name from available court records.
- Flag the form as incomplete and return it for completion. (Correct answer)
- Strike signature 3 from the form.
Correct answer: Flag the form as incomplete and return it for completion.
A form missing any required printed name is incomplete and must be returned for the missing information to be supplied before it can be accepted.
NYS Clerical Checking and Accuracy 5
A court officer must verify that the defendant's name on an indictment matches exactly the name on the arrest record.
Indictment: 'JOHNSON, DWAYNE A.' Arrest Record: 'JOHNSON, DUANE A.' What is the error?