Office Administration and Records Management Flashcards
6 cards from real CAP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Office Administration and Records Management flashcards as text
Which records management principle ensures that documents are retained only as long as they are legally or operationally required?
Answer: Retention schedule
A retention schedule specifies how long different categories of records must be kept based on legal, regulatory, and business requirements. Once the retention period expires, records can be disposed of in accordance with policy.
What is the primary purpose of an alphabetic filing system in an office environment?
Answer: To allow quick retrieval by name or subject
Alphabetic filing organizes records by name or subject in A-to-Z order, making retrieval fast and intuitive for users who know the name or title of the document. It is one of the most commonly used filing methods.
Which of the following best describes a 'vital record' in records management?
Answer: A record essential for an organization to resume operations after a disaster
Vital records are those that are essential for an organization to continue or quickly resume critical operations following a disaster. Examples include legal documents, financial records, and proprietary databases.
An administrative professional is implementing a numeric filing system. What is typically required in addition to the numeric files?
Answer: An alphabetic index card file or database
Numeric filing assigns numbers to records and files them in numeric order, but users need an alphabetic index to look up the number associated with a name or subject before they can retrieve the file.
What does the term 'disposition' mean in the context of records management?
Answer: The final action taken with a record, such as destruction or transfer to archives
Disposition refers to the final handling of a record at the end of its retention period, which may include destruction, transfer to an archives, or permanent retention. It is the last phase of the records lifecycle.
Which filing method organizes records based on the geographic location of the subject?
Answer: Geographic filing
Geographic filing organizes records by location — such as country, state, city, or territory — making it ideal for organizations that manage clients or operations across multiple regions.