20 Filing & Sequencing Practice Questions & Answers
Every Filing & Sequencing practice question from the Civil Service Clerical Exam Practice Test, with the correct answer and a short explanation.
Start practice test →1. Filing alphabetically by surname then given name, which name comes FIRST? Brown, Alice / Browne, Adam / Brown, Alan / Browning, Amy
- A.Browne, Adam
- B.Browning, Amy
- C.Brown, Alan✓ Answer
- D.Brown, Alice
You file on the surname first: 'Brown' comes before 'Browne' and 'Browning' because when one name is identical to the beginning of a longer one, the shorter files first ('nothing comes before something'). Within 'Brown,' the given name Alan precedes Alice.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 1 (order of units) & Rule 2 ('nothing before something')Report a problem with this question
2. Filing alphabetically, which comes FIRST? Smith, John / Smith, J. / Smith, Jane / Smith, Jack
- A.Smith, J.✓ Answer
- B.Smith, Jack
- C.Smith, John
- D.Smith, Jane
When surnames match, given names are compared unit by unit. A single initial 'J.' is treated as an incomplete unit and files before any complete name beginning with J, under the rule 'nothing before something' (file letter by letter, and less is filed first).
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 2 (initials / 'nothing before something')Report a problem with this question
3. Filing surnames letter by letter, which comes FIRST? McArthur, Neil / MacArthur, Ned / Macey, Ann / McBride, Sam
- A.McBride, Sam
- B.Macey, Ann
- C.McArthur, Neil
- D.MacArthur, Ned✓ Answer
Under current standard rules, 'Mac' and 'Mc' get no special treatment; you compare letters one at a time. 'MacArthur' (M-A-C-A) and 'Macey' (M-A-C-E) both begin M-A, so they file before the 'Mc' names because the second letter 'a' comes before 'c'; MacArthur precedes Macey at the fourth letter (A before E).
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 5 (prefixes filed as written, letter by letter)Report a problem with this question
4. Apostrophes are ignored in filing. Which surname comes FIRST? O'Brien, Ann / Oberlin, Amy / O'Connor, Al / Odell, Ann
- A.Odell, Ann
- B.Oberlin, Amy✓ Answer
- C.O'Brien, Ann
- D.O'Connor, Al
Apostrophes are disregarded, so names are compared purely by their letters: OBERLIN, OBRIEN, OCONNOR, ODELL. 'Oberlin' (O-B-E) precedes 'O'Brien' (O-B-R) because 'e' comes before 'r' at the third letter, and both precede the 'OC' and 'OD' names.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 3 (punctuation and apostrophes disregarded)Report a problem with this question
5. Filing alphabetically (hyphens ignored, treated as one unit), which comes FIRST? Smith, Karen / Smith-Jones, Amy / Smithson, Ray / Smithers, Lee
- A.Smith, Karen✓ Answer
- B.Smithson, Ray
- C.Smithers, Lee
- D.Smith-Jones, Amy
The one-word surname 'Smith' files before longer surnames beginning with the same letters ('nothing before something'). The hyphen in 'Smith-Jones' is ignored, making it SMITHJONES; comparing the rest, SMITHERS (E) precedes SMITHJONES (J), which precedes SMITHSON (S).
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 2 & Rule 3 (hyphenated names as one unit)Report a problem with this question
6. Arrange these file numbers in ascending numeric order. Which number is THIRD? 4072 / 472 / 4027 / 4720
- A.4072✓ Answer
- B.4027
- C.472
- D.4720
Numeric filing arranges records from lowest value to highest: 472, 4027, 4072, 4720. Counting in that order, the third number is 4072.
Source: Consecutive numeric filing method (records ordered by ascending value)Report a problem with this question
7. In ascending numeric filing, which file number is filed FIRST (lowest)? 89 / 908 / 98 / 890
- A.908
- B.890
- C.98
- D.89✓ Answer
Numeric files are ordered by their actual value from smallest to largest, regardless of how many digits are shown. 89 is smaller than 98, 890, and 908, so it files first.
Source: Consecutive numeric filing method (order by numeric value)Report a problem with this question
8. Arrange these correspondence dates in chronological (earliest-first) order. Which comes FIRST? March 3, 2019 / March 30, 2018 / May 3, 2018 / March 3, 2018
- A.May 3, 2018
- B.March 3, 2019
- C.March 3, 2018✓ Answer
- D.March 30, 2018
Chronological filing compares year first, then month, then day. Among the three 2018 dates, March precedes May, and within March the 3rd precedes the 30th, so March 3, 2018 is the earliest.
Source: Chronological filing method (sort by year, then month, then day)Report a problem with this question
9. Arrange these dates in chronological order. Which date is filed LAST (most recent)? Jan 15, 2020 / Feb 1, 2020 / Jan 5, 2020 / Jan 15, 2019
- A.Jan 5, 2020
- B.Jan 15, 2019
- C.Feb 1, 2020✓ Answer
- D.Jan 15, 2020
The most recent date files last. Comparing year, then month, then day, February 1, 2020 is later than any January 2020 date and far later than January 15, 2019, so it is filed last.
Source: Chronological filing method (most recent filed last)Report a problem with this question
10. Filing alphabetically, which name comes SECOND? Torres, Maria / Torres, Ana / Torres, Luis / Torres, Carlos
- A.Torres, Maria
- B.Torres, Ana
- C.Torres, Luis
- D.Torres, Carlos✓ Answer
When all surnames are identical, filing is decided by the given name. Alphabetized, the order is Ana, Carlos, Luis, Maria, so 'Torres, Carlos' is second.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 1 (given name as second indexing unit)Report a problem with this question
11. Filing alphabetically, which comes FIRST? Reed, John A. / Reed, John / Reed, John C. / Reed, John B.
- A.Reed, John A.
- B.Reed, John C.
- C.Reed, John B.
- D.Reed, John✓ Answer
When surname and first name match, the middle name or initial breaks the tie. A record with no middle name files before ones that have a middle initial ('nothing before something'), so 'Reed, John' is first, followed by A., B., C.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 1 & Rule 2 (middle unit; 'nothing before something')Report a problem with this question
12. Prefixes are combined with the surname and spaces ignored. Which comes FIRST? De La Cruz, Rosa / Deleon, Juan / Del Rio, Ana / Dean, Sam
- A.Deleon, Juan
- B.Dean, Sam✓ Answer
- C.De La Cruz, Rosa
- D.Del Rio, Ana
Prefixes such as 'De La' and 'Del' are joined to the rest of the surname and spaces are ignored, giving DEAN, DELACRUZ, DELRIO, DELEON. 'Dean' (D-E-A) precedes all the 'Del-' names because 'a' comes before 'l' at the third letter.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 5 (prefixes/particles joined, spaces ignored)Report a problem with this question
13. Filing these otherwise-identical names, which comes FIRST? King, Henry III / King, Henry II / King, Henry IV / King, Henry
- A.King, Henry IV
- B.King, Henry II
- C.King, Henry✓ Answer
- D.King, Henry III
When names are otherwise identical, a numeric suffix is the final tiebreaker and is filed in ascending order (II, III, IV). A name with no suffix has an empty final unit, so it files before any suffixed name ('nothing before something').
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 9 (numeric suffixes filed in ascending order)Report a problem with this question
14. A professional title is disregarded in filing. Which comes FIRST? Dr. Ann Frost / Frost, Abby / Frost, Alan / Frost, Bob
- A.Frost, Alan
- B.Frost, Bob
- C.Frost, Abby✓ Answer
- D.Dr. Ann Frost
A title such as 'Dr.' is disregarded when alphabetizing, so all four index as Frost + given name: Abby, Alan, Ann, Bob. 'Frost, Abby' is therefore first.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 4 (titles disregarded as filing units)Report a problem with this question
15. Arrange these ZIP codes in ascending order. Which is SECOND? 90210 / 90021 / 90012 / 90120
- A.90021✓ Answer
- B.90210
- C.90012
- D.90120
ZIP codes are sorted as whole numbers from lowest to highest: 90012, 90021, 90120, 90210. The second value in that sequence is 90021.
Source: Numeric filing method (order by ascending value)Report a problem with this question
16. In this alphabetized list — 1) Carter 2) Cooper 3) Dawson 4) Douglas — where would 'Cross' be inserted?
- A.Between Carter and Cooper
- B.Between Cooper and Dawson✓ Answer
- C.Between Dawson and Douglas
- D.Before Carter
Comparing surnames letter by letter, 'Cross' (C-R) comes after 'Cooper' (C-O) because 'r' follows 'o', and before 'Dawson' (D) because C precedes D. So it belongs between Cooper and Dawson.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 1 (letter-by-letter comparison)Report a problem with this question
17. In ascending numeric filing, which invoice number is filed LAST (highest)? 1050 / 1005 / 10500 / 1500
- A.10500✓ Answer
- B.1050
- C.1005
- D.1500
Numeric filing orders records by value; 10500 is far larger than 1500, 1050, and 1005, so it files last. The extra digit makes it a five-digit value greater than any of the four-digit numbers.
Source: Consecutive numeric filing method (order by numeric value)Report a problem with this question
18. Prefix surnames are treated as one unit with spaces ignored. Which comes FIRST? Van Der Berg, Ann / Vance, Amy / Vandenberg, Al / Van Buren, Ed
- A.Van Buren, Ed✓ Answer
- B.Vandenberg, Al
- C.Vance, Amy
- D.Van Der Berg, Ann
Ignoring spaces, the surnames index as VANBUREN, VANCE, VANDENBERG, VANDERBERG. 'Van Buren' (V-A-N-B) sorts first because 'b' precedes 'c' and 'd' at the fourth letter.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 5 (prefix surnames as one unit, spaces ignored)Report a problem with this question
19. Filing business names (a leading article 'The' is disregarded), which comes FIRST? The Blue Ox / Blue Bird Cafe / Bluewater Inn / Bell Tower Books
- A.The Blue Ox
- B.Blue Bird Cafe
- C.Bell Tower Books✓ Answer
- D.Bluewater Inn
A leading article 'The' is disregarded, so 'The Blue Ox' indexes on 'Blue.' Comparing first units — Bell, Blue, Blue, Bluewater — 'Bell' (B-E-L) precedes the 'Blue' names because 'e' comes before 'l' at the second letter.
Source: ARMA Alphabetic Filing Rules — Rule 4/7 (leading article 'The' disregarded in business names)Report a problem with this question
20. Which list is in correct chronological order (earliest to latest)? Dates in the file: June 1, 2017 · January 6, 2018 · June 1, 2018
- A.June 1, 2017; June 1, 2018; January 6, 2018
- B.January 6, 2018; June 1, 2018; June 1, 2017
- C.January 6, 2018; June 1, 2017; June 1, 2018
- D.June 1, 2017; January 6, 2018; June 1, 2018✓ Answer
Chronological order compares year first, then month, then day. 2017 precedes both 2018 dates, and within 2018 January precedes June, giving June 1, 2017 → January 6, 2018 → June 1, 2018.
Source: Chronological filing method (sort by year, then month, then day)Report a problem with this question
Practice questions modeled on the common domains of civil service clerical-ability exams (grammar/spelling, math, filing, clerical accuracy). Not affiliated with or endorsed by any civil-service commission or testing vendor. Jurisdictions use different exams — check your announcement for its specific format. USAJOBS →