Office Skills Test

Practice Test

Instructions and Sample Questions

Produced by the
Personnel Psychology Centre (PPC)
Public Service Commission of Canada.

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Last-Minute Check

• Know the exact date, time and location of the test administration session.
• MUST bring to the test session:
  
  
  • your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) Number (if you have one),
  • one piece of signature identification with your photo, and
  • a watch (if you wish).

IF YOU HAVE A DISABILITY

and you require special testing accommodations, you are responsible for notifying the test administrators well in advance of the testing date so that they can take the necessary steps to determine the appropriate accommodations for your specific needs.

Tips and Information

• The Office Skills Test (OST) consists of 5 sub-tests which each contain 15 multiple-choice questions. The testing session lasts approximately 90 minutes.
• Read the information and complete the practice test. Doing so will help you to become familiar with the OST, and it may help you work at an appropriate pace.
• For additional practice, try employment tests and school tests as well as tests and puzzles in magazines, newspapers and books. If there are no time limits, set them yourself.
• For each question in the actual OST, you have to find the correct answer from among the five alternatives provided. You indicate your choice on a separate answer sheet by making a dark pencil mark that completely fills the circle with the number that corresponds to your choice (see example). Check to make sure that the circle you mark on the answer sheet refers to the question you are currently working on. If you skip a question, you must also skip the corresponding question number on the answer sheet.

• Darken only one circle for each question. Any other way of answering is scored as incorrect. If you wish to change an answer, erase your first mark completely and then record your new choice.
• Pace yourself. Since each question is worth one point, try to do as many of the questions of the test as you can. Your score will be the total number of correct answers you have chosen.
• When you are not sure of the right answer to a difficult question, don't hesitate to guess. No points are deducted for incorrect answers. To improve your chances of choosing the correct alternative, first eliminate the answer choices that seem clearly wrong. Then, select the best response among the remaining choices.
• Use all the time available. If you have time to spare, review your answers and reconsider those questions you found most difficult. You may also check to ensure that all your answers are entered correctly on the answer sheet.
• Communication of results - The Public Service Commission's Personnel Psychology Centre is responsible for scoring the Office Skills Test. The result is sent to the responsible human resources advisor, who then forwards it to the candidates.
• Retest Period - There is a 180 days waiting period before you can rewrite the test. Should you wish to take this test again, you must wait until after the retest period indicated for this test has elapsed. Should you rewrite the test before the retest period has elapsed, your result will not be valid and a new retest period will be imposed from the new test date.

Purpose of the OST Practice Test

The purpose of the OST Practice Test is to familiarize you with the official test. The practice test consists of the same five sub-tests as the OST, each containing 10 questions similar to the ones in the test. These sub-tests and their time limits in the test and the practice test are as follows:

The time limits in the test are longer than those in the practice test because the test contains more questions than the practice test.

Each practice sub-test includes a specific set of instructions. Read these instructions carefully, taking all the time you need and make sure you understand how to answer the questions before beginning the sub-test. We recommend that you complete the practice sub-tests one after another, as in the "real" test.

Because the OST practice test is interactive, you will be able to submit your test for scoring and obtain your score.

You will also be able to see how much time you took to do each sub-test you submit. By comparing the time you took with the time recommended, you will be able to gauge whether you are working at an appropriate pace.

Sub-Test 1 - Filing:
Instructions and Sample Questions