Sample Questions and Practice Tests for Classified Examinations
The most common type of written test that the Los Angeles Community College District gives is the multiple-choice format. A multiple choice question presents a question with several alternative answer choices. Your task is to pick out the answer choice that gives the correct answer to the question. Although the number of questions vary, a written test typically consists of about 50 - 150 different questions.
Some of the areas we commonly test for include:
- Reading Comprehension
- Arithmetic
- Grammar
- Clerical Skills
- Data Interpretation
The following information is designed to assist you in becoming familiar with the types of questions you may encounter when taking one of our exams. Actual test questions may vary in type, level of difficulty, and subject matter depending on the job classification being tested for.
Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension questions are designed to test your ability to understand the essential meaning of a paragraph. No outside information or knowledge is required to answer these questions.
Helpful Techniques for Reading a Passage:
- Try to summarize the paragraph mentally.
- Note whether the paragraph states a particular attitude toward the subject. Notice if the author approves or disapproves of the main point or if they remain neutral. Look for contrasting words like however.
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If necessary, read the paragraph twice so that you understand it fully.
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Don't dwell on unfamiliar words. Usually the context of the paragraph will help you understand such words.
Helpful Techniques for Choosing an Answer:
- Eliminate incorrect answers.
- Eliminate irrelevant or not addressed
- Eliminate answers that contradict information in the reading passage
- Eliminate extreme answers
It has been said that a weed is a flower whose virtue has not yet been discovered. As if to prove this point, a number of homeowners who are tired of constantly maintaining a pretty lawn and shrubbery have decided to let weeds run wild in their yards. The result, in some cases, has been quite an attractive array of lively shapes and colors.
The main idea in this passage is that:
- weeds are not flowers
- weeds make a pretty lawn even prettier
- weeds can be beautiful
- most homeowners prefer to let weeds run wild
The passage highlights that a "weed is a flower whose virtue has not yet been discovered." Answer choice (1) is wrong.
Answer choice (2) is wrong because the passage does not state that "weeds make a pretty lawn even prettier."
Correct answer choice is (3). The passage states that a collection of weeds can be "quite attractive."
Answer choice (4) is incorrect because the passage does not state that "most" homeowners prefer to let weeds run wild. It states that "a number" of homeowners have decided to do this.
Click this link for the reading comprehension practice questions.
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Arithmetic
| Average | The average is the same as the mean. Add up a series of numbers and divide the sum by the total number of values to find the average. |
| Denominator | The bottom number in a fraction. |
| Difference | The result of subtracting one number from another. In the problem 7 -3: The difference is 4. |
| Divisor | A number that divides into another number. 30 divided 5, 5 is the divisor. |
| Integer | A whole number that does not contain fractions or decimals. |
| Least Common Multiple | The least common multiple of two numbers is the smallest number that is a multiple of both of them. |
| Mean | The mean is the same as the average. Add up a series of numbers and divide the sum by the total number of values to find the mean. |
| Median | The median is the "middle value" in a series of numbers ordered from least to greatest. When the total number of values in a list is odd, the median is the middle entry. When the total number of values in a list is even, the median is equal to the sum of the two middle numbers divided by two. |
| Mode | The mode in a list of numbers are the values that occur most frequently. |
| Numerator | The top number in a fraction. |
| Product | The result you get from multiplying two or more numbers together. In the problem 4 x 5: The product of the two numbers is 20. |
| Quotient | The result of dividing one number into another. |
| Sum | The result of adding two or more number together. In the problem 5 + 7: The sum of the two numbers is 12. |
Click this link for Fraction & Percentages practice test questions
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Click this link for the Decimals practice test
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Click this link for the Averages practice test
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Grammar
Click this link for the Grammar practice test
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Spelling
Click this link for the Spelling practice test.
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Clerical Skills
Click this link for the Clerical Skills practice test
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Proofreading
Click this link for the Proofreading practice test.
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Data Interpretation
Use the information in the chart below to answer the questions in the Data Interpretation Practice Test - Pt. 1.
Click this link for the Data Interpretation Practice Test - Pt. 1
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| Name | Title | Annual Salary | Years of Service | Exam Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mai | Administrative Assistant | $60,800 | 10 | 82 |
| Stanley | Community Services Specialist | $73,200 | 2 | 72 |
| Lewis | Administrative Operations Technician | $48,800 | 1 | 71 |
| Roberts | Community Services Specialist | $70,400 | 12 | 88 |
| Tang | Analyst | $102,400 | 21 | 91 |
| Guerro | Administrative Assistant | $80,000 | 8 | 81 |
| Jensen | Community Services Specialist | $72,800 | 5 | 75 |
| Walters | Analyst | $92,000 | 30 | 90 |
| Sanchez | Administrative Operations Technician | $75,200 | 19 | 85 |
| Taylor | Administrative Operations Technician | $63,200 | 5 | 74 |
| Suiza | Analyst | $120,000 | 11 | 87 |
| Emerson | Administrative Operations Technician | $44,000 | 2 | 72 |
| Lee | Analyst | $130,000 | 31 | 100 |
| Howard | Administrative Assistant | $51,200 | 4 | 75 |
| Nunez | Community Services Specialist | $84,000 | 16 | 80 |
Use the information in the chart below to answer the questions in the Data Interpretation Practice Test - Pt. 2.
Click this link for the Data Interpretation Practice Test Pt. 2
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Statistical Report of the City Personnel Department Comparing Activities During 2022 and 2023
| 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Staff (at end of year) | 4,960 | 5,100 |
| Provisionals (at end of year) | 1,310 | 810 |
| Appointments (provisionals and eligibles) | 2,101 | 1,799 |
| Terminations | 1,547 | 1,467 |
| Leaves of Absence | 124 | 102 |
| Military Leaves (cumulative) | 115 | 150 |
| Eligibles Certified | 5,940 | 4,860 |
| Eligibles Appointed | 1,940 | 1,080 |
| Exit Interviews | 900 | 915 |
| Personal Interviews | 669 | 845 |
| Suggestions Processed | 136 | 150 |
| Personnel Actions | 5,477 | 5,278 |