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Civil Service Basic Skills Cheat Sheet

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Verbal Reasoning & Vocabulary

  • 20% of exam
  • Workplace Words Synonyms/Antonyms Analogies Context Clues Tone Elimination

Reading Comprehension

  • 20% of exam
  • Main Idea Details/Evidence Inference Question Picker Stated vs Implied

Mathematics

  • 20% of exam
  • Percent Setups Ratios Averages/Rates Word Problems Math Picker

Logical Reasoning

  • 20% of exam
  • If-Then Rules Syllogisms Sequences Ordering Logic Picker

Spelling & Grammar

  • 20% of exam
  • Confused Words Spelling Patterns Agreement Punctuation Pronouns

Quick Facts

  • Exam Civil Service Basic
  • Questions ~100 MC
  • Time 2-3 hours
  • Pass ~70%
  • Pace ~1 min/item
  • Cost Free (most)
  • Veteran 5 or 10 pts
  • Portal USAJOBS

Analogy Method VE

  • Name relation, keep order, then test
  • Name pair Make sentence Keep word order Match relation

Synonym vs Antonym VE

Synonym

  • Closest meaning
  • Same direction
  • Read stem twice

Antonym

  • Opposite meaning
  • Reverse direction
  • Watch related traps
  • Same vs opposite direction

Policy Vocabulary VE

  • Impartial Fair, unbiased
  • Prudent Careful, sensible
  • Mitigate Reduce, lessen
  • Candid Honest, frank
  • Ambiguous Unclear, vague
  • Tentative Not final
  • Onerous Burdensome, heavy
  • Concise Brief, to-point

More Workplace Words VE

  • Diligent Hardworking, careful
  • Obsolete Outdated, unused
  • Scarce In short supply
  • Retaliation Punishing reporting
  • Confidential Kept private
  • Accurate Free of error
  • Conceal Hide, cover
  • Authorize Officially permit

Analogy Relationships VE

  • Tool-user Pen : writer
  • Member-group Wolf : pack
  • Place-function Judge : court
  • Category-member Bird : robin
  • Cause-effect Rain : flood
  • Worker-served Doctor : patient
  • Part-whole Page : book
  • Degree Warm : hot

Three-Pass Method RE

  • Easy first, hard next, guess rest
  • Pass 1: sure Pass 2: slow Pass 3: fill all No blanks

Inference vs Stated RE

Stated

  • Words appear
  • Direct quote
  • Detail question

Inference

  • Implied
  • Supported logic
  • Stays moderate
  • Printed vs implied

Reading Question Picker RE

  • Best title asked → Main idea ( Whole passage )
  • Why written → Purpose ( Author goal )
  • Stated fact → Detail ( Find/match )
  • Suggests/implies → Inference ( Supported )
  • Word means → Context ( Reread sentence )
  • Not/except → Check all ( Eliminate stated )
  • Line cited → Read around ( Add context )
  • Stuck → Best-supported ( Stay in text )

Reading Question Types RE

  • Main idea Whole passage
  • Purpose Why written
  • Detail Stated fact
  • Inference Supported, not stated
  • Vocabulary Word in context
  • Except/not Check all options
  • Line reference Read around it
  • Scope Stay in topic

Main Idea vs Detail RE

Main idea

  • Whole passage
  • Summary level
  • Too broad trap

Detail

  • One fact
  • Specific line
  • Too narrow trap
  • Big picture vs fact

Policy Logic Words RE

  • Must Required
  • May Allowed, optional
  • Only after Condition first
  • Unless Exception applies
  • Except Excluded case
  • Within X days Deadline rule
  • Required to Mandatory action
  • Provided that Condition attached

Percent Triangle MA

  • Part = Percent x Whole
  • Part on top Percent / Whole Cover unknown Read what asked

Mean vs Median MA

Mean

  • Add all
  • Divide by count
  • Shifts with outliers

Median

  • Sort values
  • Middle value
  • Stable with outliers
  • Average vs middle

Math Setup Picker MA

  • Of a number → percent x whole
  • What percent → part / whole
  • Average given → avg x count
  • Per unit asked → amount / units
  • Sale price → x (1 - rate)
  • Increase amount → (new-old)/old
  • Two ratios → cross-multiply
  • Missing value → solve for x

Percent Setups MA

  • Part percent x whole
  • Percent part / whole
  • Whole part / percent
  • % change (new-old)/old x100
  • Discount price x (1-rate)
  • 10% Move decimal
  • 25% Divide by 4
  • 50% Divide by 2

Core Math Formulas MA

  • Average total / count
  • Total average x count
  • Speed distance / time
  • Rate amount / unit
  • Ratio part share of total
  • Rectangle area length x width
  • Proportion cross-multiply
  • Linear solve isolate variable

Time & Schedule Math MA

  • Base-60 60 min/hour
  • Convert hours to minutes
  • Add duration carry past 60
  • Elapsed end minus start
  • AM/PM 12-hour rollover
  • Per hour total / hours
  • Per day calls / 24
  • Weekly amount x weeks

Logic Reset RE

  • Rewrite rule, mark fact, test only
  • Rewrite if-then Circle given Check contrapositive Reject extras

All vs Some RE

All

  • Every member
  • Strong claim
  • One exception breaks

Some

  • At least one
  • Weak claim
  • Not most/all
  • Universal vs partial

Logic Move Picker RE

  • If P then Q → P -> Q ( Forward )
  • Not Q given → Not P ( Contrapositive )
  • Q given only → Cannot conclude ( Affirm trap )
  • All A are B → Member is B ( Valid )
  • Some A are B → At least one ( Not all )
  • Number jumps → Check differences ( Add/multiply )
  • Ranking clues → Place fixed first ( Then order )
  • Absolute word → Need exact support ( Else wrong )

If-Then Logic RE

  • Conditional trigger -> result
  • Contrapositive not Q -> not P
  • Converse invalid reversal
  • Affirm consequent invalid
  • Modus ponens P so Q
  • Modus tollens not Q so not P
  • Only necessary condition
  • Unless if not

Quantifiers & Sequences RE

  • All every member
  • No zero members
  • Some at least one
  • Arithmetic seq add constant
  • Geometric seq multiply constant
  • Squares 1,4,9,16,25
  • Fibonacci add prior two
  • Letter skip fixed gap

IE / EI Rule LA

  • I before E except after C
  • Believe Receive (after c) Weird breaks rule Their breaks rule

Its vs It's LA

Its

  • Possessive
  • Owns something
  • No apostrophe

It's

  • It is / has
  • Contraction
  • Has apostrophe
  • Owner vs contraction

Commonly Confused Words LA

  • Its / It's possessive / it is
  • Their / There owns / place
  • Affect / Effect verb / noun
  • Then / Than time / compare
  • Your / You're owns / you are
  • To / Too toward / also
  • Accept / Except receive / exclude
  • Principal / Principle main / rule

Affect vs Effect LA

Affect

  • Usually a verb
  • To influence
  • Action on

Effect

  • Usually a noun
  • The result
  • Has an effect
  • Action vs result

Spelling & Grammar Rules LA

  • Receive i before e
  • Separate a-rate inside
  • Accommodate double c, double m
  • Occurred double c, double r
  • Definitely no 'a'
  • Agreement subject, not phrase
  • Comma splice two clauses, comma
  • Who / Whom subject / object

Common Traps

Synonym vs related

  • Same meaning needed ≠ Topic word distracts

Affirm consequent

  • Q true means nothing ≠ Only P proves Q

Main idea too broad

  • Summary fits passage ≠ Not world claim

Percent of vs change

  • 'Of' multiplies whole ≠ 'Change' uses old base

Some means all

  • Some = one+ ≠ Not most or all

Extreme answer words

  • Always/never need proof ≠ Moderate usually wins

Its vs it's

  • Its = owns ≠ It's = it is

Last Minute

  • 1. Five areas, ~20% each, ~100 items
  • 2. Pace: about 1 minute per question
  • 3. Pass ~70%; rank-list selects above cutoff
  • 4. Veterans get 5/10 preference points
  • 5. Synonym = same; antonym = opposite
  • 6. Analogy: name relation, keep word order
  • 7. Percent of = percent x whole
  • 8. % change = (new-old)/old x100
  • 9. Average = total / count
  • 10. Not Q proves not P (contrapositive)
  • 11. 'Some' = at least one
  • 12. Its = owns; it's = it is
  • 13. Affect = verb; effect = noun
  • 14. Inference is supported, not stated
  • 15. Three-pass: easy, hard, guess all

Civil Service Basic Skills Exam

  • Practice Questions 100 questions Study Guide 29 topics Cheat Sheet 96 facts Flashcards 50 cards Shorts 2 short s Blogs 1 blog 2 Job Wiki Podcast