Verbal Reasoning & Vocabulary
20%of exam
Workplace WordsSynonyms/AntonymsAnalogiesContext CluesTone Elimination
Reading Comprehension
20%of exam
Main IdeaDetails/EvidenceInferenceQuestion PickerStated vs Implied
Mathematics
20%of exam
Logical Reasoning
20%of exam
If-Then RulesSyllogismsSequencesOrderingLogic Picker
Spelling & Grammar
20%of exam
Confused WordsSpelling PatternsAgreementPunctuationPronouns
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
Name relation, keep order, then test
Name pairMake sentenceKeep word orderMatch relation
Synonym vs Antonym
Synonym
- Closest meaning
- Same direction
- Read stem twice
Antonym
- Opposite meaning
- Reverse direction
- Watch related traps
Same vs opposite direction
Policy Vocabulary
- 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
- 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- Outdated, unused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
- 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
Easy first, hard next, guess rest
Pass 1: surePass 2: slowPass 3: fill allNo blanks
Inference vs Stated
Stated
- Words appear
- Direct quote
- Detail question
Inference
- Implied
- Supported logic
- Stays moderate
Printed vs implied
Reading Question Picker
- 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
- 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
Main idea
- Whole passage
- Summary level
- Too broad trap
Detail
- One fact
- Specific line
- Too narrow trap
Big picture vs fact
Policy Logic Words
- 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
Part = Percent x Whole
Part on topPercent / WholeCover unknownRead what asked
Mean vs Median
Mean
- Add all
- Divide by count
- Shifts with outliers
Median
- Sort values
- Middle value
- Stable with outliers
Average vs middle
Math Setup Picker
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
Rewrite rule, mark fact, test only
Rewrite if-thenCircle givenCheck contrapositiveReject extras
All vs Some
All
- Every member
- Strong claim
- One exception breaks
Some
- At least one
- Weak claim
- Not most/all
Universal vs partial
Logic Move Picker
- 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
- 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
- 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
I before E except after C
BelieveReceive (after c)Weird breaks ruleTheir breaks rule
Its vs It's
Its
- Possessive
- Owns something
- No apostrophe
It's
- It is / has
- Contraction
- Has apostrophe
Owner vs contraction
Commonly Confused Words
- 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
Affect
- Usually a verb
- To influence
- Action on
Effect
- Usually a noun
- The result
- Has an effect
Action vs result
Spelling & Grammar Rules
- 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
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