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Free Practice Questions for Sri Lanka Administrative Service Exam

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Key Facts: Sri Lanka Administrative Service Exam Exam

5 Papers

Two Common Part papers plus three SLAS Second Part papers, each of 100 marks

Common Competitive Examination for All-Island Services Gazette notification

40%

Minimum pass mark required in every written paper to remain eligible for selection

Common Competitive Examination for All-Island Services Gazette notification

100 Marks

Minimum aggregate across the two Common Part papers needed to sit the Second Part

Common Competitive Examination for All-Island Services Gazette notification

25 Marks

Marks allocated for the structured interview conducted by a Public Service Commission board

SLAS Service Minute, Gazette Extraordinary No. 1842/2

22 - 28

Age limit in years for open competitive SLAS candidates at the date the notice is gazetted

Common Competitive Examination for All-Island Services Gazette notification

Rs. 1,900

Total fee for a SLAS applicant: Rs. 1,000 Common Part plus Rs. 300 for each of three Second Part papers

Common Competitive Examination for All-Island Services Gazette notification

3 Media

Official examination media: Sinhala, Tamil, and English

Department of Examinations, Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) Grade III open competitive examination is sat as part of the Common Competitive Examination for All-Island Services and the Executive Service Category, administered by the Commissioner General of Examinations for the Public Service Commission. Candidates sit a common Intelligence Test and Comprehension paper, then three SLAS papers — Social, Economic and Political Trends, Managerial Aptitude, and Creative, Analytical and Communicative Skills — each of 100 marks, followed by a general interview and a 25-mark structured interview. These 100 practice questions are an independent, research-grounded English-language study aid for those subject areas; the essay-based papers still require written practice.

Sample Sri Lanka Administrative Service Exam Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Exam exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In a administrative data analysis sequence, the numbers follow a specific growth rule: 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ... What is the next number in this sequence?
A.95
B.127
C.129
D.143
Explanation: The rule governing this number sequence is that each term is obtained by multiplying the preceding term by 2 and adding 1, represented by the recurrence relation T(n) = 2 * T(n-1) + 1. Following this pattern: 3 * 2 + 1 = 7, 7 * 2 + 1 = 15, 15 * 2 + 1 = 31, 31 * 2 + 1 = 63. Therefore, the next term is 63 * 2 + 1 = 127.
2Consider the institutional hierarchy analogy in Sri Lankan governance: Governor is to Province as District Secretary is to:
A.Gramashakthi Division
B.Municipal Council
C.Administrative District
D.Electoral Electorate
Explanation: In Sri Lanka's administrative architecture, the Governor is the chief executive representative of the President for a Province under the 13th Amendment. Correspondingly, the District Secretary (Government Agent) is the chief administrative officer in charge of an Administrative District. Therefore, the administrative relationship directly matches Province to Administrative District.
3Examine the following formal syllogistic statements: Premise 1: All official Public Administration circulars are legally binding directives. Premise 2: Some legally binding directives require immediate budgetary reallocation. Which of the following conclusions logically follows with certainty?
A.All official Public Administration circulars require immediate budgetary reallocation.
B.Some legally binding directives that require immediate budgetary reallocation may be official Public Administration circulars.
C.No official Public Administration circulars require immediate budgetary reallocation.
D.All directives requiring immediate budgetary reallocation are official Public Administration circulars.
Explanation: From the premises, the set of 'official Public Administration circulars' is completely contained within 'legally binding directives' (A is a subset of B). The second premise establishes that an intersection exists between 'legally binding directives' and directives requiring 'immediate budgetary reallocation' (B intersects C). It is therefore logically possible and consistent that some directives requiring reallocation may be official circulars, whereas categorical universal statements cannot be deduced with certainty.
4A Divisional Secretary oversees 240 Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions within a coastal district. According to an infrastructure assessment, 60% of these divisions are classified as rural, 25% are classified as urban, and the remaining divisions are classified as semi-urban. How many GN divisions are classified as semi-urban?
A.24
B.36
C.48
D.60
Explanation: The percentage of semi-urban GN divisions is 100% - (60% + 25%) = 100% - 85% = 15%. To find the absolute number of semi-urban divisions, calculate 15% of 240: 240 * 0.15 = 36 divisions.
5At an official reception, an administrative officer (Officer X, who is male) points to a visiting diplomat and states: 'His father is the only son of my father.' What is the relationship of Officer X to the visiting diplomat?
A.Brother
B.Paternal Uncle
C.Father
D.Son
Explanation: Break down the statement starting from the end: 'My father' refers to Officer X's father. Because Officer X is male, 'the only son of my father' must be Officer X himself. Therefore, the statement simplifies to 'His father is Officer X'. This means Officer X is the father of the diplomat.
6In a ministry secretarial cipher system, if the word 'AUDIT' is coded as 'BVEJU', using the same transformation rule, how is the word 'CIVIL' coded?
A.DJWJM
B.BHWJK
C.DJUHM
D.DKWKM
Explanation: The cipher rule shifts every letter forward by 1 position (+1) in alphabetical order: A (+1) = B, U (+1) = V, D (+1) = E, I (+1) = J, and T (+1) = U. Applying this same +1 transformation to 'CIVIL': C (+1) = D, I (+1) = J, V (+1) = W, I (+1) = J, and L (+1) = M. This produces the coded word 'DJWJM'.
7An official inspection team departs Colombo for Kandy, a distance of 115 km. The vehicle travels the first 45 km at an average speed of 30 km/h along congested urban corridors, and the remaining 70 km at an average speed of 35 km/h along the highway. What is the average speed of the vehicle for the entire journey?
A.32.50 km/h
B.32.86 km/h
C.33.33 km/h
D.34.00 km/h
Explanation: Average speed is defined as total distance divided by total time elapsed. Total distance is 45 km + 70 km = 115 km. Time taken for the first segment is 45 / 30 = 1.5 hours. Time taken for the second segment is 70 / 35 = 2.0 hours. Total travel time is 1.5 + 2.0 = 3.5 hours. Dividing total distance by total time gives: 115 / 3.5 = 115 / (7/2) = 230 / 7 ≈ 32.857 km/h, which rounds to 32.86 km/h.
8Five Assistant Divisional Secretaries—Perera, Silva, Fernando, Wickramasinghe, and Bandara—are seated in a row of five adjacent chairs facing the chairperson at a district coordination meeting. Silva is sitting immediately to the right of Perera. Wickramasinghe is sitting between Fernando and Bandara. Bandara is at the extreme right end of the row. Who is sitting in the middle chair (position 3)?
A.Silva
B.Fernando
C.Wickramasinghe
D.Perera
Explanation: Assign chairs 1 to 5 from left to right. Bandara is at the extreme right, so position 5 is Bandara. Wickramasinghe is between Fernando and Bandara, which means position 4 is Wickramasinghe and position 3 is Fernando. That leaves positions 1 and 2 for Perera and Silva. Since Silva is immediately to the right of Perera, position 1 is Perera and position 2 is Silva. Thus the seating arrangement from left to right is: 1-Perera, 2-Silva, 3-Fernando, 4-Wickramasinghe, 5-Bandara. Fernando occupies the middle chair.
9Two administrative clerical teams, Unit Alpha and Unit Beta, are tasked with digitizing land registry deeds. Working alone, Unit Alpha can complete the entire backlog in 12 days, while Unit Beta can complete it in 18 days. If both units work concurrently for 4 days, what fraction of the total backlog remains to be digitized?
A.4/9
B.5/9
C.1/3
D.7/18
Explanation: Unit Alpha's work rate per day is 1/12 and Unit Beta's work rate per day is 1/18. Working together, their combined daily work rate is (1/12) + (1/18) = (3/36) + (2/36) = 5/36 of the backlog per day. In 4 days of concurrent work, they complete 4 * (5/36) = 20/36 = 5/9 of the backlog. The remaining fraction of the backlog is therefore 1 - 5/9 = 4/9.
10Examine the following formal administrative propositions: Premise 1: No subordinate regulation may ultra vires contradict an Act of Parliament. Premise 2: Some emergency gazette notifications are subordinate regulations. Which deduction necessarily follows from these premises?
A.All emergency gazette notifications contradict an Act of Parliament.
B.Some emergency gazette notifications may not ultra vires contradict an Act of Parliament.
C.No emergency gazette notification is an Act of Parliament.
D.All Acts of Parliament are emergency gazette notifications.
Explanation: Premise 1 establishes that every subordinate regulation is subject to the condition of not contradicting primary Acts of Parliament (Subordinate Regulation ⊆ Non-Contradicting). Premise 2 states that an intersection exists between Emergency Gazette Notifications and Subordinate Regulations. Therefore, those emergency gazette notifications that are subordinate regulations are necessarily bound by Premise 1, meaning some emergency gazette notifications may not ultra vires contradict an Act of Parliament.

About the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Exam Exam

The Open Competitive Examination for Recruitment of Officers to Grade III of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) is the premier civil service examination in Sri Lanka. Governed by the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Minute published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 1842/2 of 23 December 2013 (as amended), it is the primary gateway for university graduates into the senior administrative and policy leadership cadre. On the open basis it is conducted as part of the Common Competitive Examination for recruitment to the posts in All-Island Services and the Executive Service Category of the public service, in which the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, Sri Lanka Accountants' Service, Sri Lanka Planning Service, Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service and Sri Lanka Scientific Service share a common first part and each has its own service-specific second part. SLAS officers serve in administrative leadership roles across central ministries, departments, district secretariats and divisional secretariats, driving policy implementation, regional economic development, disaster response and public service delivery.

Exam sponsor: Conducted by the Department of Examinations, Sri Lanka on the order of the Public Service Commission.. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Recruitment on the open basis runs through the Common Competitive Examination for recruitment to the posts in All-Island Services and the Executive Service Category of the public service, in which an applicant nominates the services he or she wishes to be considered for. Stage 1 is a First (Common) Part of two papers of 100 marks each — Intelligence Test (1 1/2 hours) and Comprehension (2 hours). Only candidates scoring at least 40% in each and at least 100 marks in aggregate proceed to Stage 2, the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Second Part of three papers of 100 marks each: Social, Economic and Political Trends (3 hours), Managerial Aptitude (3 hours) and Creative, Analytical and Communicative Skills (3 hours). Candidates obtaining at least 40% in every paper are called in merit order for a general interview, at which qualifications are verified and no marks are awarded, and for a structured interview carrying 25 marks (management skills 10, leadership qualities 5, communication skills 5, personality 5).

Time Limit

About 12 1/2 hours across five written question papers.

Passing Score

At least 40% in every written paper, plus at least 100 aggregate marks across the two Common Part papers to reach the Second Part; final selection is on the aggregate of written marks and the 25-mark structured interview.

Exam / Certification Fees

Rs. 1,000.00 for the First (Common) Part plus Rs. 300.00 per Second Part paper (Rs. 1,900.00 in total for a Sri Lanka Administrative Service applicant).

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

20%

Intelligence Test (Common Part)

Numerical reasoning, logical deduction, spatial patterns, syllogisms, data sufficiency, and analytical reasoning; 50 items in 1 1/2 hours.

20%

Social, Economic and Political Trends — Sri Lanka (Second Part)

1978 Constitution, central/provincial/divisional administration, public finance, debt restructuring, welfare schemes, and demography.

20%

Social, Economic and Political Trends — Global (Second Part)

UN system, international law and treaties, Bretton Woods institutions, WTO rules, climate governance, and maritime geopolitics, which the same paper covers as conditions 'locally and globally'.

20%

Managerial Aptitude (Second Part)

Public administration theory, Establishments Code, disaster management, civil service ethics, risk management, and procurement.

20%

Creative, Analytical and Communicative Skills (Second Part)

Public policy analysis, Cabinet memoranda and minutes drafting, stakeholder analysis, précis writing, and situational judgment.

Preparing for the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Exam Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: At least 40% in every written paper, plus at least 100 aggregate marks across the two Common Part papers to reach the Second Part; final selection is on the aggregate of written marks and the 25-mark structured interview.
  • Assessment: Recruitment on the open basis runs through the Common Competitive Examination for recruitment to the posts in All-Island Services and the Executive Service Category of the public service, in which an applicant nominates the services he or she wishes to be considered for. Stage 1 is a First (Common) Part of two papers of 100 marks each — Intelligence Test (1 1/2 hours) and Comprehension (2 hours). Only candidates scoring at least 40% in each and at least 100 marks in aggregate proceed to Stage 2, the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Second Part of three papers of 100 marks each: Social, Economic and Political Trends (3 hours), Managerial Aptitude (3 hours) and Creative, Analytical and Communicative Skills (3 hours). Candidates obtaining at least 40% in every paper are called in merit order for a general interview, at which qualifications are verified and no marks are awarded, and for a structured interview carrying 25 marks (management skills 10, leadership qualities 5, communication skills 5, personality 5).
  • Time limit: About 12 1/2 hours across five written question papers.
  • Exam / certification fees: Rs. 1,000.00 for the First (Common) Part plus Rs. 300.00 per Second Part paper (Rs. 1,900.00 in total for a Sri Lanka Administrative Service applicant). Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

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Sri Lanka Administrative Service Exam: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master the 1978 Constitution, the 13th and 21st Amendments, and major recent legislative reforms such as the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act No. 16 of 2023, and the Public Financial Management Act No. 44 of 2024.
2Build disciplined speed in General Intelligence: dedicate daily timed practice to syllogisms, sequence recognition, work-and-time arithmetic, and multi-variable logic puzzles to maximize score efficiency on Paper 1.
3Practice official administrative communication by hand under timed conditions: write structured policy briefs, draft formal meeting minutes, practice précis writing from government commission reports, and structure policy proposals using the Logical Framework Approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is OpenExamPrep's relationship to the Public Service Commission and the Department of Examinations?

OpenExamPrep is an entirely independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Public Service Commission of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Public Administration, or the Department of Examinations, Sri Lanka. This is independent Sri Lanka Administrative Service practice, written in English to cover the subject areas the examination tests, and it reproduces no official past paper. Of the five papers, only the Intelligence Test and the Comprehension paper of the Common Part are objective; the three service-specific papers call for structured essay and, in the case of Creative, Analytical and Communicative Skills, essay writing throughout. This multiple-choice bank is therefore an English-language study adaptation of the examined subject matter rather than a simulation of the examination's format, and timed written practice in the medium you will sit remains essential.

What are the eligibility criteria to sit the SLAS Open Competitive Examination?

Candidates must be citizens of Sri Lanka of excellent moral character who are physically and mentally fit to serve anywhere on the island, and must be not less than 22 and not more than 28 years of age at the date the notice calling applications is gazetted. The academic requirement is a degree from a university recognised by the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka or an institution the UGC recognises as degree awarding. No person ordained in a religious order may apply, and all qualifications must be complete on or before the gazetted date.

In which languages is the SLAS Open Competitive Examination conducted?

The official written examination is conducted in Sinhala, Tamil and English media. A candidate selects one medium on the application, must answer every question paper in that medium, and cannot change it later. OpenExamPrep publishes this practice in English only; it is an English-language study adaptation of the examined subject matter, not an official translation of any paper, and it does not reproduce past papers.

What mark threshold is required to be invited for the structured interview?

A candidate must obtain at least 40% of the allocated marks in every written question paper. To move from the First (Common) Part to the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Second Part, a candidate must additionally score at least 100 marks in aggregate across the Intelligence Test and Comprehension papers. Qualifying candidates are then ranked on aggregate written marks and called in merit order — a number equal to the vacancies plus 25% — for a general interview to verify qualifications (no marks) and a structured interview carrying 25 marks.

Is the SLAS open examination a separate examination from the Accountants' Service and Planning Service examinations?

On the open basis they are sat together. The Common Competitive Examination for recruitment to the posts in All-Island Services and the Executive Service Category covers the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, Sri Lanka Accountants' Service, Sri Lanka Planning Service, Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service and Sri Lanka Scientific Service through one application in which the candidate states an order of preference. All applicants sit the same First (Common) Part; the Second Part differs by service, and results, interviews and appointments are issued per service.