Sub-test I - Spelling

For each of the following sentences, find the underlined word that

contains an error in spelling. If none of the underlined words contains a

spelling error, then choice (5) is the correct answer.

Question 1

Because letter writing is an important aspect of offise

(1) (2)

work, a good grasp of grammar and spelling principles

(3)

is a very useful asset. _______

(4) (5)

Question 2

An answer to a request for information, a letter to

(1)

promote a product, or a letter extending credit should

(2)

produce a good impresion for the company. _______

(3) (4) (5)

Sub-test II - Grammar

For each of the following groups of sentences, find the underlined word or

group of words that represents an error in grammar. If none of the

underlined words contains an error in grammar, then choice (5) is the

correct answer.

Question 3

We had went to the office yesterday to do some extra

(1)

work. We told him that we did not know when our work

(2) (3) (4)

would be completed. _______

(5)

Question 4

This is the most valuable proposal that I have yet seen.

(1) (2) (3)

Our staff members have been working on it these past few

(4)

months. _______

(5)

Sub-test III - Punctuation

For each of the following groups of sentences, find the underlined

punctuation mark that represents an error in punctuation. If none of the

underlined punctuation marks is incorrect, then choice (5) is the correct

answer.

Question 5

Did you receive the order of stamps, envelopes, writing

(1) (2)

paper and postcards. We need them as soon as possible.

(3) (4)

_______

(5)

Question 6

Which type of money order do you need? We can purchase

                                    (1)

a bank, postal, express or telegraph money order. _______

(2) (3) (4) (5)

Answers

1. (2)

2. (4)

3. (1)

4. (5)

5. (3)

6. (5)

Question 1

You have been asked by your supervisor to calculate the rental cost of

three floors in a new office building. In order to determine the total rental

cost of the three floors, what information is necessary?

1. The square footage available on the three floors.

2. The rental cost per square foot.

1. I only

2. II only

3. Both I and II

4. Neither I nor II

Question 2

Investments by major financial institutions in Canada include bonds,

stocks, and mortgages. Banks, insurance companies, trust companies,

and loan companies are subject to statutory limitations in respect of such

investments to ensure that the interests of depositors and policy holders

are not exposed to unreasonable financial risks. According to this

information, which of the following conclusions can be made?

1. Investments in real estate are not subject to statutory limitations.

2. Statutory limitations guard against exposure to certain financial

risks.

1. I only

2. II only

3. Both I and II

4. Neither I nor II

Question 3

A company's total sales are expected to increase by one-half in the

coming year while the cost/profit ratio is expected to remain constant.

Which of the following additional information is necessary to estimate the

company's actual profit for the coming year?

1. The company's total sales for the current year were $100,000.

2. Costs for the current year were equal to one-half the sales amount.

1. I only

2. II only

3. Both I and II

4. Neither I nor II

Question 4

The financial analysts in your organization are preparing two independent

studies using the same set of data. You have been asked by your

supervisor to determine if greater efficiency might be realized by

coordinating the two studies. Of the sequences presented, which would

be the most appropriate to carry out the following steps to accomplish

this task?

1. Review the goals and requirements of the two studies.

2. Identify the data relevant to common objectives of the studies.

3. Discuss with the analysts the most efficient manner of dealing with

the data relevant to both studies.

4. Identify the objectives common to both studies.

1. I, II, III, IV

2. I, IV, II, III

3. II, I, III, IV

4. IV, III, II, I

Question 5

You have been asked to respond in writing to a letter of complaint about

rudeness on the part of a customs officer. Which of the following

responses is the most appropriate?

1. We regret any difficulties you may have encountered when you

recently passed through customs. We will investigate the matter

promptly and contact you shortly with our findings.

2. We appreciate that you are concerned enough about our services

to report this matter to the proper authorities. Those authorized will

investigate your allegations and will attempt to ascertain what

actually happened.

3. We are investigating your allegations against our services. They are

not only to protect our country, but also to serve the public. You will

hear from us shortly.

4. We are initiating an immediate investigation of the incident you

reported to us and wish to apologize in advance for any

inconvenience, if such occurred, which you may have encountered.

Answers

1. (3)

2. (2)

3. (3)

4. (2)

5. (1)

The General Competency Test: Level 1 (GCT1) contains 3 types of

questions: understanding written material, solving numerical problems,

and drawing logical conclusions.

A sample question of each type is provided below.

Type I - Understanding Written Material

This type of question involves reading a short passage, which is usually in

memorandum format, and answering a question about the information in

the text.

Question 1

Government Gouvernement

of Canada du Canada

MEMORANDUM NOTE DE SERVICE

_____________________________________________________

TO: All employees

FROM: Manager

Please note that the answer sheets currently being

used will be replaced with new ones next year. The

existing supply of answer sheets should be used

from now until the end of the year. It is important

that the new sheets are used next year because they

will enable the collection of additional information

that will be required at this time.

The main purpose of this memorandum is to:

1. Indicate the need for new answer sheets.

2. Notify employees that new answer sheets will replace the existing ones.

3. Notify employees that the current answer sheets are inadequate.

4. Indicate the need for additional information.

Type II - Solving Numerical Problems

This type of question involves choosing the correct answer to a practical

numerical problem.

Question 2

You are in charge of financial services and must calculate overtime pay

for employees in your division. Due to a heavy workload, an employee

had to work 35 hours of overtime in two weeks. For 28 of these hours, the

employee was paid at one and one half times the hourly rate. For the

remaining hours, the employee was paid at twice the usual hourly pay.

The employee's hourly pay is $10. How much overtime money should the

employee be paid for the two week period?

1. $340

2. $420

3. $560

4. $760

Type III - Drawing Logical Conclusions

In this type of question, the task is to choose the correct answer to a

practical problem.

Question 3

One of your duties is the selection and disposal of boxes of obsolete files.

According to regulations, ordinary files become obsolete after 24 months,

protected files after 36 months, and classified files after 48 months.

Which of the following boxes of files can be discarded?

A box containing ordinary files dated 26 months ago and classified files

dated 34 months ago.

A box containing ordinary files dated 38 months ago and protected files

dated 28 months ago.

1. A only

2. B only

3. Both A and B

4. Neither A nor B

Answers

1. (2)

2. (3)

3. (4)

Last-Minute Checklist

1. Know the exact date, time and location of the test administration session.

2. Bring to the test session:

a. your Personal Record Identifier (PRI, if you are a public

servant)

b. one piece of signature and photo identification

c. a calculator (if you wish)

d. a watch (if you wish)

If you have a disability and you require special testing

accommodations, you are responsible to notify 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.

Taking the GCT2: General Test-Taking Tips &

Information

1. Read this entire publication and be sure to complete the practice test

following all of the instructions. Doing so will help you to become familiar

with the GCT2 and to work at the appropriate pace.

2. If you want additional practice, you may wish to consult the reference

sections in a local public library, or in bookstores, for preparation books

on standardized tests.

3. Try employment tests and school tests (whether or not they count for

something) as well as tests, quizzes and puzzles in magazines,

newspapers and quiz books. If there are no time limits, set them yourself.

4. Read the whole question and look at all of the answer choices before

choosing an answer. It is often a mistake to think that because the first or

second answer choice looks good to you, you do not need to read the

remaining choices.

5. Pace yourself: Since each question is worth the same amount (1 point),

you should try to do as many of the questions as you can. While

estimating the average amount of time to be spent on each question is

useful, you should note that the questions on the test are increasingly

more difficult toward the end and, therefore, may require more time to

solve.

6. Make sure the numbered space on the answer sheet matches the number

of the question you are answering. Remember that if you skip a question

you must also skip the corresponding answer space on the answer sheet.

7. Guess at the answer if you are not sure: there is no penalty for guessing

on the GCT2.

8. Use all the time available: If you have time to spare, go back and review

your answers. Re-read those questions you weren't sure about in the first

place and double check your answers. This is also a good time to check

your answer sheet to make sure you have recorded your answers

correctly.

9. The retest period is 180 days (this means that you have to wait 180 days

before taking the test again). If you re-take the test, only your most

recent score will be used. If you are happy with your results and decide

not to rewrite, your score on the GCT2 is valid indefinitely.

Instructions and Sample Questions

Question type 1: Vocabulary

From among the five answer choices given, select the word or phrase

which best defines the word in UPPERCASE letters.

Example 1

IGNITE

1. overlook

2. set on fire

3. explain

4. illustrate

5. fall asleep

The correct answer is the second option.

Example 2

SUCCINCT

1. concise, briefly expressed

2. filled with juice

3. serving to draw in by suction

4. mentally acute, ingenious

5. resulting or terminating favorably

The correct answer is the first option.

Question type 2: Figural relations

There are two versions of the figural relations questions: figure

completion and figure analogy

Figure Completion

For figure completion, your task is to identify the answer figure that

logically completes the problem figures series.

Example 3

In example 3, one horizontal line is added in each successive problem

figure, so the next figure in the series should contain five horizontal lines.

The correct answer is the third option.

Example 4

In example 4, the square is moving in a counter clockwise movement and

the circle is moving in a clockwise movement, so the next figure in the

series should have a square in the upper left corner and a circle in the

upper right corner. The correct answer is the third option.

Figure Analogy

For figure analogy questions, identify the relationship that exists between

the first pair of figures and then use this information to choose the figure

among the five answer choices that has the same relationship to the third

figure in the question.

Example 5

In the above example, the second figure is a replica of the first, except

that it has been rotated to the left. Therefore, your task would be to

select the answer choice that resembles the third figure in the question,

but rotated to the left as well.  The correct answer is the fourth option.

Example 6

In example 6, the first pair of figures show a rectangle placed over a circle

and the second figure shows a rectangle placed over a circle but the

colors have been inverted (the circle has become white and the rectangle

is now dark) and the circle has moved upward. Select the answer choice

that resembles the third figure and complete the pair applying the same

changes as in the first pair. The correct answer is the second option.

Question type 3: Number and letter series

Each question of this type presents a series (list) of numbers and/or

letters. Find the rule that has been used to produce this series; then use

this rule to select the item (either a number or letter) which would follow

at the end.

Example 7

3,     6,     9,     12,     15,     18

(Identify the number that comes next in the series)

(1) 19       (2) 20       (3) 21       (4) 22       (5) 23

In example 7, the numbers are increasing by threes (i.e., 3 + 3 = 6; 6 + 3

= 9, etc.). Therefore, the next number in the series is 21 (i.e., 18 + 3)), to

complete the series correctly. The correct answer is the third option.

Example 8

80A,   70C,   60E,   50G,   40I,   30K,   20M,   10

(Identify the letter that comes next in the series)

(1) L         (2) N        (3) O        (4) P        (5) Q

Example 8 involves both letters and numbers. The numbers in the series

are decreasing by ten (i.e., 80, 70, 60, etc.). The letters are in ascending

order, with every second letter "missing" : A, [B missing], C, [D missing],

E, etc.

Therefore, the letter “O” should be paired with the number “10” to

complete the series. The correct answer is the third option.

Example 9

2,   3,   6,   11,   18,   27,

(Identify the number that comes next in the series)

(1) 36       (2) 29       (3) 31       (4) 38        (5) 34

In example 9, the numbers are increasing by and odd number (i.e., 2 + 1

= 3; 3 + 3= 6; 6 + 5 = 11, etc.) Therefore, the next number in the series

is 38 (27+ 11). The correct answer is the fourth option.

Example 10

50A,   60C,   55E,   65G,   60I,   70K,   65M,   75

(Identify the letter that comes next in the series)

(1) L         (2) N        (3) O        (4) P        (5) Q

In example 10, both letters and numbers are involved.  The numbers in

the series are increasing by 10, then decreasing by 5, increasing by 10

again and so on.  The letters are in an ascending order with every second

letter “missing”.  A (B missing), C (D missing), etc.  Therefore, the letter

“O” should be paired with “75” to complete the series.  The correct

answer is the third option.

Question type 4: Numerical

These questions require you to use basic arithmetic skills to solve a

problem. You are permitted to use a calculator and rough paper to arrive

at your answer. Two examples of a numerical question are provided

below.

Example 11

If a clerk can file 100 letters in half an hour, how many letters can the

person file in 2 hours?

1. 100

2. 200

3. 500

4. 300

5. 400

Two hours is 4 times longer than half an hour, so the clerk should be able

to file 4 times as many letters in that length of time (i.e., 4 x 100 = 400

letters). The correct answer is the fifth option.

Example 12

Using a 100-litre can of gasoline, a person fills three cans equally and has

1/4 of the original amount left over. How many litres does each of the

smaller cans hold?

(1) 25   (2) 20   (3) 16   (4) 30   (5) 331/3

A quarter of 100 litres is 25 (100 ÷ 4) and 25 litres is what is left over

from original 100 litres (100 litres – 25 = 75), 75 litres is the amount of

gasoline divided in three containers. Therefore, each of the three other

containers holds 25 litres (75 litres ÷ 3). The correct answer is the first

option.

Question type 5: Analytical reasoning

In the analytical reasoning section, you are presented with short passages

of text. Your task is to answer a set of questions about each passage. For

a given passage, the individual questions are independent of each other.

Also, information contained in one question (or its answer choices) should

not be used to answer other questions.

In answering some of the analytical reasoning questions, you may find it

useful to draw a diagram.

Example 13

There are four houses on one side of a city street. Each house belongs to

a different person who lives in the house. The owners of the houses are

Amy, Barnes, Clidewell and Dombrowski. Each owns one car and the

colours of these cars are white, red, blue and green. Furthermore:

1. Dombrowski owns the white car

2. Barnes' house is not at either end of the street

3. Amy owns the second house from the left

4. Clidewell owns the blue car

Which people own the red and the green cars?

1. Barnes and Amy

2. Barnes and Dombrowski

3. Clidewell and Barnes

4. Dombrowski and Amy

5. Clidewell and Amy

The sample passage indicates that Dombrowski owns a white car and

Clidewell owns a blue car. The only other people mentioned in the

passage are Barnes and Amy, so they must be the owners of the red and

the green cars. The correct answer is the first option.

Example 14

Read the following short passage.

"A new book on Intergroup Relations will contain seven chapters

(Theories, Reducing Prejudice, Values, Movements, Cross-Cultural

Research, The Legal System and Education) which can be assembled in a

variety of orders. However, the first and second chapters must be

Theories and The Legal System respectively. Furthermore, the Values and

Movements chapters must not be separated by another topic."

If the Cross-Cultural Research chapter is placed third, in how many ways

can the book be organized?

(1) 4   (2) 8   (3) 12   (4) 16   (5) 32

According to the text above, it can be deduced that the first three

chapters respect the following order: Theories, the Legal System and

Cross-Cultural Research.  The chapters on Values and Movements must

not be separated but can be inverted.  They may be placed as follows:

Chapter 4-5, 5-4, 5-6, 6-5, 6-7, and 7-6, which totals six possibilities.  The

other two chapters (Reducing Prejudice and Education) take the

remaining spots and may be inverted.  For each of the six possibilities for

the Values and Movements, there are two possibilities for the chapters

Reducing Prejudice and Education.  Therefore, the total number of way

the book can be organized is 12 (6 X 2).  The correct answer is the third

option.

Answers

1. (2)

2. (1)

3. (3)

4. (3)

5. (4)

6. (2)

7. (3)

8. (3)

9. (4)

10.(3)

11.(5)

12.(1)

13.(1)

14.(3)

Type I - Vocabulary

Select the word or phrase that best defines the word in UPPERCASE

letters.

Question 1

SUCCINCT

1. concise, briefly expressed

2. filled with juice

3. serving to draw in by suction

4. mentally acute, ingenious

5. resulting or terminating favorably

Type II - Figural Relations

There are two kinds of figural relations questions.

Figure Completion.

Identify the figure that logically completes the series.

Question 2

Figure Analogies.

Identify the relationship between the first two figures, then select the

answer figure that bears the same relationship to the third figure.

Question 3

Type III - Number and Letter Series

Find the rule used to produce each series, then select the answer

(number or letter) which would logically complete the series.

Question 4

2,   3,   6,   11,   18,   27,

(1) 36   (2) 29   (3) 31   (4) 38   (5) 34

Question 5

50A,   60C,   55E,   65G,   60I,   70K,   65M,   75__

(1) L   (2) N   (3) O   (4) P   (5) Q

Type IV - Numerical Problems

The numerical questions require you to use basic arithmetic skills. You are

permitted to use a calculator and rough paper to arrive at your answers.

Question 6

Using a 100-litre can of gasoline, a person fills three smaller cans equally

and has 1/4 of the original amount left over. How may litres does each of

the smaller cans hold?

(1) 25   (2) 20   (3) 16   (4) 30   (5) 331/3

Type V - Analytical Reasoning

In this section, you read a short passage and then answer a set of

questions pertaining to it. "A new book on Intergroup Relations will

contain seven chapters (Theories, Reducing Prejudice, Values,

Movements, Cross-Cultural Research, The Legal System and

Education)which can be assembled in a variety of orders. However, the

first and second chapters must be Theories and The Legal System

respectively. Furthermore, the Values and Movements chapters must not

be separated by another topic."

Question 7

If the Cross-Cultural Research chapter is placed third, in how many ways

can the book be organized?

(1) 4   (2) 8   (3) 12   (4) 16   (5) 32

Answers

1. (1)

2. (3)

3. (2)

4. (4)

5. (3)

6. (1)

7. (3)

The following questions are similar to those on the General Intelligence

Test (GIT-310). The correct answers are at the bottom of this page.

Note: you will not be permitted to use a calculator during this test.

Sub-test I - General Information

Select the correct answer from among the five alternatives.

Question 1

The capital of Portugal is:

1. Barcelona

2. Andorra

3. Lisbon

4. Madrid

5. San Paulo

Sub-test II - Similarities

In each question, five pairs of words are given. Select the pair that refers

most directly to a single concept.

Question 2

1. apple-automobile

2. orange-apple

3. automobile-cloud

4. charity-automobile

5. cloud-charity

Sub-test III - Arithmetic

Solve the problem below and indicate the correct answer.

Question 3

A lemon drink is made up of 2 parts lemon juice and 3 parts water. How

many litres of lemon juice will it take to make 15 litres of the lemon drink?

1. 2

2. 3

3. 6

4. 9

5. 10

Sub-test IV - Memory, Part I (650 word text)

The memory sub-test is divided into two parts. For Part One, you have 10

minutes to study a text and retain as much of the information as possible.

After the time limit is over, you will complete Sub-test V. Then, for Part

Two of the memory sub-test, you will be presented with the text you

studied in Part One, but with some of the information deleted. You are to

choose, from five alternatives, the correct information to correspond with

the original text.

Part 1

"A monthly sample survey of households produced an estimate that

salaries and wages were paid by the petroleum industry to an average

number of 19,497 persons in 1979 out of a total of 9,728,600 for all

industries."

Sub-test V - Block Design

The large square below is made up of nine blocks from among the

following six types.

In each question, decide how many times the type of block shown at the

beginning of the question appears in the nine-block design to the right of

the question.

Question 4

 appears in the design on the right   exactly

1. 1 times

2. 2 times

3. 3 times

4. 4 times

5. 5 times

Question 5

 appears in the design on the right   exactly

1. 1 times

2. 2 times

3. 3 times

4. 4 times

5. 5 times

Sub-test IV - Memory, Part 2

For each numbered space in the passage, choose the information that

corresponds to the original text.

"A monthly sample of survey households produced an end estimate that

salaries and wages were paid by the (6) industry to an average number of

(7) persons in (8) out of a total of (9) for all industries."

Question 6

1. transportation

2. construction

3. manufacturing

4. petroleum

5. forestry

Question 7

1. 19,974

2. 19,779

3. 19,497

4. 19,947

5. 19,797

Question 8

1. 1976

2. 1979

3. 1977

4. 1978

5. 1975

Question 9

1. 9,772,900

2. 9,529,700

3. 9,287,900

4. 9,552,800

5. 9,728,600

Answers

1. (3)

2. (2)

3. (3)

4. (1)

5. (3)

6. (4)

7. (3)

8. (2)

9. (5)

The following questions are similar to those on the General Intelligence

Test (GIT) 320. The correct answers are at the bottom of this page. Note

that you will not be permitted to use a calculator or rough paper during

this test.

Sub-test I - General Information

Select the correct answer from among the five alternatives.

Question 1

Prior to the European Union, the unit of currency (money)

of the Netherlands was the:

1. mark

2. dollar

3. guilder

4. pound

5. crown

Sub-test II - Similarities

Question 2

In each question, five pairs of words are given. Select the pair that refers

most directly to a single concept.

1. apple-automobile

2. orange-apple

3. automobile-cloud

4. charity-automobile

5. cloud-charity

Sub-test III - Arithmetic

Solve the problem below and indicate the correct answer.

Question 3

An employee sold 200 50-cent stamps, one-half as many 60-cent stamps

and one-quarter as many 80-cent stamps as 50-cent stamps. What was

the total value of these sales?

(1) $150   (2) $225   (3) $180   (4) $200   (5) $195

Sub-test IV - Vocabulary

Select the word or phrase that best defines the word in UPPERCASE

letters.

Question 4

IGNITE

1. set afire

2. overlook

3. explain

4. illustrate

5. fall asleep

Sub-test V - Memory, Part I (300 word text)

The memory sub-test is divided into two parts. For Part One, you have 10

minutes to study a text and retain as much of the information as possible.

After the time limit is over, you will complete Sub-test VI. Then, for Part

Two of the memory sub-test, you will be presented with the text you

studied in Part One, but with some of the information deleted. You are to

choose, from five alternatives, the correct information to correspond with

the original text.

Part I:

"Ontario and Quebec each account for about one-third of the milk cows in Canada and a corresponding share of the total milk production. In 1979 there were 2,956,000 milk cows on farms compared to 3,006,000 in 1969, excluding Newfoundland."

Sub-test VI - Block Design

The large square below is made up of nine blocks from among the

following six types.

In each question, decide how many times the type of block shown at the

beginning of the question appears in the nine-block design to the right of

the question.

Question 5

 appears in the design on the right   exactly

once

2 times

3 times

4 times

5 times

Question 6

 appears in the design on the right   exactly

once

2 times

3 times

4 times

5 times

Sub-test V - Memory, Part 2

For each numbered space in the passage, choose the information that

corresponds to the original text.

"Ontario and (7) each account for about (8) of the milk cows in Canada and a corresponding share of the total milk production. In (9) there were 2,956,000 milk cows on farms compared to (10) in 1969, excluding Newfoundland."

Question 7

1. Manitoba

2. Quebec

3. British Columbia

4. New Brunswick

5. Prince Edward Island

Question 8

1. one-quarter

2. three-fifths

3. one-third

4. two-thirds

5. one-half

Question 9

1. 1979

2. 1956

3. 1974

4. 1980

5. 1960

Question 10

1. 6,000,000

2. 4,000.000

3. 3,530,000

4. 3,006,000

5. 4,000,600

Answers

1. (3)

2. (2)

3. (4)

4. (1)

5. (1)

6. (3)

7. (2)

8. (3)

9. (1)

10.(4)