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General Competency Test Level 2 (GCT2) – Practice Test – Instructions and Sample Questions
This practice test can be completed on-line. If you prefer, you can print the test and compare your answers to the answer sheet. If you have any questions regarding alternative formats, please contact 613-992-9741 or ppc-cpp@psc-cfp.gc.ca for assistance.
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- Last-Minute Checklist
- Taking the GCT2: General Test-Taking Tips & Information
- Instructions and Sample Questions
Last-Minute Checklist
- Know the exact date, time and location of the test administration session.
- Bring to the test session:
- your Personal Record Identifier (PRI, if you are a public servant)
- one piece of signature and photo identification
- a calculator (if you wish)
- 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
- 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.
- 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. If you have any inquiries about any specific question in the practice GCT2 booklet, you may contact your nearest PSC regional office.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Guess at the answer if you are not sure: there is no penalty for guessing on the GCT2.
- 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.
- The retest period is six months (this means that you have to wait six months 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
IGNITE
The correct answer is the second option, so you would darken circle number 2 on your answer sheet.
Question type 2: Figural relations
There are two versions of the figural relations questions and an example of each is presented below.
Example A: Figure completion
In this type of question, your task is to identify the answer figure that logically completes the problem figures series. In the above example, 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, so you would darken circle number 3 on your answer sheet.
Example B: Figure analogy
In this type of question, you identify the relationship that exists between the first pair of figures and then you use this information to choose the figure among the five answer choices that has the same relationship to the third figure in the question. 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, so you would darken circle number 4 on your answer sheet
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 A
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18
(Identify the number that comes next in the series)
In example 1, 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). The correct answer is the third option, so would darken circle number 3 on your answer sheet.
Example B
80A, 70C, 60E, 50G, 40I, 30K, 20M, 10,
Example 2 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, so you would darken circle number 3 on your answer sheet.
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. An example of a numerical question is provided below.
Example
If a clerk can file 100 letters in half an hour, how many letters can the person file in 2 hours?
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. The correct answer is the fifth option, so you would darken circle number 5 on your answer sheet
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.
Sample Passage
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:
- Dombrowski owns the white car
- Barnes' house is not at either end of the street
- Amy owns the second house from the left
- Clidewell owns the blue car
Sample Question
1. Which people own the red and the green cars?
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, so you would darken circle number 1 on your answer sheet.
