Sample Questions on the Office Skills Test

OST - Coding

The following questions are similar to those found on the Office Skills Test - Coding (OST-Coding). The correct answers are at the bottom of this page.

This test consists of two parts which are designed to measure your ability to code and decode information. Both parts of the test consist of a coding table followed by a series of questions. Part A of the test requires the information to be CODED while Part B requires the information to be DECODED. For each question, refer back to the coding table in the part (A or B) that you are working on.

A sample coding table and questions are presented below.

Coding Table

Province	Code
British Columbia	1
Manitoba	2
Quebec	3
Nova Scotia	4

Age (years)	Code
18-24	A
25-34	B
35-44	C
45 ans over	D

Sex	Code
Male	11
Female	12

Years of Education	Code
Less than 8	W
9-12	X
13-17	Y
18 or more	Z

Example 1 - Part A Coding

What would be the code for a 38 year-old man who has 16 years of education and lives in Manitoba?

1. 2 - C - 11 - X
2. 2 - C - 12 - X
3. 3 - D - 12 - Y
4. 2 - C - 11 - Y
5. 3 - D - 12 - X

Example 2 - Part B Decoding

Which one of the following persons would be coded

3 - B - 12 - X ?

1. A 32 year-old man from Manitoba having 12 years of education.
2. A 28 year-old woman from Quebec having 11 years of education.
3. A 19 year-old woman from Manitoba having 14 years of education.
4. A 25 year-old man from Quebec having 16 years of education.
5. A 22 year-old woman from Manitoba having 14 years of education.

Answers

1. (4)
2. (2)

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