Clerical Ability: Alphabetical Filing Rules & Office Procedures
Standard filing indexing rules (Names of individuals, business titles, government agencies) and proofreading for Subprofessional examinees.
Standard Alphabetical Filing Rules for Individual Names
Rule 1: An individual's name is indexed in this exact order: Surname (Unit 1), First Name (Unit 2), Middle Name or Initial (Unit 3). Rule 2: Prefixes such as De, Del, Dela, San, and Mac are treated as part of the surname (e.g., 'Dela Cruz, Maria P.' is alphabetized under 'D'). Rule 3: Suffixes such as Jr., Sr., and Roman numerals (III) are considered the final indexing unit. Rule 4: 'Nothing comes before something' (e.g., 'Santos, Maria' precedes 'Santos, Maria Elena').
- Individual: Surname first, then First name, then Middle initial, then Suffix.
- Hyphenated surnames are indexed as one single combined unit.
- Abbreviated names are indexed as if spelled out in full.
Which of the following names should be filed THIRD in alphabetical order?
Official Syllabus References & Legal Authorities
- Civil Service Commission Examination Announcement: Test Scope & Guidelines (Clerical Ability - Subprofessional Level)(Civil Service Commission (CSC))
Apply what you learned
Practice specific Clerical Ability questions in timed examination conditions.