Clerical Ability Masterclass: Official Alphabetical Filing Rules & Spelling Guide
Subprofessional Level Clerical Ability guide. Learn official Civil Service alphabetical filing rules, indexing order, and high-yield spelling drill lists.
Table of Contents
Official Rules for Alphabetical Filing
1. **Rule 1 (Unit Order for Individual Names):** Individual names are indexed in this order: **Last Name (Unit 1), First Name (Unit 2), Middle Name or Initial (Unit 3)**. - *Example:* Maria Santos Cruz $\rightarrow$ **Cruz, Maria, Santos**
2. **Rule 2 (Prefixes):** Last name prefixes such as *De, Del, De la, Von, Van, Mac, Mc* are considered part of the last name, not separate units. - *Example:* Juan de la Cruz $\rightarrow$ **De la Cruz, Juan**
3. **Rule 3 (Hyphenated Names):** Hyphenated last names are treated as a SINGLE filing unit. - *Example:* Ana Smith-Santos $\rightarrow$ **Smithsantos, Ana**
4. **Rule 4 (Titles and Seniorities):** Seniority terms like *Jr., Sr., III, IV* or titles like *Dr., Prof., Atty.* are placed in the LAST unit. - *Example:* Dr. Jose P. Rizal Jr. $\rightarrow$ **Rizal, Jose, P., Dr., Jr.**
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Top 20 Frequently Misspelled Exam Words
- **Accommodation** (2 C's, 2 M's)- **Embarrassment** (2 R's, 2 S's) - **Maintenance** (NOT *maintainance*) - **Privilege** (NOT *privelege*) - **Bureaucracy** (B-U-R-E-A-U-C-R-A-C-Y) - **Receiving** (I before E except after C)
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Frequently Asked Questions
How are hyphenated names filed in the CSE Clerical section?
Hyphenated personal names or firm names are treated as one single unit/word.