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Data Entry Test Guide
The Personnel Board of Jefferson County (PBJC) is pleased that you are interested
in and applied for the Medical Clerk and/or Court Clerk job(s). As such, you should
have received a notice inviting you to participate in the first phase of the assessment
process, a data entry test. Please note that you will only take the test once, even
if you applied to both jobs. Your score on the data entry examination will be used
for the Medical Clerk job, the Court Clerk job, or both depending on what you applied
and were eligible for.
The test will be administered at the Personnel Board of Jefferson County (located
at 2121 8th Avenue North in Birmingham, Alabama). You should report to the test
site on the date and time indicated on your notice. Please arrive on time or early.
Due to the large number of applicants for the job(s), if you do not report to your
check-in location within 15 minutes of your check-in time, you will NOT be permitted
to take the examination. If you have any questions regarding your notice, please
contact Marty Alber at (205) 279-3595.
You must bring a valid state or federally issued photo I.D. with you to the examination.
If you do not present a valid I.D. you will NOT be permitted to take the examination.
You are encouraged to bring your notice as verification of your check-in time.
Parking is available in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) parking
deck located at 9th Avenue North between 22nd Street and 23rd Street. You are responsible
for paying for your own parking.
Data Entry Test Information
The data entry test is timed and takes exactly five (5) minutes. There will be an
optional two (2) minute practice test before the actual test. You will then take
the data entry test twice, back-to-back in one sitting. Your best score from the
two tests will be used as your final score. Please plan on the examination taking
up to 45 minutes to allow for checking in, taking the two minute practice test,
taking the five minute data entry test twice, and checking out.
Your Net Data Entry Speed will be the score that is recorded for your data entry
test. Only the better of your two scores will be used. Net Data Entry Speed (in
keystrokes per hour) is computed as your gross data entry speed (in keystrokes per
hour) minus the number of errors to keystrokes per hour multiplied by three. Therefore,
the net data entry speed takes into account data entry speed and the time it takes
to make corrections. This implies that although it is important to type fast, it
is also important to type accurately.
Your score on the data entry test will be used to determine if you meet the data
entry requirements for the Court Clerk and/or Medical Clerk position. The Net Data
Entry Speed passing score that will be used as criteria for evaluating your performance
on the data entry test will be determined at a later date. If you do not pass this
data entry test, you will NOT be eligible to be on the Court Clerk and/or Medical
Clerk register.
The data entry test will be administered on a computer using a standard keyboard
and will require you to type information that is presented on the screen (monitor)
into the appropriate fields. Information such as individuals’ names, addresses,
phone numbers, and social security numbers will be presented on the right side of
the screen in a data form and you will have to enter that information into the appropriate
fields on the left side of the screen exactly as it is presented.
The image below is a sample screen of the data entry test you will be taking and
provides an example of how the data that you will be entering will be presented.
Please note that this is just an illustration and that the data on the screen will
be clearer during the actual test.
You will register to take the data entry test using your first name, last name,
and your social security number. The instructions for the practice data entry test
and the actual data entry test are as follows:
Practice Data Entry Test Instructions:
You are about to take the practice test. Text in this test is case-sensitive.
Type the text exactly as you see it. When taking the data entry test, press the
Tab key or Enter key to move from field to field in the data form. Hold Shift and
press the Tab key to move backwards in a form. When you finish the last field in
a form you will automatically move to the next form after pressing the “Tab” or
“Enter” key. You will not be able to return to a form after you move to the next
form. You can use the Backspace key, the Delete key and the arrow keys when entering
text to fix errors. Please note that the mouse is not available for use
during the data entry test; it will not work. (Keep in mind that the time you take to fix mistakes
will slow down your overall typing speed.)
This practice test will begin as soon as you start typing. At the end of two minutes,
the practice test will stop and the data entry test will begin.
Data Entry Test Instructions:
You
are about to take the data entry test. Text in this test is case-sensitive. Type
the text exactly as you see it. When taking the data entry test, press the Tab key
or Enter key to move from field to field in the data form. Hold Shift and press
the Tab key to move backwards in a form. When you finish the last field in a form
you will automatically move to the next form after pressing the “Tab” or “Enter”
key. You will not be able to return to a form after you move to the next form. You
can use the Backspace key, the Delete key and the arrow keys when entering text
to fix errors. Please note that the mouse is not available for use during the data
entry test; it will not work. (Keep in mind that the time you take to fix mistakes
will slow down your overall typing speed.) This test will begin as soon as you start
typing. At the end of five minutes, the data entry test will end. When you are ready
to begin the data entry test, click on “Start Data Entry Test.”
Ending the Data
Entry Examination:
When your five minutes has ended on your second test, a score
report will show you your scores for both tests. Your score will be the “Net Data
Entry Speed” calculated in keystrokes per hour. You will be permitted to write your
scores on a scorecard that will be provided and take them with you. You will then
proceed to check out and will be free to leave.
How to Prepare for the Data Examination:
The best way you can prepare for the alphanumeric data entry test is through practice. Upon
searching the web, PBJC staff found the following free software (called “Data Entry Test 2000”) that
you may find beneficial for improving your alphanumeric data entry skills. The free software can be
found at the following web address:
http://www.softlookup.com/download.asp?id=3236
Click on “1st Mirror” and then click on “Click here for Manual start” and then follow the instructions on
the screen.
PBJC will provide no technical support or assistance with downloading this free software and will not
be responsible for any fees you may incur downloading this software. The Personnel Board does not
in any way endorse this software, the quality of the data entry exercises provided therein, or the data
entry scores that are provided in the software. Additionally, the data entry tests offered in the
following software differ from the PBJC test you will take. This should simply be regarded as a
resource that you may or may not find helpful for improving your data entry skills. You are
encouraged to seek other means of practice as well.
Good luck! |