Public Service Commission of Canada tests: what they are and practice questions

Federal hiring processes in Canada often use standardized tests from the Public Service Commission (PSC). The General Competency Tests measure reasoning for administrative support and officer-level jobs, and the Test of Judgement measures judgement in work situations. This page explains them from canada.ca and gives you 50 original reasoning questions to practise on.

GCT-1 (207): 50 multiple-choice questions in 85 minutes
GCT-2A (324): 50 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes
Test of Judgement 377: 40 questions in 60 minutes, rated on a six-point effectiveness scale
Retesting: 180-day waiting period before you can take the same test again

From the official source listed at the bottom of the page.

The PSC standardized tests

General Competency Test: Level 1 (GCT-1-207)Measures reasoning at the level required for administrative support and certain operational positions. Three question types: written comprehension of memos and passages, numerical problem-solving, and logical reasoning from rules.
General Competency Test: Level 2 Abridged (GCT-2A-324)Measures reasoning at the level required for officer-level positions; canada.ca says a pass score can be used to meet a university education requirement. Question types: number and letter series, numerical problems, and analytical reasoning from short passages with constraints.
How the GCTs runSupervised, online and in person on the PSC Candidate Assessment Tool. Bilingual — you can switch between English and French at any time. An on-screen calculator is provided and acceptable non-internet calculators are allowed.
Test of Judgement (TOJ 377 supervised, TOJ 376 unsupervised)Assesses judgement in work-related situations for officer-level positions. No specialized training, knowledge or experience is required. You rate responses from "very ineffective" to "very effective", and results are reported in bands from J-01 to J-10.

PSC tests practice test — 50 questions

Original questions written to prepare for the PSC tests; they are not official test questions. Answer them without an account and see an explanation for each one.

Question 1 of 50

Memo: "From 1 May, travel claims must be submitted within 30 days of return. Later claims need the director's approval." An employee returned on 3 April and submits a claim on 10 May. What does the claim need?

Question 2 of 50

Passage: "The unit answered 1,200 calls in June, up from 900 in May. The average wait in June was 4 minutes." Which statement is stated in the passage?

Question 3 of 50

Notice: "Meeting room B is reserved for training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Other teams may book it on the remaining weekdays." On which day can the finance team book room B?

Question 4 of 50

Passage: "To reduce paper use, the department will stop printing monthly reports. Reports will be posted on the intranet, and staff who need a printed copy may request one." What is the main purpose of the passage?

Question 5 of 50

Job notice: "Applicants must hold a valid driver's licence and have two years of experience. Bilingualism is an asset." Which of these is NOT a requirement?

Question 6 of 50

In the sentence "The deadline has been deferred", what does "deferred" mean?

Question 7 of 50

Passage: "New employees complete orientation in their first week and security training within their first 30 days." Which statement is true according to the passage?

Question 8 of 50

Notice: "The help desk is open 8:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday. Outside these hours, email us; emails are answered the next business day." A user emails at 17:00 on a Friday. When will the email be answered?

Question 9 of 50

Memo: "The form has changed: section C is now mandatory, while section D is optional." Which form is incomplete?

Question 10 of 50

Passage: "Because the budget was cut, the team will hire no new staff this year, and overtime will be limited." Which conclusion follows from the passage?

What to practise for the PSC tests

Reading memos and short passages
Numerical problem-solving
Percentages, ratios and averages
Logical reasoning from rules
Number series
Letter series
Analytical reasoning with ordering constraints

Type any of these topics into the quiz generator to make a practice quiz. Quiz templates

How to prepare for the PSC tests with SimpleQuizMaker

Work through the 50 practice questions below in sets of ten and read the explanation for every one you miss.
Type a topic such as "number and letter series" and generate your own quiz of up to 10 questions — the free plan gives you 5 AI generations a month.
Paste a government memo or notice and turn it into comprehension questions.
On the Student plan you can upload PDF, Word or image files and build quizzes of up to 100 questions.

PSC tests tips

Try the official PSC sample tests first so the Candidate Assessment Tool layout is familiar.
canada.ca says there is no penalty for guessing on the GCT-1 or GCT-2A, so answer every question.
Use rough paper for series and ordering puzzles — write the sequence out.
Remember the 180-day retest wait: take the test when you are ready, not as a trial run.

Make your own PSC tests practice quiz

Free account, no card needed. Type a topic or paste your notes and the AI builds the quiz in seconds.

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{short} FAQ

Are these real PSC test questions?

No. The 50 questions are original practice items written by SimpleQuizMaker, not official Public Service Commission test items. They practise the comprehension, numerical, logical, series and analytical reasoning that canada.ca says the General Competency Tests measure.

Which test will I have to take?

It depends on the job. canada.ca describes the GCT-1 for administrative support and certain operational positions, and the GCT-2A and Test of Judgement for officer-level positions. The job advertisement tells you which assessments apply.

Why are there no Test of Judgement questions here?

The Test of Judgement asks you to rate each response on a six-point effectiveness scale rather than pick one correct answer, so it does not fit a one-best-answer quiz. Use the official PSC sample tests for it.

Can I retake a PSC test?

Yes, but canada.ca sets a 180-day waiting period before you can retake the same test.

Do I need an account to answer the practice questions?

No. Anyone can answer the 50 questions on this page without signing up. A free account lets you make your own quizzes from a topic or pasted text: 5 AI generations a month with up to 10 questions each. The Student plan ($2.99 a month or $29.99 a year) adds file uploads and up to 100 questions.

Official sources

SimpleQuizMaker is not affiliated with any police service, fire department, recruiting body or government. Our questions are original practice items, not official test questions. Always check the current rules with the official source.

PSC tests at a glance