Minnesota Clerical Test

The Minnesota Clerical Test (published by The Psychological Corporation) measures perceptual abilities that are commonly used in the performance of various clerical activities. Most often, the MCT is used by employers to select employees who can work with information quickly and accurately, for clerical positions such as clerks, cashiers, tellers, and typists.

Composed of two parts—Number Comparison and Name Comparison—the test assesses the accuracy and speed with which test takers are able to distinguish between pairs of numbers or names that are similar and those that are identical. For example, an item including two numbers that are similar (e.g., 12343 and 13243) would be correctly identified as being different, whereas two numbers that are identical (e.g., 12232 and 12232) would be correctly identified as being the same. An item including two similar names (e.g., Davenport Inc. and Davinport Inc.) would be correctly identified as different, whereas two identical names (e.g., Smith & Co. and Smith & Co.) would be correctly identified as the same.

After receiving the test materials, as well as completing identification information and sample items, the test taker is given 15 minutes to complete both parts. Each consisting of 200 items, the two parts are scored by subtracting the number of incorrect responses from the number of correct responses.

The MCT was constructed in 1931 by psychologists at the University of Minnesota and first published in 1933. Initially known as the Minnesota Vocational Test for Clerical Workers, the test was given its current name in 1946. Remarkably, the content of the test's items have not been altered since the original publication, although the manual has been revised five times with particular regard to psychometric and normative information. The most recent manual presents normative data, which enables a comparison of raw scores with larger groups, for trainees and employees working at utility companies, banks, financial institutions, universities, and temp agencies, as well as male, female, Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic individuals.

Overall, the MCT has been found to have good psychometric properties. In particular, test scores predicted future levels of job performance in clerical occupations and were related to typing speed, General Clerical Test scores, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale scores. Also, the relationships found between the number and name comparison parts suggest that the two parts are measuring similar but distinct abilities. Although the MCT is used primarily in vocational settings, the test also is used by counselors to aid those considering clerical occupations, and by researchers in areas such as cognitive and vocational psychology.