What do positions 7 through 10 identify?

• A. The date of the request in julian date format
• B. The serial number used for that request day
• C. The mailing address
• D. The unit identification code

Answer: (A)

In this numbering system, each fixed block of digits carries a specific data item. The block in positions seven through ten is set aside to encode the date of the request, using Julian date format. That four-digit chunk compactly represents the year and the day of the year, which makes it easy to sort and query records by when the request was made.

The serial number used for that day, the mailing address, and the unit identification code are represented in other parts of the number or on the form, not in this four-digit date block. That’s why the seven-to-ten positions best match the date information in Julian format.