In order to get a local post office job, you will need to pass a postal exam. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has a couple of different postal exams. One of the best ways to pass the exams is by taking postal exam practice tests.

Studying with actual postal exam questions and answers will let you know how well you are prepared for the actual postal test.

The Postal Exam 710 will test you on both clerical abilities and verbal abilities. Passing your postal exam is only one step you need to take you get your local post office job. You can prepare for your postal exam by taking some free postal exam questions. Comprehensive Prep for the Postal Exams, Test 473 and 473-C. This book provides information on postal exams, benefits and hiring procedures:. There is an explanation of the Federal Employees Retirement System. It offers sample tests and helpful study information for Test 473. Hi, I'm Tal, JobTestPrep's expert for USPS Postal exams. After thorough research and reviewing feedback from 100’s of customers, I created this page for you. If you have any questions after reading it, feel free to contact me at: talquestions@jobtestprep.co.uk Prepare for the USPS Postal Exam 955 with JobTestPrep's resources.

Check out our list of free postal exam practice tests along with our other recommended resources. Please note that the USPS has discontinued the postal exam 473. We have provided resources for postal exams 474, 475, 476, 477, and 955.

Recommended Postal Exam Prep Courses

How to Study for Postal Exams

Postal Exam preparation requires you to study smart – not hard! To pass your postal exams, you need to:

• Study when you are the most alert
• Understand what’s on the Postal Exam
• Focus on the material that you don’t know
• Develop a flexible study schedule

Professional postal exam prep products are the best way to prepare for your postal exam. Taking postal practice exams help you get used to what will be on the actual exam.

To obtain a local post office job, you first need to apply for a job with the US Post Office.

USPS Jobs That Require Postal Exams

Many jobs at the USPS require candidates to take and pass postal exams. The type of postal exam you take will depend on the type of job you are applying for. Below are some common jobs that require a postal exam.

Applicants will not know if they need to take a postal exam until they apply for a position – if they are selected to take a postal exam, they will be notified via email. Applicants will be sent an email with a link to complete the postal exam and will have 72 hours to complete the exam, with the exception for postal exam 955.

• City Carrier: This is what the public thinks of when they say 'mail man'. The city carrier delivers (and collects) mail by foot or vehicle. The city carrier is given an assigned area and must deliver in all types of weather. The city carrier may be required to carry a 35 pound mailbag on their shoulder. Additionally, carriers are expected to handle mail containers weighing up to 70 pounds. Carriers spend extended periods of time standing, walking and reaching. Applicants are required to have a valid driver's license, including a safe driving record and two or more years of driving experience.
• Mail Processing Clerk: Mail processing involves operating automated mail process equipment or manually sorting mail. Mail processing clerks organize and move processed mail from one area to another. These clearks are required to lift and transport heavy containers.
• Mail Handler: Mail handlers move mail containers and equipment throughout postal facilities. Mail handlers also open and empty containers of mail. Mail handlers are required to handle containers weighing up to 70 pounds.
• Sales, Services, and Distribution Associate: These retail associates work at local post offices and provide customer service to USPS customers.

What is on the Postal Exam?

There are 5 main postal exams offered by the USPS. Each postal exam is taken by candidates who are applying for different positions within the USPS. The content on the postal exam varies, but postal exam 474, 475, 476, and 477 all contain the same 3 sections:

• Work Scenarios – These questions will give you different scenarios and will see how you react to each different scenario.
• Tell Us Your Story – These questions will go into your background and work experience.
• Describe Your Approach – These questions will find out how you approach everyday tasks.

Some of these sections contain additional testing sections and the postal exam 955 is completely different from these other 4 exams. While there is no time limit, they do encourage you to work quickly, which may or may not improve your test scores. Read below for a breakdown of each postal exam.

Post Office Jobs

If you are serious about getting a Post Office Job, try our recommended Postal Exam Prep Course

Postal Exam 474

Please note that this exam is also referred to as the Virtual Entry Assessment MC 474.

POSTAL EXAM 475

Please note that this exam is also referred to as the Virtual Entry Assessment MH 475.

POSTAL EXAM 476

Please note that this exam is also referred to as the Virtual Entry Assessment MP 476.

POSTAL EXAM 477

Please note that this exam is also referred to as the Virtual Entry Assessment CS 477.

POSTAL EXAM 955

Please note that this exam has replaced postal exams 931, 932, and 933.

The personal characteristics and experience inventory portion of the exam is self-administered and is taken before the multi-craft and spatial reasoning portions of postal exam 955. Multi-craft and spatial reasoning are online electronic tests but must be taken at a testing site. The spatial reasoning portion of the exam has various questions on visualization problems.

Postal Exam 473

Please note that postal exam 473 has been discontinued by the USPS and has been replaced by postal exams 474, 475, 476, and 477.

Postal Exam Scores

The passing score for all postal exams is 70. Candidates who score below a 70 will be ineligible for the position at the USPS. Candidates will not be allowed to take the test for 12 months, so it is important to pass the exam the first time.

The postal exams are unique because candidates are ranked based on their exam scores. Someone who scored an 80 will be higher up on the list versus someone who scored a 70. The candidate who scored an 80 might get an interview right away while the candidate who scored a 70 might have to wait a little longer.

Postal Exam Test Dates

The postal exams are not scheduled on specific test dates. Applicants schedule their own exams.

After you submit an application for a job with the post office, you will receive an assessment invitation e-mail. Some jobs have a pre-determined maximum number of applicants. If the job's limit has been reached, you will not be invited to take the USPS exam. During the online application process, you will be given an onscreen notification whether you will receive an invitation to take the postal exam. You will have 72 hours to complete the exam.

For mechanic and technician positions that require the postal exam 955, applicants will have to take and pass two exams. The first USPS exam is an online assessment that will take a maximum of 75 minutes.

If you pass the online postal exam, you will then need to take an exam at an approved location. This on-site exam will be proctored (i.e., monitored) by trained personnel.

Postal Exam Faqs

How do you prepare for the postal exam?

What are the main postal exams?

Which postal exam will I have to take?

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Carrier, clerk, mail handlers, and distribution associates are required to take and pass the 473 Postal Exam. Other applicants including motor vehicle operators, mechanic, clerical, electronic technician, machinist, and trades must also pass a written test. Your rating is based on the test results, your education, and qualifying work experience. Other occupations, such as corporate and professionals, don't require a written exam and are evaluate under the Postal Service’s Rated-Application Examinations process. They are rated and hired on their prior work experience and education listed on their application and how well they do on the interview.

All tests, including the 473 and 473-C/E exams, are scheduled when you apply online. When you apply you will be asked to register, complete an application, and take an initial online un-proctored exam. Many occupations also require you to take a proctored exam at a testing facility in your area. The Postal Service will schedule you for the exam, and you have 14 days to complete your application, assessment, and exams from the date you apply.

Post Office Exams and Practice 473 Tests

• Examination List and Sample Tests

Post Office Exams

Examinations cover the majority of entry level hiring although some offices also maintain custodial registers which, by law, are reserved for veteran preference eligibles. The postal service no longer uses the 460 Battery Examination for rural mail carrier positions, rural carriers now must take the 473 exam. The USPS also administers exams for motor vehicle and tractor trailer operators and some highly skilled maintenance positions such as building equipment mechanic, engineman, electronics technician, and general mechanic. All skilled maintenance positions require examination 931. A separate announcement, examination number 932, is required for electronics technician positions.

The 473 Major Entry Level Jobs Exam may also be referred to as the 473 Battery Exam. The main difference between the 473 and 473-C/E exam is the target audience. The 473-C exam is used when the Postal Service is recruiting large numbers of City Letter Carriers, and the 473 and 473 E exam is used to cover all the other job categories listed below . All of these exams are essentially the same.

NOTE: You don't have to retake the exam for other positions after passing the test with a 70% score or higher. Your examination result is valid through the expiration date shown on your Notice of Result. If you are an applicant, your results will be maintained in your eCareer Candidate Profile and will be automatically included with your application if you apply for other USPS vacancies requiring this exam. If you are an employee, your test result may be valid for longer, based on your situation and in accordance with Postal policy. CAUTION: Write down your eCareer user name and password so that you will be able to use the test results for other positions. Many forget to write down this information and have a difficult time contacting the USPS to recover their user name and password.

Skills Tests

Ability and skills tests (performance tests) are designed to predict future success, both in job training and job performance. The Postal Service uses these tests to obtain an indication of your potential to learn and perform particular job responsibilities. Skills tests measure specifically what you know about and can perform in a particular job—they test your mastery of tasks. The Postal Service administers skills tests when it is interested in filling a position with an applicant who knows the basics of the job and can perform job tasks as soon as he or she starts. Some performance tests are: the road test for operators of postal vehicles, the typing test, and the test of strength and stamina for mail handlers.

Postal Exam Book

473 Exam Outline

The Postal Service uses entrance exam titled Test 473 for Major Entry-Level Jobs. This exam is also called the 473 Battery Exam and it replaced the 470 Battery Exam and covers:

Use the full length 473 practice exams in the book Post Office Jobs and the sample exam questions available on this site to prepare for the forms checking, address checking, memory and coding Parts A, B, and C of the new exam. Part D is related to your personal work experience and unique characteristics. For example, in Part D, you will be asked your likes and dislikes, whether you have experience in certain areas. You really can't prepare for this section, it's your personal profile and if you answer the questions honestly the Postal Service will be able to identify the job that is best suited to your characteristics.

Part D of the 473 exam is taken online when you first apply. All who pass the exam with a 70 or better score are added to the register and ranked with all others who passed the exam for the job vacancy. Exam results can be used to apply for other jobs for a specific time period as noted on your notification of results.

The 473 exam covers:

• City Carrier
• Mail Processing Clerks
• Mail handler
• Sales, Distribution Associate, and Services
• Rural Carrier (This group previously took the 460 exam)

Also, explore and apply for all job vacancies in the government and private sectors to improve you chance of employment.

Examination List & Sample Tests

• 473 Battery Exams(Sample questions for each exam section)
• Other Exams
  • From Motor Vehicle Operator to Automotive Mechanic,

A full length sample 473 practice exam is in the book Post Office Jobs. To locate jobs on the Postal Service's web site follow the guide that we developed on this site to help you navigate their application process.

Direct links to the Postal Service's online exam schedules and jobs hotline phone number is available on our RESOURCES page.

The 473 Battery Examination covers the majority of entry level hiring although some offices also maintain custodial registers, which by law, are reserved for veteran preference eligibles. The USPS also tests for motor vehicle and tractor trailer registers and some highly skilled maintenance positions such as Building Equipment Mechanic, Engineman, Electronics Technician, and General Mechanic. All of the skilled maintenance positions require examination 931. A separate announcement,examination number 932, is required for Electronics Technician positions.

Click here for more information about the 473 Postal Exam.

Comprehensive sample 473 practice exams with answer keys are included in Post Office Jobs.

Test-Taking Strategies

It’s often helpful to study with a partner, someone to read the question and check your responses. It can be a fellow worker, a spouse, or just a good friend. Try various study routines until you hit a combination that works. Try studying in 20 to 30-minute sessions, with 5-minute breaks in between, or stretch it out to hour intervals. A good study routine will improve your test scores.

The following strategies will help you improve your grades. Use these strategies on the practice tests in this book and when you take your actual Postal Service exam. If you practice these techniques now, when you take the postal exam they will become second nature.

• Eliminate the answers in multiple-choice questions that make no sense at all. You can often eliminate half of the answers through this method. If you have to guess an answer, you improve your chances through the process of elimination
• Be skeptical when an answer includes words like “always, never, all, none, generally,” or “only.” These words can be a trap. Only select an answer with these words in it if you are absolutely sure it is the right answer.
• If two answers have opposite meanings, take your time and look closer. Many times one of the two is correct.
• Place a mark next to answers that you are unsure about. After completing the remainder of the exam, go back and review these questions and make a final selection. Often, other questions that you’ve answered will jog your memory.
• One word can dramatically change the meaning of a sentence. Read each question word-for-word before answering.
• Don’t let the test get the best of you. Build your confidence by answering the questions you know first. If the first question you read stumps you, skip it and go on to the next one. When you’ve completed most of the exam you can go back ‒ if time permits ‒ to the questions that you couldn't answer.
• Get plenty of rest the night before the exam.

Visit your local Library's Reference Department to review a copy of Post Office Jobs or order a copyOn-Line. This book includes a comprehensive 473 study guide with a full length practice exam.

Also, explore and apply for all job vacancies in the government and private sectors to improve you chance of employment.