The US Postal System was created in 1775 when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress. It was not until 1971 where the USPS, or the United States Postal Service began its operations. However, the USPS still encompasses many ideas discovered before them in their operations, such as zip codes and stamps. The USPS has various exams that must be taken by different employees, taking a USPS practice exam is a great way to ensure you will be a desirable candidate.
The US Postal System has grown immensely, going from 75 post offices in 1789, to over 40,000 post offices today. The USPS is responsible for the delivery of 212 billion pieces of mail to all over the country and to US territories such as Guam and Puerto Rico. The USPS is the nations largest civilian employer, with over 700,000 career workers, who handle 44% of the entire world’s cards and letters.
USPS Practice Exam
To land a job at the post office you must obtain a high score on your postal exam. It is recommended to prepare by using study guides and practice tests, no matter which postal exam you will be taking. Practice tests are the best way to prepare for your upcoming postal exam. The following are some great resources for USPS practice exam sites:
Test-Guide – Includes hundreds of comprehensive practice questions and immediate scoring after practice test, all for free! Highly recommended.
Aceyourpostalexam.com – Provides online practice postal exams.
Mailquiz.com – Provides online postal exam preparation tools on how to ace your postal exam.
Postalexam.com – Provides books for your postal exam preparation.
Why Practice Exams
Practice tests not only help you learn more, but they also give you a feel of the type of questions you will get on your exam. Practice tests will help you get used to what will be on the actual test, when your score matters. Practice tests will help ease you into the format of the test itself, so you are not surprised when you walk in that door and start taking your test.
Popular USPS Exams
The USPS is the nation’s largest civilian employer, with over 700,000 employees. The USPS is always looking for more employees, but not just anyone can work at the post office, you must get a high score on your exam. There are different exams given, based off what job you are applying for.
The three most common exams given each year include:
Postal Exam 473 – Required for mail processing clerks, city carriers, mail handlers, and other delivery and distribution postal workers. This Postal Exam is the most widely given exam.
Postal Exam 916 – Custodial maintenance exam for postal custodians.
Postal Exam 944 – Required for postal automotive technicians.
Postal Exam 473
To prepare for the Postal Exam 473 Exam you must first understand what is on your exam and how the exam is scored. Postal Exam 473 consists of 4 sections which include:
Part A: Addressing Checking – You will be given 11 minutes to compare 60 addresses, you will be expected to determine if the addresses are identical, if the zip codes are different, or if the street/city addresses are different. Your score in Part A is the number of questions answered correctly minus one-third of the questions you answered incorrectly.
Part B: Forms Completion – You will be given 30 minutes to answer 30 questions on how to correctly complete forms. Scoring in part B is straight forward, it is simply the number of items you answered incorrectly, each question is worth one point.
Part C: Coding and Memory – There are two parts to part C. Part 1 is coding, where you will be given 6 minutes to answer 36 multiple choice questions on a coding guide which will be provided for you. Part 2 is memory, where you will be given 7 minutes to answer 36 multiple choice questions, where it will ask you questions on the same coding guide given to you in the previous part.
You will have to rely on your memory as the coding guide will not be shown to you in part 2. The scoring for both sections goes as Part A goes, it is the number of questions answered minus one-third of the questions you answered incorrectly.
Part D: Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory – You will be given 90 minutes to answer 236 questions on your personal characteristics, tendencies, or experiences related to performing efficiently and effectively as a Postal Service Employee. This Part of the Postal Exam 473 are not scored, but they are analyzed, and you are assessed on how well of a fit you will be for the Postal Service.
Postal Exam 916
Postal custodians are responsible for the daily cleaning and maintenance of various USPS facilities. Across the US there is a need for postal custodians. To prepare for your Postal Exam 916 it is recommended to prepare by going to USPS practice exam sites like Test-Guide.com. There are four parts to this Postal Exam, they are:
Vocabulary and Reading – This section will test your knowledge of vocabulary and how well you can interpret written passages.
Basic Safety – This section will test your knowledge on basic safety information, such as health hazards and maintenance.
General Cleaning – This section of the Postal Exam will test your knowledge of general cleaning information required of custodians.
Following Written Instructions – This section will test your ability to understand and carry out written instructions.
Postal Exam 944
Postal Automotive Technicians diagnose a wide variety of vehicles in the postal fleet. They tend to troubleshoot and diagnose vehicle operations. To get a job at the post office as an automotive technician you must first had some training in the job field. You should prepare for the 944 postal exam by going on USPS practice exam sites such as Test-Guide.com. The test is straight forward, there are no separate parts – just one test. It is all multiple choice with the only answers being A, B, C, and D.