Preparation for the Postal 460 Exam consists of understanding what is on the exam, how it is scored, and taking as many postal practice exams as you can. 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.
The Postal Exam Battery 460 is broken down into the following categories:
Part A: Address Checking
You will be given 95 addresses to compare in 6 minutes. You will be expected to determine if the addresses are identical in every way or different in any way.
Part B: Memory for Addresses
You will be shown a table with 25 names and addresess divided into 5 columns. You will expected to answer 88 questions in 5 minutes on correctly identifying which column a name/address belongs in.
Part C: Number Series
You will be shown a “number series” and expected to identify which two numbers would come next. You will answer 24 questions in 20 minutes.
Part D: Following Oral Directions
You will be given oral directions and expected to follow the directions by writing in the test book.
A summary of the exam is shown below:
| Exam Section | Time Limit | Questions |
| Part A Address Checking |
6 minutes | 95 Multiple Choice |
| Part B Memory for Addresses |
5 minutes | 88 Multiple Choice |
| Part C Number Series |
20 minutes | 24 Multiple Choice |
| Part D Following Oral Directions |
25 minutes | N/A |
Part A Study Guide
Part A of the exam will test your address checking skills by presenting you with 95 multiple choice questions in 6 minutes. The addresses are presented in two lists: a “Correct List” and a “List to be checked”. The addresses on both lists are either a street address (e.g., 123 Main St.) or a City, State, Zip (e.g., Endicott, NY 13760).
The 95 multiple choice questions will ALWAYS have the same answer choices in the same order:
A. (Alike in Every Way)
D. (Different in Any Way)
Answer A means that both the items are identical
Answer D means that the addresses are different in some way
Scoring
Your score in Part A is the number of questions answered correctly minus the number of the questions you answer incorrectly. So if you answered 75 questions correctly, 12 questions incorrectly and did not answer 8 questions, your score would be 63 (75 points for correct answers – 12 for incorrect answers). The key here is that in Part A, you are penalized for incorrect answers. Your overall strategy is to work as quickly as possible but be accurate. Random guessing is not a good approach!
Part B Study Guide
Part B of the exam will test your ability identify which “box” an address belongs to from a table that has a set of 5 boxes (A,B,C,D,E) each containing 5 addresses/names.
In this section of the exam, you will be given 5 minutes to assign 88 addresses to the correct “box” code. You will use the same address table for all of the questions.
Scoring
Your score for Part B is the number of questions answered correctly minus one-quarter (1/4) of the questions you answer incorrectly. So if you answered 64 questions correctly, 16 questions incorrectly and did not answer 8 questions, your score would be 60 (64 points for correct answers – 16/4 (=4) for incorrect answers). The key here is that in Part B (as in Part A), you are penalized for incorrect answers. Your overall strategy is to work as quickly as possible but be accurate.
Part C Study Guide
Part C of the exam will test your ability to complete number series. You will be shown 24 different “incomplete” number series and asked to identify the next two numbers in the series from 5 different choices. You will have a total of 20 minutes to answer all the questions.
Scoring
Your score in Part C is simply the number of items that you answer correctly. There is NO penalty for guessing. Your overall strategy is to make sure you work quickly and answer every question (even if you have to guess).
Part D Overview
Part D of the exam will attempt to assess your ability to listen to and follow directions. The examiner will read instructions to you. You must then understand the instructions and follow them (by marking in your test book and answer grid). The instructions will NOT be repeated!
Scoring
Your score for Part D is simply the number of questions that you answer correctly. There is NO penalty for guessing – therefore, you should plan on answering every question, even if you have to guess.