USPS exam is a postal exam to get a job at Post Office and this exam, screens applicants for various posts at the Post Office. The USPS introduced four new assessment exams in 2019 which replaced the old and conventional Postal Exam 473.
There are a series of exams a candidate has to pass to get selected for the next phase. Firstly, the candidate has to fill the application form in which they are asked about different things like personal details, educational qualifications, work experiences, personality, and also, they have to answer certain questions about how they world handle everyday work scenarios. The candidates whose applications are selected are allowed to take an online exam which is followed by an in-person exam that is proctored by proctors.
Is USPS a hard exam to pass?
Since the failure rate of this postal exam is around 80 to 90 percent, these statistics make it a difficult exam to pass. The exam has different stages to pass which makes it tiring and difficult to pass.
Exam to be passed for the USPS:
The exam a candidate gives depends on the post they are applying for, basically, there are four exams for different posts.
City and Rural Carrier Exam 474:
Different positions acquired are:
- Rural Carrier
- City Carrier
- Rural Carrier Assistant
- City Carrier Assistant
- Rural Carrier associate
Mail handler Exam 475:
Different positions acquired are:
- Mail handler
- Casual mail handler
- Assistant mail handler
Clerical Exam 476:
Different positions acquired are:
- Clerks
- Mail Processors
- Casual and PSE Mail Processing Clerk
Associate Exam 477:
Different positions acquired are:
- Sales Service and Distribute Associate
- PSE and Casual Sales Service and Distribute Associate
Time is taken for this exam:
All the exams of USPS have two parts, the first part is the online exam and the second is a person proctored test. The candidates are given a time limit of 72 hours to complete the assessment. They get the test date and end time through mail, and after receiving the mail the time of the candidates starts.
Question Paper Pattern
- City and Rural Carrier Exam 474: there are three sections in the question paper. The first part is a situational judgment test in which the candidate is asked about the working scenarios. It has nine questions and the suggested time is around 7 minutes. The second part is a biodata questionnaire in which the candidate is asked about their story and the number of questions is 20 but suggested timing of two minutes. The last section is a personality test in which the candidate is asked about something related to their personality and their approach towards the work. The number of questions associated with this is 56 with a time frame of 6 minutes.
- Mail handler Exam 475: this exam contains four parts in which the first part asked about working scenarios, the second part deals with the background of the candidate, the third part is a personality test in which the candidate is asked to describe their approach and the last part is checking the errors which is a verifying information test. The number of questions is 9, 22, 79, and 12 respectively. The suggested timings are 11 minutes, 3 minutes, 8 minutes, and two minutes respectively.
- Clerical Exam 476: This exam contains four parts, the first part is a situational judgment test talking about the working scenarios with nine questions, the second part has 22 questions asking for the background story of the candidate, the third part structures 79 questions in which that candidate is questioned, about their personality and the last part is a verifying information test in which the candidate is questioned, to check for errors and the number of questions is 12. Suggested timings are 11 minutes, 3 minutes, 8 minutes, and two minutes respectively.
- Associate Exam 477: This exam has four different parts, the first section has 10 questions dealing with the working situation, the second part has three questions asking about the working experience like work with bills, change, and coins. The third question is about the background story and asks 21 questions and the last part is a personality test having 56 questions. The timeframe allotted to this exam is around 8 minutes, 2 minutes, two minutes, and six minutes respectively.
The candidates who complete the online exam and get a score of about 70 or above, get an invitation to attend the in-person proctored assessment. This proctored assessment test takes around 19 minutes to complete.
Conclusion:
USPS exam is designated as one of the hardest exams to pass, just because the failure rate associated with these exams is high and it sometimes shows the failure rate of 90%. But, some study habits can help the candidate to crack this exam which is being consistent with this study routine and relying on good sources to study. The preparing candidate can take practice tests online, purchase books like postal exam secret study guide, what should video and solve past year question papers.
FAQ’s
- What is the minimum passing score for a postal exam?
The minimum passing score for any postal exam is around 70.
- Can a person re-attempt the exam?
A person can retake the exam only after one year. And if the person passes the exam but does not get hired, then they are required to take the test in two years.