The US Postal Service serves the entire US population and its service demands speed, accuracy, and knowledge of postal codes. The state agency employs thousands of workers to work in its various service departments.
Anyone who wants to join the postal service workforce must pass the mandatory Postal Exam. The pass mark set for the Postal Exam is 70 percent but since most candidates achieve that point, you must exceed performance to get a place in the postal service. Many study materials are available online to help you get ready.
The Postal Exam has different sections
Previously called the postal exam 473, the Postal Exam changed its name in 2019 and if you had taken and passed the exam before this period, it is mandatory you take another exam to update your results. Compared to the previous exam, the current Postal exam is harder but you will find it simple if you understand the tricks in each question.
The secret is to have a sneak preview of the exam through the various study resources available online. The exam tests your personality traits and if you would be a fit candidate for the numerous postal tasks. The exam is divided into five main sections.
The Postal Exam has different versions
The new Postal Exam is divided into four versions, each covering a different kind of workforce. When applying for a job at the US postal service, you can apply to work in any of these departments and take the exam that is related to your department.
The Postal Exam assesses the departments of mail courier, customer service, mail handler, and mail processing. Each main version represents several smaller departments under the main department.
For example, the exam for mail processing is done by applicants intending to work as data converters, casual mail processors, employee support, and permanent mail processors. To succeed in any of these exam versions, you must try to pass Wonderlic practice test to get a glimpse of what the real test is like.
The five main sections
Your story section
Every Postal Exam version will have these five different sets of questions. Your story section has a set of 20 questions that investigate your prior work experience and this section takes the shortest time to finish.
You must be very careful when answering questions in this section because the answers must align with the information provided in your resume and any other attachments you include in your application.
You must never give false information about your work experience because it might work against you in the future. To ace this section, look for guides that will help you to tell your story.
Check for errors section
In this section, there will be correct and wrong answers which you must correctly identify. Postal mails are location-sensitive and if a certain mail contains code errors, street, city, or state errors, the mail will keep circulating and probably never reach the intended location.
As a postal worker, you must never allow emails with errors to pass through to the delivery department. This section is crucial and you must perform the best if you want to pass the Postal Exam. Do not hesitate to search for material that will give you questions for practice and have a check for errors questions.
Test for work scenarios section
This section will have seven questions and you will be required to select two answers for each question. One question will be answering the best action you would take and the other answer will be about the least action you would take.
Remember, your answers will not be based on the correct answer but the best and least action based on your judgment. Go for study guides that give you real case scenarios and practice the questions.
Your work approach section
This section is probably the longest and contains 56 questions. You will be tested about your approach to customer questions, complaints, compliments, and transactions. You will also be tested on your approach towards your workmates and supervisors.
You should test the situation presented before you and give an answer that would give you the best approach to the situation. There are a lot of study guides about work-related situations.
Work register section
This section deals with giving the right amount of change to customers and speed is necessary. When answering these questions, try your best to give the least number of coins for each question. You will have seven questions to answer fast and correctly.
