Why was the Postal Exam 473e written?
The UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE gauges the skill level and candidates qualifications by using the 473e Exam. The 473e Exam was developed to help ensure only the most qualified applicants are hired. The USPS has a overview of the Postal Exam 473e called the Publication 60-A- Test 473 Orientation Guide.
Their explanation is the bare minimum of what you will encounter when taking the 473e exam. USPS does not offer a full explanation of the 473e exam or practice exams and why would they have a thorough program when that would only defeat the purpose of the exam.
In fact, the USPS frowns upon sites like this because it gives the applicant an unfair advantage in their eyes, rightfully so.
Its no wonder so many FAIL the exam (80% - 90% FAIL). Applicants FAIL the 473e Exam not because a lack of knowledge but the Pressure of time constraints and memory retention. Passing the 473e Postal Exam requires the fortitude, memory skills and the willingness to diligently apply ones-self. Practicing each of the 4 parts on our online exam simulator as many times as you need will give you a leg up over other applicants.
There are 4 Parts to the 473e Exam
Postal Exam 473e 4 section details
PART A ADDRESS CHECKING
ADDRESS CHECKING requires that you compare two addresses to determine if they are the same. You will be looking for errors in the address and the zip code. On the exam, these will be your answer choices: Where “A” means No Errors, “B” means Address Only, “C” means ZIP Code Only and “D” means Both.
Our Gold Membership includes the Postal Jobs Exam 473e study guide which will include much more detailed information to help you. The Address checking part of the exam is not hard but when you have to answer 60 questions in 11 minutes it can be overwhelming to 90% of the candidates. Time constraints can be very frustrating and this can cause confusion which leads to wrong answers. Only way to overcome this is to practice on an online exam simulator before you take the actual exam.
Remember if you FAIL the exam you must wait 120 days (4 months) before you eligible to take it again... Hmm that could be as much as 16, 000 dollars LOST because you thought you could pass without practice. *** DON'T LET THAT BE YOU!! ***
PART B FORMS COMPLETION
In FORMS COMPLETION you will be required to look at Postal forms or forms similar to current Postal forms and answer question about how the forms are filled out or handled.
Starting to get the picture? All of the boxes in these forms will have labels and will be numbered so that you can answer the questions. However, not all questions will be straight forward and if you aren’t at least somewhat familiar with USPS forms, you could get bogged down. You don’t have time for that. Time constraints can be very frustrating and this can cause confusion which leads to wrong answers. Only way to overcome this is to practice on an online exam simulator.
PART C CODING
CODING is the first half of PART C of the exam. It requires you to use a coding guide that consists of three territories, or ranges of addresses, and one catch-all territory, each assigned a code, A-D.
Again, it cannot be emphasized enough how important PRACTICE is for this part of the exam. The more you familiarize yourself with and become comfortable with looking at ranges of addresses, territories if you will, and knowing how to assign what code to which territory, the better you will do on both CODING and MEMORY.
PART C CODING FROM MEMORY
This is very likely the most difficult portion of Exam 473e. Here you will be required to code 36 addresses into their appropriate routes, by memory, in 7 minutes. That gives you roughly 11.6 seconds per problem. You get to first review the guide then without getting to refer back to the guide you must answer the questions as in the coding section. REFER TO THE EXAMPLE GUIDES ABOVE. Remember you will be taking these exams online and clicking to different pages (not in line as this sample).
PART D PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND EXPERIENCE INVENTORY
The PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND EXPERIENCE INVENTORY contains three basic types of questions. The first two apply to your personality and the last to your experiences. Remember, there are no correct or incorrect answers on this part of the exam, only what is right as it relates to you. Be honest on the assessment. The USPS will audit the responses for signs of untruthfulness.
The first type of question is where a statement is made, and you are asked whether you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. An example of this type of question would be:
“I always like to work in teams.”
A. Strongly Agree
B. Agree
C. Disagree
D. Strongly Disagree
The second type of question applies to how often a specific description applies to you. For instance:
“I get upset when we have to work in teams.”
A. Very Often
B. Often
C. Sometimes
D. Rarely/Never
Finally, an experience question might look like this:
“What type of work environment do you like the most?”
A. One where we work in teams.
B. One where we work independently.
C. One where my ideas are actively solicited.
D. One where the supervisor works alongside me.
E. One where the supervisor remains apart.
F. One with a male supervisor
G. One with female supervisor.
Again, there are no winning answers, just what your experience and personality tells you. There won’t be any practice questions on the sample exams for this part of the test because it isn’t anything you can practice.
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- All available 24/7 in your own Student Dashboard
Our comprehensive program is better than just any postal exam book. Easy to follow exam test taking strategies & tips from subject matter experts. As noted the most challenging section of the exam is the memory test. In our eBook Study Guide we have several memorization exercises that you can use at any time over and over to help you exercise your memory skills. We update our material on a continuous basis to support the latest exams currently being used by the United States Postal Service.