The Postal Exam 473 is the most important postal exam that is used for more than 90% jobs in the US. The positions offered include distribution, retail positions, entry-level processing, and delivery. Some of the jobs that are filled after taking this exam are:

• City Carrier Assistant 1 & 2
• Mail Handler Assistant
• PSE Data Conversion Operator
• PSE Mail Processing Clerk
• PSE Post Office Clerk
• PSE Sales, Service, and Distribution Associate
• Rural Carrier Associate

The new electronic postal exams have replaced the old pencil and paper exams. When you are studying for the exams, you should have a look at your preparation tools again because a lot of these guides refer to the old exams.

Learning about the Exam 473E

The exam 473E is taken in two sessions. In the first session, which is the Personal Characteristics & Experience Inventory test, you are given one and a half hours to complete 150 questions. There is no scoring information about this part of the exam.

In the second session, there are three distinct parts that the applicant has to attempt. Let’s have a look at them:

Part A

The first part has sixty questions and the participants are given eleven minutes to compare two addresses with ZIP codes and were given four choices to choose from.

Part B

The second part consists of Forms Completion. The candidates have to answer 30 questions in 15 minutes, which is quite challenging to say the least.

Part C

This consists of coding and memory and is divided into two sections. In the coding section, the candidates have to answer 36 questions in just 6 minutes and have to choose from 4 options, A, B,C, or D. In the memory section, the candidates have to answer 36 questions in just 7 minutes. The candidates are not allowed to view the card and instead have a few minutes to learn the delivery routes and the addresses. The memorization part is by far the hardest one because a lot of people fail in it. If you want to ace this part, you need to come up with good memorization strategies.

Did you know that the Postal exam has a failure rate of over 80%? No wonder so many people find the test difficult to attempt. In order to successfully prepare for the postal exam, it is important that you use a good study guide that is up to date and strategies that will help you out with attempting and acing the exam. Make sure that you practice the exam extensively and have a good speed. Good luck!