473 Postal Exam

Government Expansion

The federal sector is still hiring nationwide and overseas. The Affordable Health Care Act includes over 100 new regulatory agencies and commissions and more federal regulators will be needed to administer new EPA and OSHA regulations and to manage the many other federal programs that have been expanded over the past 5 years. The federal government now owns all of Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac plus they took over 100% of the student loan program. There will be bumps along the way and many agencies may experience some downsizing to address budget shortfalls.

There is considerable competition for anyone seeking federal employment and those interested in working for Uncle Sam must develop a professional federal style resume and application to remain competitive and start the process early to improve their chances of success.

473 Postal Exams / Post Office Jobs / Postal Clerks / Government Jobs

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Positions Requiring Written Examinations

The Postal Service uses the entrance exam titled Test 473 for Major Entry-Level Jobs. The exam is also referred to as the 473 Battery Exam. This new exam replaced the 470 Battery Exam and covers:

Comprehensive practice exams are available in the 5th edition of Post Office Jobs to prepare for the forms checking, address checking, memory and coding Parts A through C of the new exam. Several 473 Exam Sample Questions are available online at www.postalwork.net. Part D is related to your personal work experience and unique characteristics. For example you will be asked your likes and dislikes, whether you have experience in certain areas. You really can't prepare for Part D, it's your personal profile and if you answer the questions honestly the Postal Service will be able to identify the job that is best suited to your characteristics. Check out the step-by-step guide to the finding jobs on the official Postal Service web site after you study for the exam.

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To apply for postal positions use our instructional guide and then click on the link at the end of the guide to go direct to the Postal Services' official online employment site. You can also look for openings at your local Post Office, Management Sectional Center (MSC), General Mail Facilities or a Customer Service District Office in your area. Job opportunities are also advertised at local post offices, in national and local newspapers, journals and periodicals.

A passing score of 70 percent or better on an exam will place the applicant's name on an eligible register for that job vacancy and you can use the same test and application information to apply for multiple jobs. To improve your 473 exam score and for complete information on this process pick up a copy of the 5th edition of Post Office Jobs.

Positions That Don’t Require a Written Exam

Vacancies in these positions — generally professional and administrative — are announced (advertised) first within the Postal Service. Postal employees who have the knowledge, education, credentials, and skills may apply for these openings. If there aren’t any qualified internal applicants (called bidders in the federal sector), then the postal service will advertise the vacancies to the general public and accept resumes and applications for rating. All applicants must pass an entrance examination and/or an evaluation process to be placed on a register in numerical score order. Corporate positions that don’t require entrance exams are covered in Appendix B. Also visit http://postalwork.net/corporate_jobs.htm for helpful information on non-tested job opportunities.

It is generally recommended that job applicants seeking entry level professional and administrative positions take the 470 Battery Exam to get their foot in the door. Once hired, as vacancies open in their specialty such as accounting, budget, and engineering, they will have first crack at the jobs through internal Postal Service job announcements. You can view the diverse lists of job advertisements online, click on http://postalwork.net for direct links to key USPS employment sites. There are lists of jobs reserved for current federal employees only. Once you get your foot in the door you can bid on these restricted announcements and the experience that you will gain from the entry level position will help you to better understand the postal system.

Realistically, many professional jobs won’t be filled internally. Few postal clerks and non professional employees will have law degrees, engineering credentials, or doctorates for example. Review the list of more than 2,000 job classifications in Chapter Ten of Post Office Jobs to see the scope of available jobs. This list also includes the total number employed and the pay for that occupation.

These post office jobs will generally be advertised in local papers and on the USPS web site. You should also contact local (CSSD) Customer Service & Sales District personnel offices listed in Chapter Four to identify upcoming job vacancies for your specialty. You can also call your local CSSD office to check on the status of your application or to follow up on interviews.

You will be rated on a point system (maximum of 100 points) even without a written test. Therefore, your resume and Application For Employment (PS Form 2591) must be thoroughly completed and include all key information such as degrees, training, credentials, and detailed work experience. Only the top three candidates will generally be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Also, explore and apply for all job vacancies in the government and private sectors to improve you chance of employment. You can post your resume online at no cost to expand your job search.

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