If you are wondering what the Post Office Assessment Test is or if you need to take it to apply for a postal service job, this is the article for you. You can find the question pattern, what it covers, what is a good score, and what you need to know to achieve that score here. Let us see what is a good score on the Post Office Assessment Test.
What Is A Good Score On The Post Office Assessment Test?
You have to score 70 or above to pass the exam. But you should score way better to get the job as there is rigorous competition. So, aim for scoring above 85 or 90% which is considered a good score on the post office assessment test.
USPS Test:
The test conducted by United States Postal Service (USPS) is known as the Post Office Assessment Test. The USPS conducts four exams for different roles in mail handling, carrier, and customer services. The exams are known as Virtual Entry Assessments (VEA) and are categorized in 474, 475, and 476,477 depending on the roles.
Postal Exam 474
This exam is also called the Mail Carrier VEA exam. It is conducted for hiring individuals for the role of City Carrier, Rural Carrier, City Carrier Assistant, Rural Carrier Assistant, Rural Carrier Associate, etc.
Postal Exam 475
This exam is also known as the Mail Handler VEA exam. It is for all mail handler or mail handler assistant jobs.
Postal Exam 476
This exam is the screening test for posts like Mail Processing Clerkship and Data Conversion Operators.
Postal Exam 477
This exam is also called the Customer Service VEA exam and is used to fill all Customer Service jobs.
A Good Score On The VEA Tests
All four postal exams are assessment exams that will assess your performance in some situations. All are computer-based exams where you have to answer many MCQ-type questions within a fixed time.
The passing score for all of the exams is 70%. But a good score which will ascertain your job is much higher in it. You need to score at least 85-90% which is a good score. And with the number of applicants increasing every day, the range of the good score is also increasing. There is no interview phase and for the type of questions, it is fairly hard to score much higher. But if you are preparing for a long time, you can score well in this exam.
Hiring Process:
There is no fixed hiring process or time. The date of document verification can fall within a few days to a year from the result date.
The exam takes place within 72 hours of submission of the application. And as soon as your answers are evaluated, you will get your status from them via mail. If you get an ineligible status then it means you have failed to score 70% marks and you can’t appear in the exam for the next 12 months.
If you score 70% or better, you will get a valid score card with your marks. And then your name will be entered in a score-based ‘Hiring Register.’ Now, depending on their intake capacity, they will contact the list of highest scorers.
Keep in mind that if you score marginally better than 70%, there is a higher chance of not getting called as people with better may already be hired and no vacancy is available.
Preparing For The Post Office Assessment Test:
The questions in the four exams are divided into multiple sections. These include Biodata Questionnaire (Tell Us Your Story), Check for Errors, Help Your Customers, Motivation Questionnaire (What Drives You), Move the Mail, Personality Test (Describe Your Approach), Situational Judgment Test (Work Scenarios), Verify Customer Information, Work Your Register, etc.
All questions are of multiple choices and you have to select the best possible option. The questions will be from all sections. Like
- In “Check the error” you might be asked to spot the differences between the original ID and Computer ID.
- Then in the personality test, you will be given a scenario and you have to answer with what you will do in that situation to solve the issue.
- In Motivation Questionnaire, you may be asked about your personal experience with the mail system in the US and what drove you to appear in the exam.
Conclusion
To ace the Post Office Assessment Test and get selected for this job, it’s highly recommended to practice with different types of question papers available online. You can download the previous year’s test papers from the post office website. Start preparing early so you can familiarize yourself with the question pattern and the questions asked.
FAQ
- What is the highest possible score on the Post Office Assessment Test?
You need to score a minimum of 70 to pass the test. And the highest score that can be obtained is 100.
- Is the success rate of applicants in the VEA Test high on their first try?
Actually no. According to the reports released by USPS, 80 to 90% of applicants fail to score 70+ in the exam on their first try.
- Do I need to take any other test once I pass the Post Office Assessment Test to get the job?
Generally, people are hired based on their scores in the VEA exam. But some posts may perform a second assessment like a drug test, criminal record checking, and physical test.
