USPS Practice Test 474-477: Free Postal Exam Questions and Answers 2023

1. Read the following description and choose what will you most and least likely do:

You are doing a big task that is urgent. One of your colleagues proposes a work method that will shorten the time, but you think it may be unsafe.

1. Don’t change your method since it might be unsafe. Inform your supervisor if you see that you'll have a delay with finishing the task.
2. Share your thoughts with the colleague and explain why you think it might be unsafe. Make sure she doesn’t endanger herself.
3. Give the colleague's idea a try, but resume with your previous method if it seems unsafe.
4. Consult with your supervisor. He may have an idea of how to do the job safely.

Answer: 

Most likely: C
Least likely: A

There are two contradicting values in this question: meeting deadlines and working safely. Safety should always be your top priority; however, in the presented situation, you are not 100% sure that the suggested method is unsafe, and therefore it is something you should probe.

Let’s review each answer separately.

Option A: This response is careful, maybe even too careful. It shows that you are not flexible and cannot adjust to situations like those in which you must deal with a lot of work quickly. In such a situation, fixation might harm your performance, while being open to new ideas can progress you.

Option B: This response is very caring and careful, but it does not help you achieve your goal of completing the task.

Option C: This response is both flexible and careful. Before trying your colleague's idea, you only think that it might be unsafe, but you don’t know for sure. Trying it sounds like a perfect solution – if it turns out to be unsafe, you won't use it, but if it turns out to be just fine, you will be able to complete the big task much faster. This kind of behavior shows you are open to change and have a flexible working style. In addition, it shows your judgment skills, as you are only testing the idea to judge it yourself later.

Option D: This response is also active but currently irrelevant. You are expected to use your own judgment and critical thinking. Besides, you already have two possible methods, so it is more reasonable to choose one and not waste more expensive time consulting.

2. Read the following description and choose what will you most and least likely do:

It’s one of the busiest days of the month in the office, and the list of tasks only gets longer.

1. Counsel with a colleague known for his efficacy in time and ask for productivity tips.
2. Define which tasks are the most important ones and focus on doing them first.
3. Immediately inform your supervisor that you will not meet all of your goals since the workload is extremely high.
4. Keep doing your best and most efficient work, but acknowledge that not everything will be done today, and some work will be completed tomorrow.

Answer: 

Most likely: B
Least likely: C

This question is designed to measure your ability to handle a high workload and your prioritization skills. Having a busy day requires you to organize the upcoming tasks from most important and urgent to least. Not doing so means that you lack the ability to prioritize or separate the wheat from the chaff.

Let’s review each answer separately.

Option A: This option is very proactive – you try to come up with solutions that may enable you to increase the number of tasks that you will complete today. However, you don’t show any prioritization skills.

Option B: In this response, you act with self-control and restraint and do not get nervous because of the high workload. Additionally, you show prioritization skills by starting with the most important tasks. This is a professional behavior, and therefore this option is considered as "most likely".

Option C: In this response, you get stressed very easily and allow the stress to manage you. It’s true that if you can not complete your tasks, you should inform the supervisor, but not right away. Take a moment to come up with creative solutions for the situation before surrendering to the current situation.

Option D: Although doing your best and making a big effort, you take a passive approach since you are not trying to come up with a solution as those presented in options A and B. The unusual situation requires you to adopt a new strategy, but instead, you stay naïve and accept the situation as it is.

Work Scenario questions evaluate the quality of the decisions you make when dealing with other postal office employees or USPS customer service complaints and problems.

Practice will help you learn how to correctly classify the type of decision you’re facing, the type of competencies measured by the question, and identify the answer option that best represents these competencies.

Our all-inclusive USPS Preparation Course offers hundreds of Work-Scenario practice questions. You'll find detailed answers, feedback, and guidance to help you select responses that align with the expected behaviors for your position.

1. Determine whether each row matches or has an error in the Printed ID column – compare to the Original ID.

Answer:

Although they look easy at first glance, Check for Errors questions can catch you unprepared if they are asked during a time when you lack focus or concentration (for example at the end of an exam).

Without focus, you might overlook important information or omit crucial details, leading to an incomplete or inaccurate response.

Your chances of being accepted for a role that requires those types of skills may be seriously affected by these mistakes.

Practice reduces your reliance on focus by exposing you to a variety of scenarios, helping you recognize patterns and common pitfalls as well as learning the best strategies for quickly and accurately identifying the correct answer.

1.  I'd like to work where...

1. I am solely responsible for my own outcomes, not those of others.
2. To complete tasks and goals, I often collaborate with others.

Answer: 

I am solely responsible for my own outcomes, not those of others – ACCOUNTABILITY
To complete tasks and goals, I often collaborate with others - TEAMWORK
One of USPS's core values is TEAMWORK. This should be your immediate choice. The other option proves your ACCOUNTABILITY and indicates that you prefer independent work.

2. I'd like to work where...

1. Every day, I take part in many different positions.
2. I have a clear set of responsibilities that I follow.

Answer:

Every day, I take part in many different positions. - VERSATILITY

I have a clear set of responsibilities that I follow. - INFLEXIBILITY

VERSATILITY and FLEXIBILITY are both values that USPS appreciates. This question is an easy one – one statement expresses VERSATILITY and the other expresses INFLEXIBILITY. Therefore, the VERSATILITY statement is the preferred choice.

As you might have noticed the questions in this section look like questions that don’t require any preparation. It seems like your choice is between two sentences that reflect something positive about your personality and it is very hard to distinguish between them without understanding the values they represent. A lack of practice will put you in a place where your answers are arbitrary.

By Practicing you’ll easily identify the core values behind the sentences and evaluate which of them is more appropriate for the role you're pursuing and USPS values.

You can find a comprehensive USPS What Drives You guide and practice test in our All-Inclusive USPS PrepPack.

1. Use the fewest number of bills and coins possible to make the exact change.

Total Amount: $27.65
Amount Paid: $50
Change Due: $22.35
 

Answer

The correct answer is 1($20) 0($10) 0($5) 2($1) 1($0.25) 1($0.10) 0($0.05) 0($0.01)
The smallest number of coins needed to reach the correct change of $22.45 is adding one $20 bill and two $1 bills to reach $2. Add to this one quarter ($0.25) and one dime ($0.10) to reach the correct total of $22.45.
$20 × 1 + $1 × 2 + $0.25 × 1 + $0.10 × 1 = $22.35

2. Use the fewest number of bills and coins possible to make the exact change.

Total Amount: $28.22
Amount Paid: $170.71
Change Due: $142.49

Screenshot - JobTestPrep All-inclusive USPS preparation.

Answer

The correct answer is 7($20) 0($10) 0($5) 2($1) 1($0.25) 2($0.10) 0($0.05) 4($0.01)
The smallest number of coins needed to reach the correct change of $142.49 is adding seven $20 bills, and two $2 bills to reach $142. Add to this one quarter ($0.25) and two 10 cents($0.10) and four 1 cents($0.01) to reach the correct total of $142.49

1. 

2.

This section is meant to analyze specific traits and compare them to a professional profile preferred by USPS. While it is recommended to answer honestly, understanding the questions, the traits measured, and the overall score can help you increase your chances of succeeding.

One of the main sticking points in this section is answering questions that you feel both represent you equally or not at all. When such a situation arises (As seen in question 2) the best course of action is to choose the ‘somewhat like’ answer and not go to the extremes.

For more practice and tips on how to answer ‘describe your approach’ questions. See our All-Inclusive USPS PrepPack

1. If you were a manager, after how many times an employee missed work (per year) would you deliver a warning?

1. This shouldn't happen at all
2. 1-2
3. 3-4
4. 5-7
5. 8-10
6. 11-15
7. More than 15

Answer:

The preferred answers are (A) This shouldn’t happen at all or (B) 1–2, since they portray you as a serious employee who arrives every day at work.

This question indirectly measures your diligence and seriousness regarding your job. The question uses a technique that leads you to think like a manager, but it actually measures you: After how many times you miss work without informing your manager would you be fine with being warned?

People tend not to like being warned, meaning that they may often choose answers that enable them to miss work without notifying a manager. However, this means that they tend to skip work sometimes without notification.

Choosing answers A or B indicates that you don’t tend to miss work without informing your manager; therefore, you would understand if they warned you after only a few missed work days.

Answer A might be placating and radical, therefore we recommend choosing it if you haven’t chosen too many placating answers already.

2. Think of your future at USPS. For how long do you wish to work here?

A. Up to 6 months.
B. 6 months to 1 year.
C. 1 to 2 years.
D. 2 to 5 years.
E. 5 to 10 years.
F. More than 10 years.

Answer: 

The preferred answers are C, 1 to 2 years, D, 2 to 5 years, and E, 5 to 10 years.

This question measures your diligence and seriousness regarding your job. As an employee, the company invests money, time, and effort into training you to do the job the best you can.

Therefore, they wish to keep their employees for the long term and reduce the likelihood of unexpected turnover.
Choosing answers, A and B show that you are not serious enough about the job. On the other hand, answer F is too placating, and it is also difficult to forecast what will happen within 10 years.

On the actual test, your answers to all questions are measured compared to each other and other candidates. When answering the Tell Us Your Story section, think about how you see yourself in a USPS position, and what would USPS like to see in their candidates. Once you choose an answer, you will automatically advance; so, choose your answer carefully.

Remember to answer each question in relation to the position you're applying for. If needed, recall past events that occurred to you in your previous workplaces. Each position in USPS may have slightly different questions – as well as different answers to each question. i.e., questions regarding customer service should require more strict answers for USPS 474 or USPS 477, which are more customer oriented.

Practice a full Tell Us Your Story and read detailed guides for each specific position in our USPS All-Inclusive Preparation.

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1. USPS practice tests simulating the real exam.
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