Frequently asked questions

No. PostalPath is an independent company. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by USPS, and we can't influence hiring. Applying for USPS jobs is free at usps.com. What we sell is preparation and guidance.

It depends on the job: Exam 474 for mail carrier jobs (CCA, RCA, ARC), 475 for Mail Handler Assistant, 476 for PSE Mail Processing Clerk, and 477 for PSE Sales & Services / Distribution Associate. The posting (or your invitation) names the exact assessment; this list is a starting point, not an official determination.

Depending on the job, you'll either start the online Virtual Entry Assessment as part of your application or get an email invitation from the official testing vendor. If you get an invitation, you have 72 hours from when it's sent (not when you open it). It takes roughly 30–45 minutes on a computer, tablet or phone.

70 is the minimum passing score, but passing doesn't guarantee selection. Many postings refer the highest-ranked candidates or use a cut-off above 70, so aim well above the minimum. We suggest practicing until you score 85+ on PostalPath practice tests, which is our practice target, not an official score.

For the 474–477 Virtual Entry Assessments, you may have to wait up to a year before you can take the same exam again. You can still take the other exams if you apply for different job types. Other exams, like 955, have their own retest rules.

No. A valid score carries over to later postings that use the same exam until the expiration date on your results; apply after it expires and you'll take the exam again. Official postings say they invite "applicants who do not yet have an exam score" to test, so if you already have a score for that exam, it's used for the new posting.

New postings are usually added on Fridays and stay open through Wednesday. Some close sooner, so apply the day you see one. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Central time on the closing date. Exam invitations also stop once enough people have applied, so apply the day a posting opens.

Most entry (pre-career) jobs no longer interview. Motor vehicle and tractor-trailer operator jobs, maintenance and custodial jobs, and many career jobs still do. If yours does, the posting or invitation will say so. PostalPath includes interview prep for those.

They use different exams: Exam 955 for maintenance jobs such as Maintenance Mechanic (replacement exams have been announced; no start date yet) and Exam 960 for custodian jobs (named on 2026 postings; the official exams page still lists the older Exam 916). Always follow the exam named in your posting. Custodian jobs are restricted to applicants with veterans' preference, and others are considered only when no preference-eligible applicants are available. PostalPath includes a guide for each exam.

Lifetime access to the complete postal hiring and exam-preparation system: a timed exam simulator for all six exams we cover (474, 475, 476, 477, 955 and 960), a work-style review, your six-step PostalPath Roadmap, a step-by-step walkthrough of the official postal application site, weekly job reminders by email, and 16 downloadable guides (2026 edition), with more guides being added.

No. PostalPath Complete is a one-time payment of $67 for lifetime access. No recurring charges.

Use everything inside. Take your exam. If you don't feel it was worth it — pass or not — email us within 60 days and we'll refund every penny. No questions, no proof required.

If you buy PostalPath and later get hired for a postal job, send us a photo with your offer letter or in uniform and we'll send you a $100 gift card.

No. PostalPath practice questions are original and written to build the same skills. They are not real, official, or leaked USPS questions, and PostalPath practice is not an exact copy of the official assessment.