The comprehensive postal test-prep guide that delivers through rain, sleet, and snowNow that the U.S. Postal Service has replaced its obsolete 470 test with the updated and more difficult 473 and 473C hiring exams, you need this book more than ever if you want to qualify for employment. It's packed with timed, skill-building drills to help you answer questions faster and more accurately.

Mark Alan Stewart is the author of more than 20 bestselling test-prep guides.

How to Use This Book	p. ix
USPS Jobs and Taking Test 473	p. 1
Working for the U.S. Postal Service in Entry-Level Jobs: Eligibility, Requirements, and Benefits	p. 3
Postal Jobs Requiring Test 473 Scores	p. 3
City Carrier	p. 4
Mail Processing Clerk	p. 4
Mail Handler	p. 5
Sales, Services, and Distribution Associate	p. 5
Jobs Requiring Scores from Other Postal Exams	p. 5
Rural Carrier Associate	p. 6
Data Conversion Operator	p. 6
USPS Employment Eligibility Requirements	p. 6
USPS Compensation and Employment Benefits	p. 7
Health Insurance	p. 7
Social Security and Medicare	p. 7
Retirement Benefits	p. 8
Life Insurance	p. 8
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)	p. 8
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)	p. 8
Vacation and Sick Leave	p. 8
Holidays	p. 8
All About Test 473	p. 9
Format and Description of Test 473	p. 9
Address Checking	p. 10
Forms Completion	p. 10
Coding and Memory	p. 10
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 10
How Test 473 Is Scored	p. 11
Address Checking	p. 11
Forms Completion	p. 11
Coding and Memory	p. 11
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 12
Applying to Take Test 473	p. 12
Vacancy Announcements	p. 12
Postal Exam Telephone Hotline Numbers	p. 12
How to Apply to Take the Exam	p. 13
After You Apply for the Exam-the Scheduling Notice	p. 14
Exam Accommodations for Persons with Qualifying Disabilities	p. 15
The Day of the Exam	p. 15
Testing Procedures and Rules	p. 16
After the Test-Your Rating on the Entrance Register	p. 16
General Test-Taking Strategies	p. 17
Avoid Random Guesswork in Parts A, C, and D	p. 17
Consider Random Guesswork for Part B-but Only If You're Running Out of Time	p. 17
Don't Be Afraid to Mark Up Your Test Booklet	p. 18
Develop a System for Marking Your Answer Sheet	p. 18
Pace Yourself Properly, So That You Have Time to Check Your Answers	p. 18
Content and Lessons	p. 21
Address Checking	p. 23
Types of Errors to Look For	p. 24
Names	p. 25
Numbers	p. 25
Types of Errors Not to Look For	p. 25
Punctuation	p. 25
Capitalization	p. 25
Incorrect ZIP Codes	p. 25
Types of Errors That Are Easily Overlooked	p. 26
Cities-Spelling Errors	p. 26
Street Names That Look or Sound Similar	p. 26
Street Names-Compass Directions	p. 27
Street Names-Is It a "Road" or a "Drive"?	p. 27
Is It "Kansas City, KS" or "Kansas City, MO"?	p. 28
Address-Checking Strategies	p. 28
Check Each Part of Each Address Separately	p. 28
Use Your Fingers to Point to Addresses as You're Checking Them	p. 29
Mark Errors with Your Pencil as You Find Them	p. 29
Mark Your Answer Choices in Groups on the Answer Sheet	p. 29
Pace Yourself So You Have Enough Time to Check Your Answers	p. 30
Address-Checking Practice Drills	p. 30
	p. 30
	p. 32
	p. 34
	p. 37
	p. 40
Answer Sheet	p. 45
	p. 45
	p. 45
Answer Key	p. 46
	p. 46
	p. 46
	p. 46
	p. 47
	p. 47
Forms Completion	p. 49
Three Types of Questions	p. 50
Identifying Information for a Particular Field	p. 50
Identifying the Appropriate Field for a Given Type of Information	p. 51
Identifying the Type of Information and Where to Enter It	p. 52
Strategies for Forms Completion	p. 52
Familiarize Yourself with the Form	p. 52
If a Form Confuses You, Skip It and Come Back to It Later	p. 52
Answer the Questions in the Order Presented	p. 53
Mark Your Answer Choices on Your Answer Sheet in Groups	p. 53
Pace Yourself	p. 53
Forms Completion Practice Drills	p. 53
	p. 54
	p. 56
	p. 58
	p. 60
	p. 62
Answer Sheet	p. 64
Answer Key	p. 65
	p. 65
	p. 65
	p. 65
	p. 65
	p. 65
Coding and Memory	p. 67
Coding Section	p. 67
Memory Section	p. 67
Coding Guide	p. 68
Test Items Based on Sample Coding Guide	p. 69
Strategies for the Coding Section of Part C	p. 70
Code All Addresses for Each Street Name Separately; Start with the Street Names Appearing Only Once in the Coding Guide	p. 70
Code the Addresses in Your Test Booklet First	p. 72
Pace Yourself So That You Have Enough Time to Check Your Scored Answers	p. 72
Strategies for the Memory Section of Part C	p. 72
Reorganize the Coding Guide in a Way That's Easy to Memorize	p. 72
Use Memory Techniques Such as Association to Help Fix Street Ranges in Your Mind	p. 73
After Each Study Period, Immediately Jot Down the Address Ranges in Your Test Booklet	p. 74
As You Code from Memory, Apply the Same Coding Strategies as for the Coding Section	p. 75
Coding and Memory Practice Drills	p. 75
	p. 76
	p. 79
	p. 82
	p. 85
Coding and Memory	p. 88
Answer Sheet	p. 101
Answer Key	p. 104
	p. 104
	p. 104
	p. 104
	p. 105
	p. 105
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 107
Personal Characteristics	p. 107
Agree/Disagree Questions	p. 107
Frequency Questions	p. 108
Experience	p. 109
Strategies for Completing Part D Inventory	p. 109
Never Choose More Than One Lettered Choice for Any Question	p. 109
Respond to the Questions in Part D Based on Your Experiences in a Job or Other Work Setting, if Possible	p. 110
Read Each Statement Very Carefully Before Responding to It	p. 110
Respond to All Questions in Part D as Honestly as Possible	p. 110
Work Through Part D at a Reasonably Quick Pace	p. 110
Mark Your Responses on the Answer Sheet in Groups	p. 111
There's No Need to Practice for Part D of the Test	p. 111
Practice Tests	p. 113
Practice Test 1	p. 115
Address Checking	p. 115
Forms Completion	p. 120
Coding and Memory	p. 130
Coding Section	p. 131
Memory Section	p. 136
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 143
Answer Sheet	p. 144
Address Checking	p. 145
Forms Completion	p. 145
Coding and Memory	p. 146
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 146
Answer Key	p. 147
Address Checking	p. 147
Forms Completion	p. 147
Coding and Memory	p. 148
Practice Test 2	p. 149
Address Checking	p. 149
Forms Completion	p. 154
Coding and Memory	p. 164
Coding Section	p. 165
Memory Section	p. 170
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 177
Answer Sheet	p. 178
Address Checking	p. 179
Forms Completion	p. 179
Coding and Memory	p. 180
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 180
Answer Key	p. 181
Address Checking	p. 181
Forms Completion	p. 181
Coding and Memory	p. 182
Practice Test 3	p. 183
Address Checking	p. 183
Forms Completion	p. 189
Coding and Memory	p. 200
Coding Section	p. 201
Memory Section	p. 206
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 213
Answer Sheet	p. 214
Address Checking	p. 215
Forms Completion	p. 215
Coding and Memory	p. 216
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 216
Answer Key	p. 217
Address Checking	p. 217
Forms Completion	p. 217
Coding and Memory	p. 218
Practice Test 4	p. 219
Address Checking	p. 219
Forms Completion	p. 224
Coding and Memory	p. 234
Coding Section	p. 235
Memory Section	p. 240
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 247
Answer Sheet	p. 248
Address Checking	p. 249
Forms Completion	p. 249
Coding and Memory	p. 250
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 250
Answer Key	p. 251
Address Checking	p. 251
Forms Completion	p. 251
Coding and Memory	p. 252
Practice Test 5	p. 253
Address Checking	p. 253
Forms Completion	p. 258
Coding and Memory	p. 268
Coding Section	p. 269
Memory Section	p. 274
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 281
Answer Sheet	p. 282
Address Checking	p. 283
Forms Completion	p. 283
Coding and Memory	p. 284
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 284
Answer Key	p. 285
Address Checking	p. 285
Forms Completion	p. 285
Coding and Memory	p. 286
Practice Test 6	p. 287
Address Checking	p. 287
Forms Completion	p. 292
Coding and Memory	p. 302
Coding Section	p. 303
Memory Section	p. 308
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 315
Answer Sheet	p. 316
Address Checking	p. 317
Forms Completion	p. 317
Coding and Memory	p. 318
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 318
Answer Key	p. 319
Address Checking	p. 319
Forms Completion	p. 319
Coding and Memory	p. 320
Practice Test 7	p. 321
Address Checking	p. 321
Forms Completion	p. 326
Coding and Memory	p. 336
Coding Section	p. 337
Memory Section	p. 342
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 349
Answer Sheet	p. 350
Address Checking	p. 351
Forms Completion	p. 351
Coding and Memory	p. 352
Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory	p. 352
Answer Key	p. 353
Address Checking	p. 353
Forms Completion	p. 353
Coding and Memory	p. 354
USPS Hotline Numbers	p. 355
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