Most of what you will read online about the Postal Exam 474 is guesswork. This guide sticks to what USPS and the USPS Office of Inspector General actually publish - and tells you honestly where no official answer exists.
The basics
- The Virtual Entry Assessment MC (474) is the online screening assessment for mail carrier positions: City Carrier, Rural Carrier, City Carrier Assistant (CCA), and Rural Carrier Associate (RCA).
- It is taken online and unproctored, on a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
- It generally takes about 30-45 minutes. USPS recommends completing it in one sitting, but that is not required.
- It is free, and both the application and the assessment happen online.
The 72-hour window
After you apply, USPS emails you an invitation (check your spam folder). From the moment that email is sent, you have 72 hours to complete the assessment. Miss the window and you are removed from consideration for that posting - though you can apply to future postings. If you apply to several jobs requiring the 474, one completion within 72 hours of the first invitation covers them.
Scoring: 70% and the one-year rule
- You need 70% to pass. Results are reported as eligible or ineligible in your online testing account.
- Passing scores rank you on the hiring list together with any veterans’ preference points. Your application then stays active for conditional offers for 90 days.
- If you fail, you cannot retake the 474 for one full year - and you are out of consideration for every job in the mail carrier group for that time. This is the single most important fact about the exam, and the reason practicing the format before your real attempt matters.
- A passing result stays valid for about two years and is automatically applied to future applications requiring the same exam.
What USPS does not publish
USPS does not publish the number of questions, per-section time limits, section weighting, or pass rates. Any site quoting exact question counts is guessing - different prep companies quote different numbers, and none of them cite a source. Our practice tests are sized to match the official 30-45 minute duration instead.
Official sources
- USPS Virtual Entry Assessment Candidate Guide (PDF)
- USPS Careers: Postal exams
- USPS OIG Audit: Postal Service Hiring Practices (2024)
Last updated October 2026