USPS job postings throw around four exam numbers - 474, 475, 476, 477 - and the internet mostly answers with guesswork. Here's the actual system, straight from the official Candidate Guide and a 2024 federal audit: the Virtual Entry Assessment (VEA) is one testing program with four versions, one per job family. You don't choose your exam. Your job chooses it for you.
Which exam goes with which job
- 474 (VEA MC - Mail Carrier): City Carrier, Rural Carrier, City Carrier Assistant (CCA), Rural Carrier Associate (RCA). The delivery jobs. Practice tests here.
- 475 (VEA MH - Mail Handler): Mail Handler and Mail Handler Assistant. Dock and plant work: loading, lifting, moving mail. Practice tests here.
- 476 (VEA MP - Mail Processing): Mail Processing Clerk and PSE Mail Processing Clerk. Running automated sorting equipment. Practice tests here.
- 477 (VEA CS - Customer Service): Sales and Services Associate and PSE Sales and Services Distribution Associate. The retail counter. Practice tests here.
Every posting lists its required exam, and per the USPS exams page you're either guided into it during the application or emailed a link by the testing vendor. Check your spam folder - the 72-hour clock starts when the invitation is sent, not when you find it.
What's actually on each version
All four share a core, and this is where most prep sites get fuzzy. The USPS Inspector General's audit published the only official section-by-version mapping:
- Every version: a Realistic Job Preview (a video about the job - required watching, but never scored), plus three scored sections: Work Scenarios, Tell Us Your Story, and Describe Your Approach.
- 475 and 476 add Check for Errors: does the customer record on screen match the reference record? Pure attention to detail, and the one genuinely drillable skill in the whole program.
- 477 adds Work Your Register: retail register work, unique to the customer service exam.
- 474 adds nothing: the mail carrier version is the shortest list - judgment and work history only. No checking section, no register, and despite what prep-site ads imply, no math and no reading comprehension on any version.
The rules that apply to all four
- Online and unproctored. Computer, tablet, or phone. 30-45 minutes typically. One sitting recommended, not required.
- 72 hours from invitation email to done. Miss it and you're out for that posting (though you can apply again later). Our 72-hour game plan covers how to use that window well.
- 70% passes. You're told "eligible" or "ineligible", then ranked against other applicants - details in scores explained.
- Fail one and you're locked out of that version for one year. Not all four - just that one. Which brings us to the loophole that isn't really a loophole.
The one-year rule has a side door
The lockout is per version. Fail the 474 and the official sources all agree: you can take the 475, 476, or 477 immediately by applying to a job in a different group. A year off from delivery jobs doesn't have to mean a year off from USPS - mail handler, processing, and retail postings stay open to you. (And if that's your situation right now, read what to do after failing the 474.)
The flip side: a pass is also per version, valid for about two years, and reused automatically by every posting that needs the same exam. Pass the 474 once and every carrier posting you apply to within that window rides on it. That's why your one attempt deserves real preparation - it's not one job application, it's two years of them.
Quick answers
Is the VEA the same as the old Postal Exam 473?
No. The VEA replaced Exam 473 in April 2019. The 473 era of proctored test centers and memory sections is over; advice about it is describing a test that no longer exists.
Can I take all four VEAs?
Yes, by applying to jobs in different groups. Each version has its own independent result, its own pass, and its own one-year lockout if failed.
Which VEA is easiest?
USPS publishes no pass rates for any version, so nobody honestly knows. The 474 has the fewest scored sections; 475 and 476 add an accuracy section that rewards practice; 477 adds register work. "Easiest" mostly means "the one whose job you actually want".
Do I pick which version to take?
No. The job posting determines the exam. Pick the job first; the exam follows.
Last updated October 2026