Certification or Licensing
Although certification is not required, applicants for USPS mail carrier jobs must take civil service examinations. The written examination is composed of four parts: cross-comparison of addresses, completion of forms, memory and coding, and personal characteristics and experience. The general intelligence part includes questions on simple arithmetic, spelling, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Applicants must also pass a test section that covers reading accuracy, in which they compare addresses arranged in pairs and indicate similarities or differences. They are also tested in their ability to follow instructions in making changes on a mailing scheme and in routing mail.
Other Requirements
Prospective mail carriers may also need to pass a road test to demonstrate their ability to handle vehicles of the type and size that carriers are required to drive under various conditions. These applicants must have a valid driver's license at the time of their test appointment. Private mail carriers must be at least 21 years old.
To apply for a career with the USPS, you must be a U.S. citizen or have permanent alien residence status in the United States, meet the minimum age requirement of 18 years of age (16 years of age for those who have earned their high school diploma early), and pass the civil service exam and road test, if required. Applicants must also take eye and hearing tests.
A great deal of mail is delivered on foot and carried in heavy shoulder sacks, so applicants must also pass rigorous physical examinations to ensure that they are capable of withstanding the strenuous demands of the job. Although wheeled mail carts are being used increasingly in urban areas, which eliminates the need for heavy physical labor, carriers must still be able to stand for long periods and walk considerable distances. Their corrected vision should be within normal limits both for reading and for distance, because they must be able to read names and addresses accurately and are often required to drive postal vehicles.