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Postal Clerks

Certification, Licensing, and Special Requirements

Certification or Licensing

There are no certification or licensing requirements for postal clerks.

Other Requirements

Applicants for postal clerk positions must be citizens of the United States or have permanent alien residence status, and they must be at least 18 years of age.

Applicants for USPS postal clerk positions are given a written examination that measures their speed and accuracy at checking names and numbers and their ability to memorize mail distribution procedures. Because jobs in the post office are becoming increasingly automated, applicants for positions as postal clerks must also pass a machine aptitude test. Information on the testing dates and locations can be found at your local post office.

Those who have scored successfully on the examinations are listed on a register in the order of their scores. When a vacancy occurs, the appointing postal officer chooses one of the top three applicants; the rest of the names remain on the list to be considered for future openings until their eligibility expires, usually two years after the examination date.