VEA Guide

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USPS Virtual Entry Assessment Candidate Guide Page 1

Virtual Entry Assessment (VEA)

Candidate Guide

What is the Virtual Entry Assessment?

The Virtual Entry Assessment (VEA) is a test that is required for some USPS jobs, including Rural

Carrier Associate, City Carrier Assistant, Mail Handler Assistant, Postal Support Employee (PSE) Mail

Processing Clerk, and PSE Sales and Services/Distribution Associate. Applicants must earn a passing

score on the VEA to be considered for these jobs.

There are four different versions of the VEA, for each of the following job groups.

Exam #

Exam Name

Job Group

474

VIRTUAL ENTRY ASSESSMENT – MC

Mail Carrier

475

VIRTUAL ENTRY ASSESSMENT – MH

Mail Handler

476

VIRTUAL ENTRY ASSESSMENT – MP

Mail Processing

477

VIRTUAL ENTRY ASSESSMENT – CS

Customer Service Clerk

How can you prepare for the Virtual Entry Assessment?

You do not need to study for the VEA. The VEA can be taken online on a computer, laptop, tablet, or

smart phone. When taking the test, make sure you have a good internet connection and a quiet place

with no distractions. It is recommended that you complete the exam in one sitting if possible, but not

required.

What to expect

When you apply for a job that requires the VEA, an email will be sent to you with instructions to take the

test. (Monitor your spam folder, just in case.) From the date and time that the email invitation is sent,

you will have three days (72 hours) to complete the VEA. The VEA generally takes about 30-45

minutes to complete. Start the test as soon as possible after receiving the email invitation. If you apply

to multiple jobs that require the same version of the VEA, you will need to complete the VEA within 72

hours of the first VEA invitation. If you are not able to complete the VEA within 72 hours, then you will

be removed from consideration for that position. However, you will be able to apply to other positions

and take the test in the future.

You must score at least 70% to pass the VEA. If you do not pass the VEA, then you cannot be

considered for the position (or any other positions in that job group) and you will not be able to retake

that version of the VEA for one year. However, you will be able to take other versions of the VEA if you

apply to a position that requires a different version of the VEA.

Note: This Candidate Guide is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this guide represents a promise from

the USPS, and it does not guarantee test results or that a candidate will be considered or hired for a job at USPS.

Note: This Candidate Guide is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this guide represents a promise from

the USPS, and it does not guarantee test results or that a candidate will be considered or hired for a job at USPS.

USPS Virtual Entry Assessment Candidate Guide Page 2

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Virtual Entry Assessment (VEA) Exercises

This guide provides descriptions of the types of exercises included on the VEA. Different

versions of the VEA may contain different exercises; not all exercises are in every

version of the VEA.

• Realistic Job Preview

• Work Situations

• Checking for Accuracy

• What Motivates You

• Tell Us Your Story

• Describe Your Work Style

Realistic Job Preview

The VEA begins with a Realistic Job Preview that provides information about USPS

jobs. This includes what the work is like, daily tasks, and rewards and challenges of the

job. You are encouraged to consider this information when deciding whether the job is

right for you. There are no questions in this section. This is the only section of the VEA

that is not scored.

Note: This Candidate Guide is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this guide represents a promise from

the USPS, and it does not guarantee test results or that a candidate will be considered or hired for a job at USPS.

USPS Virtual Entry Assessment Candidate Guide Page 3

Work Situations

The Work Situations section asks you to react to job-related situations. In this section,

you are presented with job-related situations and four possible responses. For each

situation, you are instructed to pick the answer you are most likely to do and the answer

you are least likely to do.

Checking for Accuracy

The Checking for Accuracy section instructs you to check whether the customer

information on the screen matches USPS records or if there is an error.

Note: This Candidate Guide is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this guide represents a promise from

the USPS, and it does not guarantee test results or that a candidate will be considered or hired for a job at USPS.

USPS Virtual Entry Assessment Candidate Guide Page 4

What Motivates You

The What Motivates You section prompts you to share what drives you to succeed. For

the items in this section, you will be instructed to choose one of two statements that

most closely reflects your job preferences.

Tell Us Your Story

In the Tell Us Your Story section, you will be asked a series of questions about your

work history. If you do not have prior work experience, think of examples from school,

sports, or other activities when answering these questions.

Note: This Candidate Guide is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this guide represents a promise from

the USPS, and it does not guarantee test results or that a candidate will be considered or hired for a job at USPS.

USPS Virtual Entry Assessment Candidate Guide Page 5

Describe Your Work Style

In the Describe Your Work Style section, you will be instructed to choose which of two

statements is more like you.

Reasonable Accommodation

The United States Postal Service provides accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities that

are necessary to enable them to have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process and

to be considered for a job, as required by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Anyone may complete the version of the VEA that is compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation

Act by clicking the accommodation link on the launch page.

If you require additional accommodation for the assessment, email ExamAdmin@usps.gov for further

assistance before your assessment deadline. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodations are

made on a case-by-case basis.

Information about the Postal Service's reasonable accommodation process is available at

http://about.usps.com/publications/pub316.pdf.