- USPS 955 is the number of the Postal Service's Maintenance Selection System entrance exam under Handbook EL-304.
- It has exactly two parts: Multicraft (60 items, 60 minutes) and Spatial Relations (68 items, 40 minutes).
- A score of 70 or higher, before Veterans' Preference points, is required to be considered for any position.
- USPS never charges a fee for this exam - any request for payment is a scam.
What "USPS 955" Literally Refers To
USPS 955 is not a certification you earn from a private company, a course code, or a badge you print out after watching a webinar. It is the exam number the United States Postal Service assigns to its Maintenance Selection System entrance test, governed by Handbook EL-304. When someone in a mailroom or a hiring thread says "I passed my 955," they mean they sat for this specific, USPS-administered exam and received a qualifying score on their Notice of Results.
The number itself is simply USPS's internal exam identifier - the same way other postal exams have their own three-digit codes. What makes 955 distinct is what it measures: mechanical aptitude, electrical theory, and spatial reasoning skills tied directly to the maintenance craft. If you want the fuller definitional breakdown, our companion pieces on What Is USPS 955? and USPS 955 Meaning go deeper into the exam's origin and purpose.
Why It Gets Confused With Other Credentials
Search for "USPS 955" online and you may run into content describing an entirely different credential that happens to share the same three digits. This is a real problem for candidates: mixing up domain weights, fee structures, or exam formats from an unrelated program can lead you to prepare for the wrong test. If a source cites a "Personal Characteristics and Experience Inventory" section as part of 955, that's a leftover description from the retired Exam 473 - not this exam. Exam 955 has no such component. For a clean, source-checked explanation of the acronym itself, see What Does USPS 955 Stand For? and What Is A USPS 955?.
The Two Parts Behind the Name
Understanding what USPS 955 "means" requires understanding what it actually tests. The official USPS Assessment Information Package defines exactly two parts, together running roughly two hours:
Part 1: Multicraft
60 items in 60 minutes, assessing mechanical and electrical job skills relevant to postal maintenance work.
- AC/DC theory and power distribution concepts
- Motors, control circuits, and print reading
- Digital electronics, power supplies, and test instruments
- Hydraulics, pneumatics, pumps, piping, and combustion basics
- Power transmission, lubrication, and mechanical maintenance
- Welding and rigging fundamentals
Part 2: Spatial Relations
68 items in 40 minutes, split into two distinct question styles.
- Matching Parts and Figures: choosing which figure shows how loose pieces fit together without gaps or overlap
- Spatial Visualization: deciding which solid object would produce the given top, front, and right views
These two parts map onto the nine content domains USPS 955 candidates need to master. A full breakdown of each domain, with study priorities for every one, lives in our USPS 955 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 9 Content Areas guide.
| Exam Section | Items | Time | Domains Covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multicraft | 60 | 60 minutes | Domains 1-7 |
| Spatial Relations | 68 | 40 minutes | Domains 8-9 |
Content across both parts is drawn from 21 technical fields covering roughly 131 topics, blending hands-on craft knowledge with the underlying scientific theory behind it. USPS reports your strength in each content area only as High, Average, or Low - there is no published percentage weighting per topic, so no study plan should claim otherwise.
Who Actually Takes Exam 955
The name "USPS 955" is tied to a specific hiring pathway. It's open to external entrance applicants and to current employees during the Maintenance Craft in-service open season - no formal education prerequisites are required to sit for it. Positions filled through this Maintenance Selection System include:
- Electronic Technician (PS-10 and PS-11)
- Maintenance Mechanic, MPE
- Area Maintenance Specialist
- Building Equipment Mechanic
- Maintenance Electrician
- Machinist
- Carpenter
- Mason
- Plumber
- Painter
- Blacksmith-Welder
- Letter Box Mechanic
- Building Maintenance Custodian
If you're weighing whether one of these roles fits your background, the USPS 955 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify article walks through eligibility in detail, and USPS 955 Jobs covers the positions themselves.
What a "955 Score" Means for Your Career
Because there's no partial credential here - you either qualify or you don't - the number attached to your Notice of Results carries real weight. A minimum score of 70, excluding Veterans' Preference points, is required to be considered for any position applied for. Eligible ratings run from 70 to 100. Veterans' Preference points are added only to scores that already pass; they cannot turn a failing result into eligibility.
Key Takeaway
Your numeric score isn't a badge to display - it's a ranking mechanism. A higher score within the 70-100 eligible range improves your position on the hiring list. Aim well above the minimum, not just at it.
Retesting rules also shape what "your 955" means over time. Under Handbook EL-304, entrance applicants who reapply may retake the test or reuse an existing score if they apply 120 days or more after their original test date. Current employees testing for a score update as part of an in-craft process may reschedule 120 days after the original exam date. Entrance ratings carry an expiration date printed directly on the Notice of Results, while inservice scores generally remain valid indefinitely unless the exam's requirements change. For exact windows and how to plan around them, see USPS 955 Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling and the specifics in USPS 955 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
What USPS 955 Does Not Mean
Part of understanding this term is knowing what it isn't. USPS states plainly that it never charges a fee for exams, applications, or employment information related to Exam 955. The Postal Inspection Service treats any request for payment tied to this exam as an employment scam. If a site, recruiter, or "prep vendor" implies you must pay USPS directly to register or to receive your score, that claim is false on its face.
It's also worth repeating: USPS 955 does not include a personality or experience-inventory section. That element belonged to the retired Exam 473 and is still mistakenly attached to 955 in outdated guides. If a resource you're reading references "experience inventory weighting" as part of 955, it's describing a different exam.
Turning the Name Into a Study Plan
Once you understand what USPS 955 actually measures, the practical question becomes how to prepare for it efficiently. Because the exam splits cleanly into Multicraft and Spatial Relations, a study plan should mirror that split rather than treat the exam as one undifferentiated block.
Electrical & Mechanical Foundations
- Review Domain 1 (AC/DC theory, power distribution) and Domain 2 (motors, control circuits, print reading)
- Work through basic schematic-reading practice daily
Electronics, Fluids & Combustion
- Cover Domain 3 (digital electronics, power supplies, test instruments)
- Move to Domain 4 and Domain 5 (hydraulics, pneumatics, pumps, piping, combustion)
Mechanical Maintenance & Fabrication
- Study Domain 6 (power transmission, lubrication, shop tools) and Domain 7 (welding and rigging)
- Run timed Multicraft practice sets to build 60-questions-in-60-minutes pacing
Spatial Relations Drilling
- Practice Domain 8 (Matching Parts and Figures) daily in short timed bursts
- Practice Domain 9 (Spatial Visualization) using top/front/right view drills
Rotating short daily sessions between the technical domains and the spatial sections, rather than cramming either in isolation, keeps both skill sets sharp simultaneously since the real exam requires switching between them within the same sitting. For a full walkthrough of this kind of scheduling tied to first-attempt success, see USPS 955 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and pair it with realistic timed practice on our practice test platform so pacing on both Multicraft and Spatial Relations feels familiar before test day.
If you're still deciding whether the effort is worthwhile relative to the roles it unlocks, Is the USPS 955 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and USPS 955 Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis lay out the career side, while How Hard Is the USPS 955 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and USPS 955 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows address how demanding the exam actually is. Once you're ready to start practicing, head back to the main practice test hub to build familiarity with both exam sections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. It's a one-time entrance exam score tied to a Notice of Results. Entrance ratings carry an expiration date printed on that notice, while inservice scores generally remain valid indefinitely unless USPS changes the exam's requirements.
No - "955" is simply the exam number USPS assigns to this Maintenance Selection System test under Handbook EL-304. It isn't an acronym standing for separate words.
No. USPS charges no fee for exams, applications, or employment information, and treats any request for exam payment as a scam reportable to the Postal Inspection Service.
A minimum score of 70, excluding Veterans' Preference points, is required to be considered for any position, with eligible ratings ranging from 70 to 100.
No. Exam 955 consists only of Multicraft and Spatial Relations. The experience inventory component belonged to the retired Exam 473 and is often mistakenly attributed to 955.