312 Inservice Examinations

The Postal Service administers inservice examinations exclusively to current career postal employees and substitute rural carriers (designations 72 and 73 only) as a way of identifying qualified applicants for potential advancement or reassignment. The 3 types of inservice examinations are qualifying, competitive, and noncompetitive inservice examinations.

312.1 Qualifying Examinations

The Postal Service administers qualifying examinations to career employees who apply for a position and who meet the criteria for taking the required examination. To be considered for the position, employees must earn an eligible rating on the examination. Ranking for selection is not determined by the order of the scores.

312.2 Competitive Examinations

The Postal Service administers competitive examinations to career employees who apply for a position and meet the criteria for taking the required examination. Registers are composed of eligible ratings attained by employees and are listed in descending score order. An applicant’s ranking on the register becomes part of the selection requirement for the position concerned. Registers are established and maintained for all competitive exams.

312.3 Noncompetitive Inservice Examinations

The Postal Service uses a noncompetitive examination to determine whether an employee who is being considered for a noncompetitive placement action meets the test requirement for the position.