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USPS · Situational Judgment

You are delivering mail in a neighborhood and a resident asks you to deliver a large package to their elderly neighbor who cannot come to the door. What should you do?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

Follow your delivery procedures — attempt delivery, ring the bell, and if required leave a notice; do not leave packages requiring signatures without obtaining one

  1. A Return to the station without attempting delivery
  2. B Give it to the neighbor making the request
  3. C Leave it on the doorstep without a signature
  4. D Follow your delivery procedures — attempt delivery, ring the bell, and if required leave a notice; do not leave packages requiring signatures without obtaining one

Why this is the answer

Proper delivery procedures must be followed regardless of third-party requests. If a signature is required, you must attempt delivery directly to the addressee or authorized recipient. Handing packages to neighbors without authorization violates delivery procedures and the addressee's privacy. Leave a delivery notice with pickup/redelivery instructions.
Source: USPS 474 VEA, Delivery Procedures

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About this topic: Situational Judgment

Situational judgment items ask you to rate the effectiveness of several responses to a workplace situation. Consistency matters: responses that put safety, accuracy and the customer first rate highest. This is one of 22 VEA 474 (Mail Carrier) questions on situational judgment, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our USPS exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

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