Applied online and received an email the next day telling me to schedule the 473 exam at a testing location. I passed the test with a 81.80 score which I'm told is a decent score. The test consists of address checking, forms completion, and coding and memory. The test is intimidating because according to the Postal Service, exam 473E carries an 80-90% failure rate.
2 weeks after taking the test I received a phone call to come in for an interview. There were a lot of people there for interviews (100+ people at least). There were about 25 postmasters there conducting interviews all in the same room. They basically went over what the job required and made sure you were OK with it. After the interview I was taken to another room to fill out 2 hours of paperwork including background check papers, w4, and I9 for payroll and income tax return. I was also fingerprinted right there on the spot and drove from the post office to the drug testing facility.
One week after the drug test on a Thursday I received an email stating I was hired and my orientation starts the following Monday. During orientation you get your training start date and you start immediately on your own after training.