I took the October 2023 licensed Customs broker exam….and failed (2024)

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) administered national licensed Customs broker exam is administered 2-times a year, and I took the most recent one on October 25, 2023 in Tampa Bay, Florida.

This October’s official pass rate was 33%.

Historically averaging only a 15% pass rate, the LCB exam is one of the most difficult professional tests in the United States (including the bar exam).

The exam is a 80-question, 4.5 hour multiple choice test covering such topics as valuation, duty drawback, free trade zones, classification, broker compliance, and foreign trade agreements.

Typically, test-takers are given roughly 3 minutes per question to answer practical scenarios and topics covered in the 19 Code of Federal Regulations and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS), regulations regarding the import and export of goods into the United States.

I started my 3.5 month study grind in July logging in nearly 140 hours of study around my work schedule, including weekends and lunch breaks.

My study aide was the Logistics Training Center’s Distance Learning with Instructor option, which included its in-house textbook, workbook, reference as well as the 19 Code of Federal Regulations and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS) for $799.00.

LTS is a third-party Customs broker test-prep company, which I highly recommend (www.logistics.com).

On top of this, my company offered one-hour additional weekly study preparation conducted over Microsoft Teams, where we could review particularly difficult questions.

I completed dozens of quizzes and several past exams---going back to 2018.

Despite this focused deep work and dedication I scored a depressingly 60% non-passing rate.

Even though giving my best effort and coming up well short of meeting the 75% minimum passing score, I am committed to take the April 2024 exam and to put in the work needed to pass.

My new set of books and textbooks have arrived, and I have started devoting my weekends and lunch breaks toward this endeavor, once again.

Hope to share with you my positive outcome then!