What you need to know about the Customs Broker Exam (2024)

• Must be United States citizen
• Must be 18 years or older
• Cannot be a Federal government employee

• Consists of 80 multiple choice questions
• Topics typically cover classification, valuation, trade agreements, entry, broker compliance, power of attorney, marking, drawback, bonds, foreign trade zones, warehouses, fines and penalties, and intellectual property rights.
• The exam lasts 4 ½ hours
• A passing score is 75% or higher (You must correctly answer 60 questions to pass)
• Administered twice a year, April and October
• The exam is open book, examinees must bring the 19 CFR, HTS catalog, specified Customs directives and any other paper reference material (no personal electronics are allowed) Test sites do offer electronic copies on site.
• The fee is $390 and must be paid at least 30 days in advance of the exam date
• There is no limit on how many times you can take the exam if you do not pass

Ideally, examinees should start studying for the test somewhere between 10 to 12 weeks before taking the exam. The most important part of studying for the exam is taking practice tests. An even better approach is taking timed tests that simulate the real exam. If you are able to carve out 4.5 hours on a Saturday or Sunday, you will get a better feel for the actual exam.

Aside from just taking practice exams, you will benefit even more from taking a prep course. The Imports Academy prep course will guide you through the exam categories and focus on the most relevant information.

Simple, you can’t, in fact no one can! There are over 2,000 pages of regulations in the 19 CFR. Unless you have a photographic memory, do not waste any time trying to memorize all the timelines, forms or regulatory requirements. Not to mention, it is impossible to memorize the harmonized tariff schedule catalog.

Examinees who know how the regulations and HTS catalog are structured have the best chance to pass the exam. By learning how to navigate both the 19 CFR and HTS catalog quickly, you will be able to answer questions much faster.

• Title 19, Code of Federal Regulations parts 1-199 (current year)
• Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (current year)
• ACE Entry Summary Business Process 11
• ACE Entry Summary Instructions Version 2.4a)
• Right to Make Entry Directive (RTME) 3530-002A

If you sign up for the Imports Academy prep course for the US Customs broker exam, you will receive quick reference guides that you can use during the exam as well as study guide printouts for each lesson. You can take these into the exam with you! These have proven to be critical when taking the exam, quickly finding the answers on our reference guides helps you spend more time on other questions.

The Notice of Examination for the Customs Broker License Exam published at the new eCBP website where you can register for the exam.

The exam registration fee costs $390 and you must online through the eCBP registration site. Once you have paid you will receive a confirmation email from pay.gov with a tracking number for confirmation, keep this for your records. Select the port closest to your home address, the testing area will be located close by.

Once upon a time, not long ago, you had to take the exam on a Scan-Tron. Due to the “Modernization of the Customs Broker Exam” that went into effect on October 2017, the exam is now administered on a computer. This can add an extra level of stress! Instead of having a booklet with all the questions in front of you, the test is administered one question at a time. While you can skip around from question to question, it may seem more difficult without a physical document to skip around in.

Currently, US Customs outsources the exam site to a 3rd party company called PSI Testing Excellence.

Starting 2024, the exam dates have moved further out. Also, US Customs has reduced the number of possible answers to a question from five to four. Now, the multiple choice options are from A to C. Remote proctored CBLE now allows examinees to take the exam in a private room instead of traveling to a testing center. In order to remotely take the exam, you must register as a remote examinee who meets the required standards.

• The October 25, 2023 CBLE resulted in a 34% pass rate prior to appeal decisions.
• The April 26, 2023CBLE resulted in a 5.5% pass rate prior to appeal decisions.
• The October 26, 2022 CBLE resulted in a 11.1% pass rate prior to appeal decisions.