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How to pass the customs broker exam
A passing grade is 75 percent. The exam is open book. You pass by finding the section and applying it, not by memorizing a textbook. The next date in the regulation is Wednesday, April 28, 2027.
A study sequence
- Read the exam guide and the dates so the fee, the age rule, and the registration deadline are not a surprise.
- Take the 20-question diagnostic. It is untimed and scored against 75 percent. The result is a list of topics, not a prediction of CBP's exam.
- Open each topic you missed. The page states the rules and the regulation. Then drill only that topic.
- Misses come back as flashcards, first in minutes and then after longer gaps. Hits wait longer.
- Sit a timed practice exam of up to 80 questions once the diagnostic is near the passing line. The practice test page describes both sittings.
The bank has 1,990 questions. Each one names the section you would have turned to. They are included at $29 a month, with the diagnostic, flashcards, and the timed exam. The questions are not posted on the open site.
What open book actually means
You are expected to look the rule up. The limit is time, not whether the book is in the room. A summary on a topic page is a map. The citation under it is the page you have to be able to find. Practice with the regulation open. CBP's notice for your sitting is the list of what you may bring. Do not treat a paraphrase on this site as the text.
A few numbers are worth being able to land on without a search. They are already the rules on the topic pages, not a separate code:
- 75 percent to pass, and three years to file the license application.
- 15 calendar days to make entry, and 10 working days for the entry summary.
- Five years is the ordinary recordkeeping period.
- 60 calendar days to appeal a failing grade, and 18 to sit, 21 to apply for the license.
- $390 is the examination fee. It is paid to CBP, not to this site.
Study by the subject CBP groups
Released exams print a category above each question. The topics below follow those groups, so a licensing question and a valuation question are not mixed until you want them mixed.
Broker compliance
Entry and entry summary
Valuation and duty assessment
Rules of origin
Trade agreements
Trade remedies
Intellectual property
Drawback
Quota
Common questions
How do you pass the customs broker exam?
The passing grade is 75 percent (19 CFR 111.11(a)(4)). The exam is open book, so the work is finding the rule and applying it. Study by topic, read the citation you missed, and sit a timed practice exam before the real date.
Is the customs broker exam open book?
Yes. You are expected to look the rule up. CBP's exam notice for that sitting lists the materials you may bring. Practice with the regulation open, not from memory alone.
What should you study first?
Take a mixed diagnostic, then open the topics you missed. Entry, valuation, classification, broker licensing, origin, and drawback are where most of the bank sits.
Exam dates · Exam guide · Exam prep · Practice test · Topics