# Appealing your CBLE score

**The short version:** from the April 2026 exam, you may appeal only if your first score is 57 or more out of 80. You may appeal up to four questions, each one you answered, with your own reasons citing one of the five references. File within 60 days of your results letter.

## Who can appeal

| Your score | Can you appeal? |
|---|---|
| 60 or more | No need: you passed. |
| 57, 58 or 59 | Yes, up to four questions. |
| 56 or less | No, from the April 2026 exam on. |

Before April 2026, anyone who failed could appeal any question they had answered.

## What an appeal must have

- Only questions where you **selected an answer**. A blank cannot be appealed.
- Your **own words**: why your answer is right or the keyed answer is wrong.
- A **citation to one of the five references** listed for that exam.
- A copy of your **answer sheet**. Keep a paper tracking sheet during the exam.

## Deadlines

- **First appeal:** within 60 calendar days of the date of your results notice, to CBP's Office of Trade, Attn: Broker Management Branch ([19 CFR 111.13(f)](https://customsbrokerlicenseexam.com/ref/#cfr/111.13/f)).
- **Second appeal:** if the first appeal fails, within 60 calendar days of that decision, to the appropriate Executive Director, Office of Trade (same paragraph).
- Some candidates have then gone to the Court of International Trade, for example [Slip Op. 25-37](https://www.cit.uscourts.gov/sites/cit/files/25-37.pdf). Second appeals can be slow: in that case one took about 20 months.

## What CBP's own data says

- 97% of appellants who passed on first appeal were within three questions of passing. That is why the threshold is 57.
- After pre-exam legal review, that figure is nearly 100%.
- On average, about 70% of all exam questions were appealed after each exam.
- CBP reviews every question's statistics before it sends results. Some questions are already credited to everyone, or accept two answers, in the published keys: October 2025 Q13, Q56, Q73 and Q78; April 2026 Q73; October 2026 Q55. The [past exams](https://customsbrokerlicenseexam.com/past-exams/) mark these.
- CBP's answer keys are not changed after appeal decisions, and CBP does not publish appeal decisions.

## Source

CBP's [How to appeal](https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/customs-brokers/how-appeal) page, 19 CFR 111.13(f) in the 2025 edition, and the [past exams page](https://www.cbp.gov/document/publications/past-customs-broker-license-examinations-answer-keys), checked November 14, 2026. This page explains the rule; it is not legal advice.

Source: https://customsbrokerlicenseexam.com/appeals/ (updated 2026-11-14)