Home / Guides
Guides
Short, sourced answers to what candidates ask most. Every fact links to the CBP page or regulation it came from.
The customs broker license exam
How the CBLE works: 80 questions, 4 hours 30 minutes, 75% to pass, open book, $390, given in April and October. Every fact checked against cbp.gov.
The references for the next exam
The five references on the CBLE and which editions to expect for April 2027 under CBP's rule: HTSUS 2026 Basic Edition and the 2025 or 2026 edition of 19 CFR.
How to search the references fast
Where each exam topic lives in the HTSUS, 19 CFR and CBP guides, what to type, and how the exam platform's search really behaves. Practical, open-book tactics.
CBLE pass rates
Customs broker exam pass rates for every sitting we could source, from CBP pages and CBP advisory committee papers. October 2026: 13% before appeals.
Appealing your CBLE score
Since April 2026 only scores of 57 to 59 out of 80 may appeal, up to four questions, within 60 days, citing one of the five references. CBP's rules in plain words.
Glossary
Plain definitions of the terms the customs broker exam uses, from AD/CVD and drawback to liquidation, protest and transaction value, each with the reference to open.
Topics
Every exam topic with where it lives in the books, free practice questions and the past questions on it.