I took the April 2024 licensed Customs broker exam…It was a killer

The nationally administered Customs and Border Protection (CBP) April 2024 licensed Customs broker exam (officially taken on May 1) was not for the faint-hearted.

From the first five questions, I knew this exam was much more challenging than the previous practice exams I had taken.

Here is a quick recap of my study prep ritual and testing experience.

My study routine

My study prep started in November 2023 and my study aide of choice was the Logistic Training Systems (LTS) online Distance Learning with Instructor package for $799.00 (www.Logistics.com).

LTS is a third-party logistics and Customs test prep company and my study material included LTS’ in-house textbook, workbook, reference, as well as the 19 CFR and the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS).

The “live” instructor part of the bundle consists of an instructor who provides quiz answers and analysis after you complete the workbook quiz and submit via email. I enjoyed my LTS experience and would highly recommend them. 

This time around I was only able to log in about 50+ hours of study preparation. During the weekdays, I would review the textbook and take some practice quizzes during the lunch period two times a week and take the 4.5 hour practice exams on the weekends, which amounted to six sit-down exams total.

On top of this, my company provided one-hour weekly test review sessions conducted over Microsoft Teams, where our group could zero-in and together tackle particularly difficult questions. 

Exam day

My April 2024 exam was assigned to Miami Dade College-North campus in Miami, Florida. Being a two and a half drive from my Fort Myers, Florida home, I was required to rent a car and hotel the night before the Wednesday morning exam.

Since I was unfamiliar with Miami Dade and the testing site in general, I made an extra trip to campus Tuesday evening in order to be more assured of the test site and parking situation.

By 6:45 am Wednesday morning, I had finished my hotel breakfast buffet, checked out of my room, and drove the 20-minutes to campus. After parking in the visitor lot, I dragged my telescoping handle plastic crate-on-wheels overloaded with my study materials to wait in the registration line. 

At the testing room, I was met with  4-5 person staff who were collecting IDs, marking names off a list, and assigning our desks. I was then taken to a locker-room area to secure my valuables such as my smartphone, wallet, and wrist-watch.

Finally, I was seated at a typical computer office desk cubicle, where I could start to unload my cart, organize my materials, and stay put before exam time.   

15 minutes before the 8:30 am start time, we were given the official CBP welcome, followed by test-taking instructions. Pre-exam, everyone was required to complete a 5-minute test simulation to be more familiar with the exam format.

Better luck next time

I found the 80-question, 4.5 hour exam to be more challenging than usual. Every question was particularly tricky and there were some topic questions I don’t ever recall in my study materials.

Time-wise, I felt behind most of the day and needed to rush through the last 20 questions with only 30 minutes remaining. Throughout the exam, I was feeling discouraged and frustrated, and as I left the testing site, defeated.

After gathering and packing up my belongings in my car, I started my 2-hour drive back home quite confident that this was the most difficult exam for me to-date and would have to hope for a better outcome next time.