Study library
Customs broker exam guides
Every guide cites its primary source and carries a visible last-reviewed date. Written from the public exam blueprint and the underlying statute and tariff structure, not a prep vendor's marketing.
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19 CFR Part 111: licenses, permits, and responsible supervision and control
The regulation that governs customs brokers. What Part 111 requires to hold a license, get a national permit, exercise responsible supervision and control, and stay compliant, sourced against the eCFR.
A drill-anchored study plan for the customs broker exam
A realistic, week-by-week study plan for the customs broker exam, built around daily timed lookup drills rather than passive reading, weighted to the heaviest categories.
Antidumping and countervailing duties: Commerce, CBP, and the EAPA evasion process
How AD/CVD works: Commerce determines the dumping margin or subsidy rate, the ITC determines injury, and CBP suspends liquidation and collects cash deposits, plus how the Enforce and Protect Act (19 CFR Part 165) investigates evasion, sourced to 19 USC 1673 and 19 CFR Part 165.
Classifying base metal articles: a worked walkthrough of HTSUS Chapters 73, 82, and 83
Step-by-step HTSUS classification reasoning for iron and steel articles (Chapter 73), tools (Chapter 82), and miscellaneous base metal articles (Chapter 83), including why a named tool beats a residual iron-or-steel heading, sourced against the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Classifying composite goods and retail sets: a worked walkthrough of GRI 2(a), GRI 3, and GRI 5
Step-by-step worked case studies applying GRI 2(a) to incomplete and unassembled articles, GRI 3(a) through 3(c) to composite goods and mixtures, and GRI 5(a) and 5(b) to containers and packing, including the three-part test used to identify a 'set put up for retail sale' under GRI 3(b).
Classifying footwear: a worked walkthrough of HTSUS Chapter 64's material and construction test
Step-by-step HTSUS classification reasoning for footwear under Chapter 64, headings 6401 to 6406: how outer sole material, upper material, and how the upper attaches to the sole decide the heading, plus footwear parts and Additional U.S. Note terms, sourced against the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Classifying miscellaneous and 'nuisance' manufactured articles: a worked walkthrough of HTSUS Chapters 94 and 96
Step-by-step HTSUS classification reasoning for furniture (Chapter 94) and the tariff's miscellaneous manufactured-articles catch-all (Chapter 96), including why a floor lamp is not furniture and why Chapter 96 exists at all, sourced against the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Classifying transport equipment: a worked walkthrough of HTSUS Chapter 87 (vehicles, chassis, and parts)
Step-by-step HTSUS classification reasoning for motor vehicles, chassis, bodies, and parts under Chapter 87 headings 8701 to 8716, including the Section XVII Note 2 exclusion that keeps generic hardware out of the parts headings, sourced against the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Country of origin marking: the general rule, the 10 percent duty, and the J-list exceptions (Part 134)
The country-of-origin marking rules for imported goods: the general rule under 19 CFR 134.11, the 10 percent marking duty for unmarked goods under 134.2, and the 17-item J-list of general exceptions under 134.32, sourced to 19 CFR Part 134.
Customs bonds under 19 CFR Part 113: continuous vs. single transaction, amounts, riders, and insufficient-bond consequences
How CBP bonds work under 19 CFR Part 113: continuous bonds vs. single transaction bonds, who must post one, how CBP sets and reviews the amount, bond riders, and what happens when a bond is insufficient, sourced against 19 CFR Part 113.
Customs broker exam pass rate: what the numbers actually say
A sourced, dated look at recent Customs Broker License Examination pass rates, why the number swings so widely between sittings, and why it is so low.
Customs liquidation and duty relief: notice, extension and suspension, reliquidation, and how duty comes back
How CBP finalizes duty through liquidation under 19 CFR Part 159 and 19 USC 1500 through 1504: the 1-year deemed-liquidation clock, extension and suspension, notice of liquidation, and the duty-relief mechanisms, protest-based reliquidation, voluntary reliquidation, drawback, and MTB suspensions, sourced against 19 CFR Part 159 and 19 USC 1500 to 1504.
Customs penalties, fines, and prior disclosure: Parts 162, 171, and 111
How CBP assesses civil penalties for entry violations by culpability, how prior disclosure cuts the penalty, and how petitions for mitigation work, sourced against 19 CFR Parts 162 and 171 and 19 USC 1592.
Customs recordkeeping under 19 CFR Part 163: the (a)(1)(A) list and the 5-year rule
Who must keep import records, which records the (a)(1)(A) list requires, how long to keep them, and how electronic storage works, sourced against 19 CFR Part 163 and 19 USC 1509.
Customs valuation and transaction value under 19 USC 1401a: the hierarchy, the additions, and the related-party tests
How CBP appraises imported merchandise: the six-method valuation hierarchy, transaction value and the five statutory additions, what is excluded from the price actually paid or payable, and the related-party tests, sourced against 19 USC 1401a and 19 CFR Part 152, with a worked example.
Do you need a prep course to pass the customs broker exam?
An independent look at whether a paid prep course is worth it for the customs broker exam, or whether disciplined self-study with the right drills can get you there.
From entry writer to licensed customs broker: the career path
How people actually enter the customs brokerage field, what an entry writer does before the license, and what verified wage data says about the profession CBP licenses.
How to become a licensed customs broker
The full path to an individual customs broker license: eligibility, the exam, the application, the background check, and what brokers actually do, sourced against CBP.
HTSUS classification walkthrough: a cordless drill retail kit (Section XVI, GRI 3(b))
A worked classification of a battery-powered hand drill from Section XVI down to subheading, then a retail kit of drill, two batteries, charger, and case worked through GRI 3(b) essential character, sourced against the current HTSUS.
HTSUS classification walkthrough: a cotton knit T-shirt (Section XI, GRI 1 and Note 2)
A worked, step-by-step classification of a men's cotton knit T-shirt from Section XI down to the ten-digit statistical suffix, plus the chief-weight tie-break for a cotton-polyester blend, sourced against the current HTSUS and reviewed for the customs broker exam.
HTSUS classification walkthrough: a plastic patio chair (Chapter 39 versus Chapter 94)
A worked classification of an all-plastic outdoor chair, showing why Chapter 39's own exclusion notes send a seat to Chapter 94 furniture regardless of material, sourced against the current HTSUS.
HTSUS classification walkthrough: a two-part epoxy adhesive kit (Section VI, GRI 3(b))
A worked classification of a retail two-part epoxy adhesive kit, from Section VI down to subheading 3506, then through GRI 3(b) essential character for the resin-and-hardener pairing, sourced against the current HTSUS.
HTSUS classification walkthrough: raw versus roasted almonds (Chapter 8 to Chapter 20)
A worked classification of shelled almonds fresh from the shell versus roasted almonds, showing how a single processing step moves a good from Section II, Chapter 8 to Section IV, Chapter 20 under GRI 1, sourced against the current HTSUS.
Intellectual property rights enforcement at the border: recordation and Part 133
How CBP enforces trademarks, trade names, and copyrights at the border: recordation under 19 CFR Part 133, the $190 recordation fee, the 20-year term, and the restricted-gray-market-goods rule, sourced to 19 CFR Part 133.
Is the customs broker exam hard? An honest look at what makes it tough
The customs broker exam has a famously low pass rate. Here is what actually makes it hard, which categories sink people, and how to prepare for the real difficulty.
Modernized drawback under 19 CFR Part 190: TFTEA, the three categories, and the 8-digit substitution rule
How TFTEA modernized drawback moved the rules from 19 CFR Part 191 to Part 190, the difference between manufacturing, unused-merchandise, and rejected-merchandise drawback, the 8-digit HTSUS substitution standard, and the 5-year claim window, sourced against 19 CFR Part 190 and 19 USC 1313.
Open-book strategy: how to pass the customs broker exam on lookup speed
The customs broker exam is open book, so it is won on how fast you find the governing citation. Here is the drill-based method to build that speed, with the trainer.
Protests and post-entry: challenging a CBP decision (19 CFR Part 174)
How to protest a CBP decision after liquidation: what is protestable, who may file, the 180-day window, further review, accelerated disposition, and post-summary correction as the pre-liquidation alternative, sourced against 19 CFR Part 174.
Section Notes, Chapter Notes, and Additional U.S. Notes: what each one does, with a worked example of each
The three tiers of binding notes in the HTSUS, Section Notes, Chapter Notes, and Additional U.S. Notes, what each governs, how they differ from GRI 1's heading text, and a worked classification example of each note type overriding an intuitive answer, sourced against the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Special entry types: bonded warehouse, foreign-trade zone, TIB, and in-bond movement (Parts 144, 146, 18, and heading 9813)
The customs entry types beyond a plain consumption entry: bonded warehouse under Part 144, foreign-trade zones under Part 146, temporary importation under bond (TIB) under heading 9813, and in-bond transportation under Part 18, with their deadlines and duty treatment, sourced against 19 CFR and the HTSUS.
The customs broker exam, explained: format, scoring, dates, and fee
What the CBP Customs Broker License Examination is, how it is scored, when it is held, and what it costs, with every figure sourced and dated against CBP.
The customs entry process: entry, entry summary, and the 10-working-day window (Parts 141 and 142)
How merchandise is entered into the United States in two steps, the difference between the entry (CBP Form 3461) and the entry summary (CBP Form 7501), the 10-working-day filing window, and formal versus informal entry, sourced against 19 CFR Parts 141 to 143 and 19 USC 1484.
The General Rules of Interpretation (GRI) explained
The six General Rules of Interpretation are how every good is classified in the HTSUS, and they must be applied in order. A plain-English walkthrough of GRI 1 through 6 for the customs broker exam.
Timing and tabbing: setting up your books for the customs broker exam
How to tab and organize your HTSUS and 19 CFR references so you can find citations fast on exam day, and how to budget your 4.5 hours across 80 questions.
Trade agreements and special programs: USMCA, GSP, AGOA, and CBTPA
How the exam tests preferential trade programs: USMCA rules of origin and certification under 19 CFR Part 182, the lapsed GSP program, and the AGOA and CBTPA/CBERA preference programs currently in force, each sourced and dated.
Where customs brokers work: firms, ports, and CBP's Centers of Excellence
Brokerage firms, freight forwarders, importers, and the ports of entry where entries get filed, plus CBP's ten Centers of Excellence and Expertise and why brokers deal with them by industry, not by port.