First thing, give yourself plenty of time to study, I began just after Christmas for the exam at the end of April.

LTS gives you plenty of tips on how to plan your time to study, I would follow their recommendations. When taking the review quizzes after each lesson, make sure you understand why you missed any questions. They give explanations to the answers so make sure you fully understand.

After you complete the final exam, now is when the real work begins. I would start by taking an old exam and don’t worry about the time, just get an idea of where you stand. From there, begin focusing on the sections that gave you the most trouble. There are tons of exam questions in the workbook broken down by sections, that’s where I would spend some time making sure I get a better understanding of those types of questions that I missed. From there, rinse and repeat. Continue taking previous exams and once you begin passing, start timing yourself to make sure you are giving yourself enough time, you have 4.5 hours and it took me exactly that. Once I was passing the exams in the time allotted, I just kept taking more exams until I started getting a score I was comfortable with. I averaged an 80-85 on the previous exams towards the end and passed the actual exam with an 82.5.

People will say most don’t pass your first try, don’t listen to them. if I can pass it the first try so can you. You don’t want to have to do this all over again.

I initially took the CBLE for the first time back in October 2021 and had prepared for it by purchasing the materials and study course from LTS in April of 2021. As my study habits have been considered unorthodox for a lack of better words, and I wanted to partake in the challenge of attempting the CBLE, I read the textbook chapter by chapter and the corresponding 19CRF chapter as well, word for word in all it’s glory! I also took the quizzes on the LTS website after each chapter once I completed my reading. As I was so involved in the reading of the textbook chapters and corresponding 19CFR chapters, ensuring everything was highlighted and tabbed for both, I did not view the chapter video sessions available on the site as time would not permit me to do so. Additionally, I made sure to read through the trade programs included in the HTSUS, along with highlighting and tabbing the HTUSUS chapters, so that I had an understanding of how the programs operated and could easily navigate the HTSUS when the time came. 

As the October exam (which I opted to take remotely at home) came and went, I have to admit, in all of my academic and professional years, it was hands down the most difficult and intense test I have ever taken. Once I received the official notification letter from Customs with my score, which was a 62.5, I was impressed I did so well on the first go around as I have heard many a horror story from others, I have known to have taken the test as to how they would have been elated to receive such a good score at any point. At this point, I was deciding if I wanted to give it another go for the April 2022 exam and being the ultra-competitive Type A personality that I am, I knew I had to take the exam again as I felt I was so close to passing…

Fast forward to the preparation for the April 2022 exam, this time I viewed the videos on the site, compiled review notes from the information presented in the videos, which was the missing part of my initial study plan and read through the USMCA agreement that was received from LTS. Coupling the videos, notes from the videos and the previous highlighted / tabbed 19CFR & textbook, I was confident that I was fully prepared to take on the April 2022 exam and improve from my initial attempt in October. 

On the day of the test, I have to admit that the Pearson Vue site was set-up well and I felt I had ample desktop room at my station as I was able to have my materials (19CRF, LTS textbook, HTSUS rack and any other printed notes) readily available without feeling crowded. The test itself was easy to navigate and I did not use the electronic version of the materials as I feel the interface is not user friendly and I preferred the hard copy as I was familiar with my set-up and able to easily navigate between and within when necessary. I ended up finishing the exam with ample time remaining, so I determined either I had 1.) Bombed the exam gracefully or 2.) Passed… 

Now that I have rambled on incessantly, on to the point of my email. I received the official letter from Customs yesterday via email at 1:59PM EST and as I had initially determined from the answer record review, and indicated at the beginning of this email, I have indeed passed the April 2022 CBLE with a score of 82.5, which is an increase of 20 points from the October 2021 exam! All of the effort, time and work put into the preparation and study for both exams have paid off and I owe a good portion of my success to the LTS study program and materials. All of the printed materials (textbook, workbook, etc.), chapter quizzes and online videos are fantastic study aides and are valuable when navigating 19CFR and / or the HTSUS. Everything is presented in manner that makes comprehension and understanding of the materials clear and concise. With that being said, I would highly recommend anyone considering and / or interested in taking the CBLE to utilize the study material(s) and program(s) as provided by LTS as words enough do no justice for the program…

Hi Friend I passed the CBLE exam after 4 years and 5 exams with 85%. There were three things I thought I would never get while I was in the process. One was getting a US visa over a decade ago and 2nd was CBLE exam and 3rd I am still working on. The little voice telling me that I will get all of them and sometimes when you are tired with work and family life and demand from everywhere and everyone can get you. 

DO NOT GIVE UP! And Say NO to everyone tells you what to do away from your goal with kindly but firmly. People who are not your true friends will be disappointed and upset. Just remember you are doing you and your loved ones. 

So you ask what is the recipe for achieving? It is very simple but lots of work. Read with UNDERSTANDING. Know where the materials are. Tab. Tab Tab. Tab. Tab. And Tab again. Your Tab must be clear with print labels or permanent marker. I use both. It works! 

The two challenges are English language itself and Antique wording from customs. I had to sit back and think why I want to pass this exam. I want to prove myself and the world that the person like me can do it and have credential for the career and spread the good deeds to others. Here is the secret sauce: 

1. Attitude: Think good things and good things only!
2. Faith: Believe that you can do it in whatever situation.
3. Plan: Have a study plan. Write it down on the paper or excel sheet.
4. Place: Create a study place where you can see your books and pen and study plan every day.
5. Commitment: Have study group or someone or even yourself that you can check in weekly or so
6. Consistent: Follow your study plan. If you fall off, get back at it and update the study plan and go after.
7. Be discipline: Remember why you choose to study this exam whenever you want to quit.
8. Rewards: Reward yourself with healthy meal or snack here and there. It can be monthly or every other month or every few chapters get your favorite food. Trust me this works to pick you up. They do not have to be expensive. Remember you are your own teacher and student. I put “Reward” before the step “Practice.” It is a reminder that we need to commit small steps everyday to arrive to our goal.
9. Practice: Practice only after you read the materials and know where they are. Practice about 4 years back of exam materials and time yourself with the allowed break time and frequency. Lock the door if you need to and plug your ears with ear plug if the environment is noisy. Try to simulate with the real exam time and environment.
10. Good Deeds: Do some good deeds not for just exam but as a good person you are.
11. Clarity: In the real exam day, clearly think the questions and answers.
12. The rest is the Harvest time.

I certainly hope you can also enjoy the fruits that you seed!

Blessing with Joy

I would say, some people don’t have to study as much as others, don’t worry about those people. Study like there is not another chance to take the exam, one shot is all you get! I was not going to put myself through this again… haha. Follow the course program closely, do the work methodically, tab tab tab, use different color highlighters for key concepts, money (value, penalties, calculations), time frames, and another for any important supporting information. I used both the physical regulations and the online version, the physical for what I knew and wanted to confirm and the online to search for what I had no clue where to start. Buy the catalog rack and the rolly cart thing, you need the space and organization at the exam site. Take a few past exams at your own pace before attempting to take them under real exam time. And lastly be familiar with the online testing environment if this is your first time so you can worry about the test and not the navigation of it.

I enrolled into the LTS system from 2019. I failed my 1st Brokerage exam in April 2019 and 2nd one in Oct 2019 exam. One of my colleagues recommended me for LTS because he failed 4 times and finally passed at the 5th time.

I changed my strategy this time for using LTS resources.

(1) I tabbed the LTS textbook and heavily relied on it.

Reason: we need a passing exam, so we need to know where to find the answer!

Textbook has the most critical information for the exam questions. such as ” which one is not…” ” which 3 elements included in the ….” if you read the book thoroughly, you will pass 50%.

(2) I use their workbook a lot. Especially the previous exam section only for the previous 2 years, LTS consolidated per subject base for the questions so i was able to focus on certain subjects and review with 19 CFR + Textbook to get the match tab so i was able to find correct answers during exam.

(3) I practiced all practice exams from the year 2014, I practiced all HTS questions from the year 2016.

I did not put 4.5 hours for each of the practice exam. for the year from the year 2014-2018, in the 1st month (back to Jan) I read questions and highlighted all answers in Textbook and 19 CFR. I read HTS questions and highlight all special rules. 2nd month, I picked the lowest pass rate exam to practice. 3rd month, I did a mock exam using the year 2018-2020.

(4) The only thing I might have missed was I did not pay attention to FTA questions because it’s so  challenging and too hard to understand. But from this time exam, it seems Customs can’t think of any new questions, so they picked 3 questions from the previous exam to test us. I still remembered two of the questions while I focused on FTA questions. but not others.

That being said, they will re-use the questions.

I missed 19 questions and i know some of them were stupid mistakes. But LTS such a great place to learn for this exam as long as you use all their materials. Remember we need to find the answers during the exam, LTS is teaching you the way to do it. as long as you stick to it, you will pass!

Hope that helps all future License brokers.

As I prepared for the Broker’s Exam, I knew up front that it would not be an easy road, but I had the full support of my family and my coworkers who have taken the exam and have become licensed Customs Brokers. First, you decide if you are going to use materials from a company like Logistics Training Systems or if you are just going to study the required materials listed by CBP. I highly recommend that you pay the money and get the study materials from LTS. The study materials are laid out in a logical manner and take you through the 19 CFR, HTS, and other items you need to pass the exam. I copied the index from the material because it had the cross reference from the book to the references and it saved me time instead of flipping to the back of the book. I had it right in front of me to use. This was a great tool that was provided, and I fully used it. 

I have taken the exam three times. Each time, I improved my score, but it was still very disheartening because of all of the hours of studying I put in. The first time, I missed passing by 5 questions; second time, by 3 questions; and the third time by 1 question. The first two times, I didn’t have anything that I could protest as I truly missed the questions….but the last time, I had 1 question that I could protest. I put together my protest (2 pages in length), I showed agreement that the answer CBP gave was correct and provided the proof of that, provided the proof that the other two answers were definitely wrong, and then provided the proof that my answer was correct as well. I provided a definition and several references that proved my answer. I had several other people review my submission to see if there were any other references I should add and to help me wordsmith my protest. With all the resources available and with the help of my peers, I was able to put together a great protest and win my protest to pass the exam. 

I personally used the hardcopy 19CFR and HTS verses the online ones. I did not want to waste time flipping back and forth with online materials during the exam and possibly running the risk of the exam crashing. Technology is great when it works but when you have a time limit for the exam, every second is precious. Remember, you only have about 3 minutes per question. Take your time and don’t skip around the exam. Start with question #1 and work your way through to #80. The ones that you are not sure of, take an educated guess, mark it, and then go back and review it at the end. The test will ask you if you want to review the questions that you marked before you click the submit button if you have time at the end. Read the questions carefully, look at the answers and remember if they use those key words, always and never, those are more than likely not the right answer. Use your references, look up the answers unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your selection is right. The most important thing is to breathe and don’t rush. Take your time and work through each question. As long as you fully commit to putting the time in to study and doing your very best on the exam, you will succeed. 

If you don’t pass, review every question that you missed to see if it can be protested. Look up the references, read the question and the answers available, and decide whether it is protestable. Ask your peers for help with reviewing the questions you want to protest and your write up for any ideas of what should be added, deleted, or even if you should not protest a certain question because you can’t support your answer (I had one of those questions), and then submit it. Remember, CBP will not look at any protest until day 61 from the date of your exam results letter. Take your time putting your protest together. After submission, then the waiting begins (typical government, hurry up and wait ). I was notified the day before the exam registration closed for the next exam. You can register for the exam and if you find out you won your protest; you can withdraw and be refunded your exam fee. 

Commitment, perseverance, and a positive attitude will bring success! Good luck, study hard, and go for it! You can do it!