Inconsistent Conditions, Technological Issues Define the CBLE

Test-takers said the desks were too small to accommodate physical materials like the Harmonized Tariff Schedule book and their testing computer, and the rolling carts to prop up those books were often placed behind them due to crowded testing sites. They also said some places allowed water and analog watches in the testing room, while others didn't.

Sean Grossnickle, who passed the April 2026 exam, said he took a preparatory course for the exam, which gave him access to a study guide and guidance from his instructor. He said he thinks it would be very difficult to pass the exam without taking a course. He said he thinks one reason the exam has such a low pass rate is because it doesn't have an education requirement.

Grossnickle said he studied around five or 10 hours a week for three months leading up to the exam. He said the preparatory course was around $1,000, on top of the $390 fee to take the exam, both of which his company covered.

"If you don't have the money to take the prep course, or you don't really have a lot of background education to kind of help you like navigate tests, it can be difficult," he said.

Kyle Dimovitz, who also passed the April exam, got there early. He signed documents on testing procedure, gave the proctors his passport and got ready for the test. They checked pockets, shirts and wanded him down. The room he took the test in, he said, was small. Dimovitz tested at the Reagan Building in Washington, and he said the test went well, with no issues, and it felt centralized.

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection sets clear standards for Customs Broker License Exam testing conditions and holds its testing vendor accountable for consistent implementation across all sites. Standards address testing environment requirements including workspace and equipment policies," a CBP spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson said the April 2026 pass rate, 22%, aligns with the five-year average of 23%.

When walking into the CBLE, examinees must roll up their sleeves and pant legs, sometimes the waist band of their shirts and those with long hair have to lift it, so their hairlines can be examined. An examinee said it's to ensure they don’t cheat.

“We're not criminals. We're applying for a federal exam," said the examinee, who asked for anonymity because they feared retribution. "So, I think that those measures are a little bit over the top."

The desks exam takers use are approximately 3.5 feet, too small to accommodate both the computer the exam is taken on and the reference materials, which are thousands of pages, said Renata Pearson, a preparatory course instructor. When the exam was moved online, Pearson was part of a group that had an agreement with CBP that test takers would have 5.5 to 6 feet of space to take the exam. However, when a new branch chief came on board, she signed a contract with a new company without realizing the space requirement, so it wasn't part of the contract.

Dimovitz had the physical materials with him, and he could only fit half of one binder in his cubicle, which he said made trying to find the answers more challenging.

"The cubicles were tiny, I mean, my desk here at home is much bigger than the room that I had in my cubicle," he said.

The examinee had to turn around to see the material from their rolling cart, switching between flipping the chair, looking back at the screen multiple times. People bring in carts to put their paper reference materials next to them, or behind them, if the room is crowded.

"The rules literally state you can bring a suitcase or a tote with the material, and most people do, and it's a crazy sight, like it looks like everyone's taking a vacation," Grossnickle said.

There’s a PDF version of the HTS book and customs regulations, which examinees are advised not to download onto the exam computer, as the whole program would crash, which is why instructors advise bringing a paper answer sheet, a watch to keep an eye on what time it is if the system crashes and physical versions of the HTS books and customs regulations, the examinee said. Dimovitz said it's beneficial to bring the physical copies, as he had heard the electronic copies don't always work.

"When I first started studying, I was thinking, it's 2026, how can we possibly have to have physical materials with us? But I think it was smart," he said.

Grossnickle said the search function for the online resources doesn't always work. He said it only worked for half his test, which was "lucky," as it doesn't work at all for some people. For others, the search function will highlight what they're looking for, but the examinee will still have to scroll through the materials to find it themselves.

Each testing site is different. In April 2026, some of Pearson's students had to take off their analog watches, despite it being explicitly allowed on CBP’s website. Examinees have to step out to take a sip of water, where there used to be a water station in the testing rooms. Dimovitz said his testing site allowed water, which he brought, but not snacks in the testing room, so he kept his trail mix in his locker.

The examinee had to step out of the room to drink water from their water bottle. The clock kept ticking while the examinee stepped out, grabbed a drink and got wanded down again before reentering the exam room.

“It’s in your own time,” the examinee said. “So that's why I think it's not fair that some people have to step out of the room and miss a few minutes to drink water, while other ones can just do it directly from their cubicle.”