CBSA OTEE common mistakes
CBSA OTEE · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Selecting the answer option that matches what you already believe about border security, airports, or government policy rather than the option supported by the sentence in the passage.
Real-world familiarity with the subject matter creates a strong feeling of recognition, so an option that sounds true feels correct even when the passage says something narrower or different.
What to do instead
For every question, underline or note the line number of the sentence that supports the answer. If you cannot point to support in the passage, eliminate the option regardless of how plausible it sounds. Practise with passages on unfamiliar topics (e.g., customs procedures for a specific commodity) so you cannot rely on background knowledge.
Writing written-communication responses as a single long narrative paragraph where the purpose, facts, and requested action are blended together.
Under time pressure, candidates write the way they would explain the situation aloud, and the first sentence often becomes background context instead of the main point.
What to do instead
Use a fixed three-part frame before writing: (1) purpose in one sentence, (2) supporting facts in short sentences in order of importance, (3) explicit action or request at the end. Then reread only for pronoun reference (does 'he/it/they' clearly point to one thing?) and subject-verb agreement.
Choosing the response that is most compassionate, fastest, or most decisive rather than the one that fits the procedural order of operations.
Judgment items often include an empathetic or efficient-sounding distractor; the instinct to resolve the situation on the spot overrides the correct sequence of verify, then act, then report.
What to do instead
Rank every option by the same three criteria before selecting: does it establish the facts first, is it the least intrusive action that resolves the issue, and does it stay within the role's authority? Eliminate any option that skips verification or that the scenario does not give you authority to take.
Selecting an option where the character makes the final decision themselves (decides to detain, refuses entry, or waives a requirement) instead of referring the matter to a supervisor or the appropriate authority.
Decisive-sounding options feel like strong judgment answers, and candidates assume the scenario is testing whether they will 'take charge'.
What to do instead
When a scenario is ambiguous or requires authority the role is not stated to hold, prefer the option that documents the facts and refers or escalates. Treat 'consult' or 'report' options as strong candidates, not as weak ones.
Treating a conditional statement as reversible - accepting 'if the permit is expired, the traveller is referred' as proof that 'if the traveller is referred, the permit is expired'.
The converse sounds natural in ordinary conversation, and under timed conditions the reading brain fills in the reverse direction.
What to do instead
Write each conditional as an arrow (P → R) and immediately ask whether the reverse arrow is stated. Test the candidate answer with a counterexample: can you describe someone referred for a different reason? If yes, the reversal is invalid.
Reading 'some', 'most', 'several', or 'at least one' as 'all' when combining premises.
Quantifier words are short, unstressed, and skimmed; the mind generalises a partial statement into a universal one to reach a tidy conclusion.
What to do instead
Copy the quantifier word verbatim next to each premise before drawing any conclusion, and check that the conclusion's quantifier is no stronger than the weakest premise. If the conclusion uses 'all' or 'never' and any premise used 'some' or 'usually', the conclusion is unsupported.
Calculating with mixed units or confusing percent change with percentage points - e.g., reporting a rise from 4% to 6% as a 2% increase instead of a 2 percentage-point increase (a 50% increase).
Tables present units in headers while the numbers appear bare, so the unit gets dropped once attention moves to the arithmetic.
What to do instead
Before computing, copy each figure with its unit written beside it (e.g., '6% of all shipments', '$2,400 per officer'). Label the final answer with units and state which question you answered: change in points, or relative change.
Rounding intermediate steps of a multi-step calculation and then choosing an answer option that only matches the unrounded result.
Rounding shortens the mental arithmetic, and answer options that are close together are designed to catch the lost precision.
What to do instead
Carry full precision to the final step and round only once, then verify by estimating the answer with round numbers first; if the exact result and the estimate land on different options, redo the step where they diverged. If no option matches exactly, choose the closest and re-examine whether a unit or scale error (per day vs per week) occurred.
Comparing similar strings holistically - glancing at a name, date, or document number and deciding it matches because it looks right overall.
Skilled readers recognise words by shape rather than letter-by-letter, so 'Kirkpatrick' and 'Kilpatrick', or 14/08/2023 and 14/06/2023, register as the same item.
What to do instead
Compare character by character from left to right, breaking long strings into chunks of three or four. For dates, compare day, then month, then year as separate checks. Deliberately read the second string aloud in your head while pointing at the first.
Losing place halfway through a long verification table or list of similar rows, so some rows are checked twice and others are skipped entirely.
Eyes drift back to a previously scanned line after a mismatch interrupts the rhythm, and there is no physical marker showing which row was the last completed.
What to do instead
Cover the rows below the one you are checking, or track with a cursor or folded paper edge, and mark each completed row. After the first pass, run a short second pass looking only for the excluded or odd-one-out item, which is where skipped rows usually hide.