CBP Officer Entrance Examination cheat sheet

Conditional statement "If P then Q" is falsified only by P true with Q false; Q true does not prove P true (affirming the consequent is invalid).

Contrapositive of "If P then Q" is "If not Q then not P" and is logically equivalent; the converse (If Q then P) and inverse (If not P then not Q) are not equivalent.

"Only if" introduces the necessary condition: "P only if Q" means P implies Q, so Q is required but not sufficient.

"Unless" means "if not": "P unless Q" translates to "If not Q then P," equivalently "not P implies Q."

Valid syllogism forms: all A are B plus all B are C gives all A are C; all A are B plus X is A gives X is B.

Invalid syllogism to reject: all A are B plus X is B does not establish X is A (undistributed middle).

Necessary vs sufficient: a necessary condition must hold for the outcome; a sufficient condition guarantees it. Confusing the two is the most common flaw tested.

Ordering and sequencing items: convert each clue into an inequality or a fixed slot, then test the most restrictive clue first to eliminate answer choices.

Percent change = (new minus old) divided by old, times 100; a 20% increase followed by a 20% decrease leaves 96% of the original, a net 4% loss.

Percent of a number: part = percent divided by 100 times whole; to reverse a percent increase, divide by (1 + rate), e.g. divide by 1.15 after a 15% rise.

Work rate: combined rate equals the sum of individual rates; time together = 1 divided by (1/a + 1/b) for two workers finishing alone in a and b.

Distance = rate times time; for average speed over equal distances, average speed = 2xy divided by (x + y), not the simple mean of the two speeds.

Ratio and proportion: set up a cross-multiplication equation and keep units aligned; scale both parts of a ratio by the same factor.

Simple interest = principal times rate times time; compound amount = principal times (1 + rate/number of periods) raised to the number of periods.

Weighted average = sum of (value times weight) divided by sum of weights; the result always lies between the smallest and largest values.

Unit conversion and estimation: cancel units diagonally, and use rounding to check that a computed answer's magnitude is plausible before selecting it.

Subject-verb agreement: a subject joined by "and" takes a plural verb; subjects joined by "or" or "nor" take a verb matching the nearer subject.

Intervening phrases such as "along with," "as well as," and "together with" do not change the number of the subject.

Collective nouns (team, jury, agency) take a singular verb when acting as one unit; indefinite pronouns like each, everyone, and nobody are singular.

Pronoun case: use the subject form after "than" or "as" when it is the subject of an implied verb; use "who" for subjects and "whom" for objects.

Dangling modifier: an introductory participial phrase must describe the subject of the main clause, so rewrite if the intended actor is not the grammatical subject.

Parallel structure: items in a list, comparison, or correlative pair (either/or, not only/but also) must share the same grammatical form.

Punctuation: a semicolon joins two independent clauses; a colon follows a complete clause and introduces a list or explanation; commas set off nonessential elements.

Sentence fragments and run-ons: every sentence needs an independent clause, and two independent clauses need a conjunction, semicolon, or period between them.

Main idea answers must cover the whole passage; a choice that is true but covers only one paragraph is a supporting detail, not the main idea.

Inference questions require a conclusion necessarily supported by the text; eliminate choices that are merely plausible or rely on outside knowledge.

Tone and attitude questions are answered by word choice and connotation, not by the topic alone; extreme wording (always, never) rarely matches a measured passage.

"According to the passage" questions are literal retrieval: locate the exact sentence and reject choices that add qualifiers the text does not state.

Author's purpose verbs (to explain, to argue, to describe, to compare) must match the passage's structure: argument passages contain claims plus evidence.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the original sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's meaning, not the most common dictionary sense.

Sequence and cause-effect items: track signal words such as because, therefore, however, and before to map relationships among events or claims.

Elimination strategy: strike choices that contradict the passage, exceed its scope, or confuse cause with effect, then choose among the remainder.

CBP officer positions are covered by the General Schedule; entry-level officers typically start at GS-5 or GS-7 depending on qualifying education or experience, advancing to GS-9 and beyond.

The CBP Officer entrance process includes a written examination, structured interview, medical and fitness screening, drug testing, polygraph, and background investigation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is part of the Department of Homeland Security; its mission includes border security, trade facilitation, and travel enforcement at ports of entry.

Core officer duties at ports of entry include inspecting travelers and cargo, determining admissibility, assessing duties, and enforcing customs and immigration law.

Training occurs at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers in Glynco, Georgia, followed by port-specific instruction; officers must meet firearms and physical fitness standards.

Applicants generally must be U.S. citizens, hold a valid driver's license, pass a background investigation, and meet maximum entry-age rules tied to federal law enforcement retirement.

Veterans' preference and federal hiring authorities can affect ranking and selection; documentation must be submitted with the application to receive credit.

Situational-judgment items reward integrity, sound judgment, clear communication, and escalation through proper channels over shortcuts or personal favors.