Customs Broker Examination study plan
Customs Broker Examination · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Broker Responsibilities and Licensing
Map the licensing lifecycle from permit application through revocation, listing every filing and fee trigger
Draft a one-page table of broker duties, recordkeeping periods, and power-of-attorney requirements
Explain the difference between a licensed broker, a broker's employee, and an unlicensed agent in three worked scenarios
Solve 20 licensing and responsibilities practice items and log each miss with the rule that decides it
Your checkpoint
A two-page licensing cheat sheet plus a scored 20-item practice log with error notes
Classification and Valuation
Build a decision tree for GRI application order, including when headings are compared at subheading level
Classify 30 mixed goods to 8-digit level and justify each with GRI and chapter notes
Compute transaction value, additions, and exclusions for five fact patterns including assists and royalties
Distinguish when deductive, computed, or fallback value applies and state the trigger for each
Your checkpoint
A 30-item classification and valuation workbook with written justifications for every answer
Entry Procedures and Documentation
Sequence a standard consumption entry from bond and importer number through release and liquidation
List documents required for entry and identify which can be filed after release with a bond
Explain entry summary filing windows, duty payment deadlines, and the consequences of late filing
Compare formal versus informal entry thresholds and special entry types such as warehouse and FTZ
Your checkpoint
A one-page entry process flowchart with deadlines and document checkpoints annotated
Duties, Taxes, and Revenue Collection
Calculate ad valorem, specific, and compound duties across 10 scenarios with correct rounding
Apply HTSUS General, Special, and Column 2 rates to the same product and explain the difference
Compute merchandise processing fee caps and harbor maintenance fee on given shipment values
Work through three duty drawback fact patterns and confirm the refund percentage and time limits
Your checkpoint
A timed 25-question duty calculation set scored at 80 percent or better, with all work shown
Trade Agreements and Special Programs
Map eligibility rules and documentation for at least four trade programs, including USMCA and GSP
Determine rules of origin for five products using tariff shift and regional value content methods
Explain preference claim procedures, certification requirements, and post-importation claim options
Identify when a special program rate is denied and what protest or refund route remains
Your checkpoint
A trade program comparison matrix covering eligibility, documentation, and claim timing for four programs
Enforcement, Penalties, and Compliance
Categorize violations by penalty statute and match each to its intent and maximum penalty
Compute penalty exposure for three fraud, gross negligence, and negligence scenarios
Outline seizure and forfeiture process steps, including petition and remission options
Describe prior disclosure benefits and the elements that make a disclosure valid
Your checkpoint
A penalty exposure worksheet with three fully computed scenarios and statute citations
Broker Responsibilities and Licensing & Classification and Valuation
Re-test the two heaviest domains with 40 mixed items under timed conditions
Re-derive GRI order and valuation additions from memory without notes
Correct every missed item from weeks 1 and 2 and restate the governing rule
Identify the three weakest sub-topics and build a targeted drill list for each
Your checkpoint
A corrected error log showing before and after scores on a 40-item mixed set
Entry Procedures and Documentation & Duties, Taxes, and Revenue Collection & Trade Agreements and Special Programs & Enforcement, Penalties, and Compliance
Complete two full-length timed mock exams and record domain-level scores
Review every missed item across all six domains and confirm the deciding rule
Drill deadline and fee facts until recall is automatic
Finalize a one-page rapid review sheet covering all six domains
Your checkpoint
Two scored mock exams with a domain score breakdown and a finished one-page rapid review sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 75 percent on a 20-item classification and valuation quiz without notes
Week 4: Complete the duty calculation set at 80 percent or better within the time limit
Week 6: Correctly compute penalty exposure in all three scenarios and cite the right statute for each
Week 8: Score 80 percent or higher overall on both mock exams, with no domain below 70 percent