Checked 29 October 2026. Rules as in the eCFR (Title 19, current to 26 October 2026) and the 2026 HTSUS, Revision 21. CBP sets the reference editions for each sitting, which can be older than the current text.
The Customs Broker License Exam (CBLE) is open book, so preparation is about knowing which rule applies and finding it fast in Title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations (19 CFR) or the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS). Below are four original practice questions, one from each of the four largest exam categories. Each answer ends with a Find it line: the exact place to look the rule up. They are the free sample of our CBLE practice test, so you can also sit them in the timed player.
CBP General CBLE Information (last modified 27 Jan 2026). The pace is 270 minutes divided by 80 questions.
How to use these questions
Answer each question before you open the answer, the way you would on exam day: decide which part of the references holds the rule, find it, then choose. When you open the answer, read the Find it line and look the rule up yourself, even if you got it right. That lookup is the habit the exam rewards.
The questions are ours, written from the current regulations and tariff. They are not CBP exam questions. CBP's own past papers and answer keys are free on its website; our guide to them is CBLE past exams and answer keys.
FreeTests: Entry / Entry Summary · Broker Compliance · Valuation, Appraisement and Duty Assessment · Classification
CBLE Practice Test: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 14 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.Four practice questions with answers
Question 1 · Entry / Entry Summary
An importer finds that its own negligence caused an undervaluation on several entries, resulting in a loss of duties of $8,000. Before CBP starts any formal investigation, it makes a valid prior disclosure and tenders the $8,000. Under 19 U.S.C. 1592, what is the maximum monetary penalty CBP may assess?
- A) $16,000, which is two times the $8,000 loss of duties, taxes and fees.
- B) $8,000, which is one times the loss of duties, taxes and fees tendered.
- C) 20 percent of the dutiable value of the merchandise on the entries.
- D) The interest on the $8,000 loss, computed from the date of liquidation.
Show the answer and where to find it
Answer: D.
With a valid prior disclosure, the cap for a negligent (or grossly negligent) violation drops to the interest on the loss of duties, taxes and fees, computed from the date of liquidation. Without a prior disclosure, the negligence cap is the lesser of the domestic value of the merchandise or two times the loss of duties, taxes and fees. One times the loss is the prior-disclosure cap for fraud, not negligence, and the 20 percent figure applies only to a negligent violation with no loss of revenue and no prior disclosure.
Find it: 19 CFR 162.73(b)(2); 19 CFR 162.73(a)(3)(i); 19 CFR 162.74(a)(1)
Question 2 · Broker Compliance
A client sends its customs broker the money for duties on an entry, but the payment reaches the broker after the date the duties were due to CBP. What does 19 CFR Part 111 require the broker to do with that payment?
- A) Transmit it to the Government within 5 working days from receipt.
- B) Transmit it to the Government within 10 working days from receipt.
- C) Return it to the client within 60 calendar days with a statement.
- D) Hold it until CBP issues a bill and pay within 30 calendar days.
Show the answer and where to find it
Answer: A.
Part 111 requires that a payment a broker receives from a client after the due date be transmitted to the Government within 5 working days from the broker's receipt. The 60-calendar-day period in the same paragraph is for giving the client a written statement accounting for funds the broker received but did not pay over; it is not a deadline for paying CBP.
Find it: 19 CFR 111.29(a)
Question 3 · Valuation, Appraisement and Duty Assessment
A U.S. buyer purchases machine parts from an unrelated seller at a CIF price of $52,000, which separately lists $3,000 for ocean freight and $500 for marine insurance. The buyer also pays a $1,200 commission to the seller's sales agent and an $800 fee to its own buying agent, and it supplied the seller, free of charge, molds used to produce these parts, with an assist value of $4,000 (including transportation to the place of production) apportioned entirely to this shipment. What is the transaction value?
- A) $49,700
- B) $57,200
- C) $53,700
- D) $54,500
Show the answer and where to find it
Answer: C.
Start with the price actually paid, less the separately identified international freight and insurance: $52,000 - $3,000 - $500 = $48,500. Add the selling commission ($1,200) and the assist value of the molds ($4,000): $48,500 + $1,200 + $4,000 = $53,700. The buying agent's fee is not one of the five statutory additions, so $54,500 wrongly adds it; $57,200 fails to remove freight and insurance, and $49,700 leaves out the assist.
Find it: 19 CFR 152.103(b)(1); 19 CFR 152.103(b)(2); 19 CFR 152.103(d)(2); 19 CFR 152.102(f); 19 CFR 152.102(a)(1)(ii)
Question 4 · Classification
A bicycle that lacks only its pedals is imported unassembled, with all of its other components packed in a single carton. Heading 8712 covers bicycles and other cycles, not motorized, and heading 8714 covers parts and accessories of the vehicles of headings 8711 to 8713. How is the shipment classified?
- A) In heading 8714 as bicycle parts, by application of GRI 1.
- B) In heading 8712 as a bicycle, by application of GRI 3(b).
- C) In heading 8714 as the last heading in order, under GRI 3(c).
- D) In heading 8712 as a bicycle, by application of GRI 2(a).
Show the answer and where to find it
Answer: D.
GRI 2(a) extends a heading for an article to that article incomplete, if it has the essential character of the complete article, and to the article entered unassembled or disassembled; a bicycle lacking only pedals keeps that character, so it goes to heading 8712. Classifying the carton as parts under GRI 1 ignores GRI 2(a). GRI 3 applies only when goods are prima facie classifiable under two or more headings, which GRI 2(a) prevents here.
Find it: HTSUS GRI 2(a); HTSUS heading 8712
- Essentials-50 in three short sets
- Two 80-question mocks, 4 h 30 min each
- Split by exam category like CBP's papers
- Every answer explained
- Where to find each rule: 19 CFR, HTSUS, CBP form
- A score by exam category
The four questions at a glance
| Question | Category | Answer | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entry / Entry Summary | D | 19 CFR 162.73(b)(2); 19 CFR 162.73(a)(3)(i); 19 CFR 162.74(a)(1) |
| 2 | Broker Compliance | A | 19 CFR 111.29(a) |
| 3 | Valuation, Appraisement and Duty Assessment | C | 19 CFR 152.103(b)(1); 19 CFR 152.103(b)(2); 19 CFR 152.103(d)(2); 19 CFR 152.102(f); 19 CFR 152.102(a)(1)(ii) |
| 4 | Classification | D | HTSUS GRI 2(a); HTSUS heading 8712 |
Open the answers above before you read this table: it gives the keys away.
How to read a Find it line
A 19 CFR reference such as 19 CFR 152.103(b)(1) reads from the outside in: Part 152 (valuation of merchandise), section 152.103 (transaction value), paragraph (b), subparagraph (1). In the printed CFR, the Part number is the first thing to find, then the section heading; the paragraph letters run down the section in order, so a reference with a paragraph tells you how far down to read. On the eCFR website, the section opens directly from a link like the ones above.
An HTSUS reference names either a General Rule of Interpretation (GRI 1 to 6, printed at the front of the schedule), a heading (four digits, such as 8712), or a section or chapter note. Notes come before the headings of each section or chapter and can decide a classification on their own, so read the notes before you compare headings. A CBP form number (for example CBP Form 19, the protest form) identifies the form; the deadlines and content rules for it are in the regulations, so check those too.
FreeTests: Entry / Entry Summary · Broker Compliance · Valuation, Appraisement and Duty Assessment · Classification
CBLE Practice Test: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 14 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.Where the marks are: questions per category
CBP's four most recent published papers (October 2024 to April 2026) each open with a table of categories and question counts. Entry / Entry Summary was 25 questions on all four. The average split is below, with the counts our full mocks use (some categories reweighted to fit 80 questions).
| Category | Average of the last four papers | In each of our mocks |
|---|---|---|
| Entry / Entry Summary | 25 | 25 |
| Broker Compliance | 16.75 | 16 |
| Valuation, Appraisement and Duty Assessment | 15 | 15 |
| Classification | 12.5 | 14 |
| Practical Exercise | 6 | 5 |
| Modernized Drawback or Quota | 4.75 | 5 |
Our mocks, based on the average of CBP's October 2024 to April 2026 papers, with some categories reweighted to fit 80 questions.
Averages are our arithmetic from each paper's own category table (CBP publications for October 2024, April 2025, October 2025 and April 2026). Drawback had 5 questions on the first two papers; Quota had 5 and 4 on the last two.
Practise the lookup, not just the law
A simple routine for every practice question
- Name the source first. Before you read the options, say where the rule lives: a Part of 19 CFR, a General Rule of Interpretation, a heading, a note.
- Find it, then answer. Open the reference and read the paragraph before you choose your answer.
- Log every slow lookup. If finding the rule took more than a few minutes, tab that page so you can find it faster next time.
- Sit full mocks on the clock. 80 questions in 270 minutes, once you know the core rules.
Our suggested routine, not CBP guidance.
The CBLE practice test follows that order: the Essentials-50 first (the core rules in three short sets, in plain English), then two full 80-question mocks on a 4 hour 30 minute clock, split by category like CBP's recent papers. Every answer has its Find it line.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real CBLE questions?
No. They are original questions written from the current 19 CFR and the 2026 HTSUS. CBP publishes its recent exams and answer keys on its website for free.
Which edition of the references should I use?
The editions CBP lists on its Registration Information page for your sitting. They can be older than the current eCFR and HTSUS used here, so check any rule against the listed edition.
How many questions do I need to pass the CBLE?
CBP requires a score of 75 percent, which is 60 of the 80 questions.
Is the CBLE open book?
Yes. CBP lists the reference materials for each sitting, usually the HTSUS, Title 19 CFR and CBP documents such as the ACE Entry Summary Instructions.
Sources
- official — CBP: "General CBLE Information" (last modified 27 Jan 2026): purpose, 80 questions, 75% to pass, 4.5 hours, eligibility, exam categories, reference materials
- official — CBP: "Customs Broker License Exam (CBLE) Registration Information" (last modified 15 Jun 2026): timeline, $390 fee, ID and citizenship, locations, references for 28 Oct 2026, exam-day rules, results
- official — CBP: "Past Customs Broker License Examinations & Answer Keys" (last modified 13 May 2026): exams and keys for May 2024 to April 2026
- official — eCFR: 19 CFR Part 111, Customs Brokers (sections 111.11, 111.12, 111.13, 111.30, 111.96)
- official — USITC: Harmonized Tariff Schedule archive (2025 Basic Edition and 2024 revisions)
- official — eCFR: Title 19, Customs Duties (current to 26 Oct 2026): sections 111.29, 152.102, 152.103, 162.73 and 162.74
- official — USITC: Harmonized Tariff Schedule, 2026 Revision 21: General Rules of Interpretation and chapter 87
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
FreeTests: Entry / Entry Summary · Broker Compliance · Valuation, Appraisement and Duty Assessment · Classification
CBLE Practice Test: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 14 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.
