SJC Customs Training

Here’s the link to the  Notice of Examination for the April 2010 Customs Broker License Exam (CBE or CBLE) that has now been posted on CBP.gov: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/broker/broker_exam/notice_of_exam.xml

Of course this is a critical document for those planning to take the April exam since it lists the texts from which the exam will be created.  CBP always makes sure to state that answers to exam questions may not necessarily be found in these texts, but in general, it rarely goes beyond their parameters.  Hence, the Notice more or less puts a circle around the material you will need to study for the exam.

Two things are worth noting about the Notice for April: 1) the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS or HTSUS) version listed requires “supplements” and 2) the ant-dumping & countervailing duty (ADD & CVD) regulations are NOT listed as required material.

With respect to 1), the Notice indicates that the version of the HTSUS to be used for the April exam will be the 2009 HTSUS with supplements.  As most in the industry know, “supplements” for the HTSUS are the packets that come in the mail (if you have a subscription) and have blue-edges and blue-ink typography.  You must insert these blue-page supplemental pages into your original 2009 HTSUS and take out any existing pages that have been “replaced” by a supplemental page.  For 2009, this is  A LOT of pages, so if you haven’t done it, better get started!

As for the absence of the ADD & CVD regulations which are generally found in 19 CFR 351, let’s just be thankful they aren’t listed in the Notice.  They were last year, and that meant examinees not only had to buy another whole book, they also had to try to digest regulations that are not even administered by the CBP.  (They are U.S. Commerce Department regulations.)

For more on how to organize your materials to prepare and to take the exam, you can click here.