October 2011 Official Notice of Examination Posted by CBP
July 30th, 2011
U.S. Customs & Border Protection has posted its Notice of Examination for the October 2011 Customs Broker License Exam (CBE) scheduled to take place on Monday, October 3, 2011. Click the following link to go directly to the Notice: Notice of October 2011 U.S. Customs Broker License Examination. For those taking the October exam, this document should be read EXTREMELY CAREFULLY since it is the only description of the October exam upon which you may legally rely for purposes of application and preparation. Print a copy of the Notice, read, highlight, and place it in your study binder for future reference.
Following are some highlights, but you should read the Notice yourself, to verify:
- Date of the Exam: Monday, October 3, 2011
- Deadline for Exam Application (CBP must RECEIVE the application by this date): Friday, September 2, 2011 (close of business)
- Place of Filing Exam Application: CBP Port at which you intend to take the exam
- Application Fee: $200
- Date by which you can Withdraw from the Exam and still receive a full refund: Wednesday, September 28, 2011
IMPORTANT–Versions of the principal texts CBP used to write the October 2011 exam:
- Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) 2011
- 19 CFR 1-199 revised as of April 2011
One relatively good source for guidance on obtaining the legal texts is Boskage Publications (which apparently is part of Thomson Reuters). It IS fairly risky to go into the exam with older versions that what is listed in the Notice, although some have been known to do it.
Finally, for more comprehensive guidance on the supplies and texts you will need for preparation and the exam itself, you can check this page.
What time is the exam?
What is the location of the exam?
Where do we send our checks to for the exam?
I phoned and they don’t know…the notice indicated ” Applications and fees submitted to CBP Headquarters will be returned.”
Regards,
Ken
The location of the exam depends on the location of you. It will be at the nearest U.S. customs port that is participating in the October exam administration, i.e. most large metropolitan areas. For example, if you plan to be in the San Francisco bay area at the time of the exam, you would take the exam in San Francisco.
When you apply for the exam, you will indicate your preference for the Port in which you wish to take it and submit your check and application to that port. You will then receive a letter (admission ticket) indicating the exact address of the exam venue as well as the time by which you need to be at the venue, typically 8:00 AM. (Note: if you want to be excluded from the exam, be there exactly 1 second late–they WILL NOT OPEN the doors for you under ANY circumstances.)
Hello Customs Buddy,
Thank you for the clarification on the process. I’ll be writing the exam at Port 2801 so to submit the applcation and fee, I’ll be going to the SFO airport to hand deliver the application and fee at the CBP office.
Thank you,
Ken