Appealing the results of the U.S. Customs Broker License Exam
The U.S. Customs Broker License Exam is a challenging exam and the pass rate has varied from 1.5% to 34% in the past. There are many factors for the low pass rate and the differences in pass rates between exam administrations.
- Most examinees do not prepare well enough to take this challenging exam.
- The material is vast and preparation is difficult without the right guidance.
- Many examinees do not follow the correct techniques or devote sufficient time to prepare for this exam.
- The exam is not standardized and some exam administrations are much more difficult than others.
The good news is that you should not despair if you failed the U.S. Customs Broker License Exam. There are numerous cases of examinees failing several times before achieving success. The exam is not standardized due to which the degree of difficulty can vary across different tests. It is possible that you may fail one test but manage to pass the next one.
The U.S. Customs Broker License Exam may contain a few erroneous questions and answers. It has been our experience that generally, CBP grants appeals in the case of 2 to 4 questions for each test. So if you failed by only a few points, it may be worthwhile to review the official answers to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to file an appeal. It is critical to review the question and official answer to find errors or scope of multiple interpretations etc. and support your appeal with strong grounds. In one case Attorney Valentine prepared grounds for appealing five questions for an examinee and CBP accepted four out of the five questions appealed. The examinee needed only one point to pass and she passed with points to spare.
Filing an appeal requires careful study and analysis of the questions and answers. For examples of successful appeals that we have filed in the past, please read the articles on our blog.
If you would like to seek Attorney Valentine’s help to prepare your grounds for appeal, you may use the form below.
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