Yes, it is very helpful to do test practice by taking old Customs Broker exams. But this is best done once the examinee has reviewed the study material and understood the basic concepts in all tested topics.

Taking old Customs Broker exams will help the examinee become familiar with the regulations and tariff. It will help them understand where relevant material is located to retrieve it quickly to answer questions. The regulations are not always arranged within specific topics and often relevant regulations on a particular topic may be scattered under different sections. Taking old practice exams forces examinees to search for and locate relevant content in the vast amount of reference material.

It also helps the examinee to spot question patterns and understand how different topics are tested, which is invaluable to be better prepared to take this challenging exam. Further, practicing classification by doing old classification problems will help improve both speed and accuracy in classification over time.

Certain topics are heavily tested in the Customs Broker Exam. Taking old practice exams will help examinees identify their areas of strengths and weaknesses to focus their efforts and gain maximum improvements.

However, there is one important caveat. The 19 CFR regulations and HSN tariff are often amended from time to time. Therefore, while taking old Customs Broker exams for practice, one should be careful to avoid getting confused by the official correct answers. The official answers are based on the regulations and HSN tariff that were in force at the time the test was administered. The current regulations and tariff may have been amended since then and the current correct answers may differ from the old official answers in some cases.

Despite this, taking old Customs Broker exams still provides excellent practice and it should be viewed as a great learning opportunity. There are errors even in the official answers on current exams which is why examinees are sometimes able to pass on appeal.

Using the reference material to answer lots of questions is still an excellent way to prepare for the Customs Broker License Exam with two caveats:

i. Take practice exams after you have completed the lessons and understood the basic concepts.

ii. Be aware that some of the official answers may be currently incorrect due to changes in the reference material.