October 2020 (PM) Customs Broker Exam

The October 2020 (PM) customs broker license exam (CBLE) was an open-book sitting of 80 multiple-choice questions in 4.5 hours, with 60 correct needed to pass. 56 questions from this sitting are in the simulator, each with the official citation from CBP's answer key and a plain-English explanation.

What this sitting was like

October 2020 was given in two sessions with separate question sets; this page covers the afternoon session. The AM session has its own page. It was also the only exam that cycle: the April 2020 sitting did not happen.

Citations on this sitting clustered in 19 CFR Part 111, Part 141 and Part 113, per CBP's own answer key.

Five questions from this exam

Q10. Company A imports furniture from Vietnam. A shipment of furniture was exported from Vietnam aboard a cargo ship on February 10. While the cargo ship travels to the intended port of San Francisco, Company A’s broker files a consumption entry on February 17 for this furniture shipment using an entry summary that serves as both the entry documentation and entry summary. On February 18, the cargo ship stops at the Port of Long Beach where it unlades other cargo as scheduled. No cargo is laded on the ship at that time. Then, on February 19, the furniture shipment arrives in the port limits of the Port of San Francisco where the furniture is unladed from the vessel as scheduled. Finally, the shipment arrives at Company A’s storage on February 20, where it will stay until ready to move to Company A’s showrooms. Which of the following is the earliest possible date of entry for this merchandise?

  1. AFebruary 10
  2. BFebruary 17
  3. CFebruary 18
  4. DFebruary 19
  5. EFebruary 20
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D  · Authority: 19 CFR 141.68(e)

The earliest possible date of entry is February 19 because, under 19 CFR 141.68(a)(3), when an entry summary is filed before the merchandise arrives within the port limits and the importer requests it, the time of entry is when the merchandise arrives. Although the entry was filed on February 17, the merchandise did not arrive within the port limits until February 19, which is the earliest date the entry can be considered valid. Option B (February 17) is incorrect because the merchandise had not yet arrived within the port limits at that time, and the entry summary cannot establish the entry date until arrival. Options A, C, and E are irrelevant as they occur before or after the merchandise arrives within the port limits.

Q21. ___________ is used to give power of attorney to conduct Customs business on behalf of another?

  1. ACBP Form 368
  2. BCBP Form 3347
  3. CCBP Form 4647
  4. DCBP Form 5291
  5. ECBP Form 7501
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D  · Authority: CBP Form 5291, 19 CFR 141.32

The correct answer is D) CBP Form 5291, as explicitly stated in 19 CFR 141.32, which designates this form as the official document for granting power of attorney to transact Customs business. Other options (A, B, C, E) are not referenced in the provided text and thus lack authority. The HTSUS text does not describe the content of other forms, so their relevance cannot be inferred.

Q66. Which of the following is NOT a valid method of appraisement according to the Trade Agreements Act of 1979?

  1. ATransaction Value
  2. BTransaction Value of Identical Merchandise
  3. CTransaction Value of Similar Merchandise
  4. DDerivative Value
  5. EComputed Value
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D  · Authority: 19 CFR 152.101 67 Credit to All 19 CFR 10.1010, 19 CFR 10.1012, HTSUS General Note 33

The correct answer is D) Derivative Value because the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as implemented in 19 CFR 152.101(b), explicitly lists five valid methods of appraisement: transaction value, transaction value of identical merchandise, transaction value of similar merchandise, deductive value, and computed value. Derivative value is not among these methods. The tempting options (A, B, C, E) are all explicitly referenced in the cited regulations, while "derivative value" is not mentioned in the HTSUS or the relevant 19 CFR provisions, making it invalid under the authority provided.

Q71. Withdrawals for consumption of merchandise in bonded warehouses shall be filed on which CBP form (CF)?

  1. ACF 3461
  2. BCF 6043
  3. CCF 7501
  4. DCF 7512
  5. ECF 7523
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C  · Authority: 19 CFR 141.61(e)

The correct answer is C) CF 7501 because 19 CFR 141.61(b) explicitly states that the entry summary must be on CBP Form 7501, which applies to withdrawals for consumption in bonded warehouses. Other options are incorrect because the cited authority does not mention CF 3461, CF 6043, CF 7512, or CF 7523 in the context of withdrawals for consumption. The regulation focuses on the requirement to use Form 7501 for entry summaries, which includes such withdrawals.

Q60. Henry Ford imported twelve ball bearings with integral shafts from Germany, which are classified under subheading 8482.10.10, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, at a 2.4 percent ad valorem duty rate and are subject to antidumping duties. The ball bearings are shipped by air and formally entered at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The total value of the shipment is $9875.00 USF. The applicable antidumping duty cash deposit rate is 72.65 percent. Using the above information only what is the total amount of fees and estimated duties that should be reported on CBP Form 7501?

  1. A$271.21
  2. B$7208.40
  3. C$7411.19
  4. D$7445.40
  5. E$7457.74
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D  · Authority: Value of Merchandise: $ 9875.00 Duty 2.4% = $ 237.00 MPF .3464% = $ 34.21 AD/CVD 72.65% = $7174.19 Total Duty/Fees Due = $7445.40

The correct answer is D because the total fees and duties include the 2.4% ad valorem duty (9875 × 0.024 = 237.00), the 0.3464% MPF (9875 × 0.003464 = 34.21), and the 72.65% antidumping duty (9875 × 0.7265 = 7174.19), summing to 7445.40. Option A omits the antidumping duty entirely. Option B incorrectly adds only the normal duty and antidumping duty but excludes the MPF. Option C includes the normal duty and antidumping duty but miscalculates the MPF. Option E incorrectly applies the antidumping rate to the total of the normal duty and MPF instead of the full value.

That is 5 of 56. Sit the full October 2020 PM session →

Answers and citations are from CBP's published answer key. CBP does not modify answer keys after appeal decisions, so where an appeal later overturned an answer, the key still shows the original.

What this exam was written against

The reference editions in force for this sitting. Editions matter: a question written against an older HTSUS or CFR can test a rule that has since changed.

Sit this exam

56 questions from this sitting are in the simulator, in their original exam order, on a 3 hour 9 minute clock. Same order the candidates saw them in, same pace.

24 questions are left out: 2 depended on exhibits CBP never published or were credited to every candidate, and 22 tested law that has since changed. The directions screen notes this before you start, so nothing is a surprise mid exam.

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CBP's official answer keys for recent exams are on CBP's past-exams page (the five most recent sittings only). Last verified against cbp.gov: August 2, 2026.