Why So Many People Run Out of Time on the Customs Broker Exam
One of the most common things I hear after every Customs Broker Exam isn’t:
“I didn’t understand the material.”
It’s this:
“I ran out of time.”
And in most cases, the issue isn’t intelligence or effort. It’s how people prepare for the exam.
The Customs Broker Exam isn’t a memorization test. It’s a process and decision-making exam under real time pressure. If you prepare for it the wrong way, time becomes your biggest enemy on exam day.
The exam is not about memorization
Many first-time test takers study as if they need to remember answers from memory. They read regulations, highlight passages, and try to “know” as much as possible.
That approach almost always breaks down on exam day.
CBP doesn’t expect you to memorize the CFR or the HTSUS. They expect you to:
- Identify the issue in the question
- Know where to look for the authority
- Apply it efficiently
- Move on
The exam rewards process, not recall. If you don’t have a repeatable process for navigating the materials, you lose time on every question.
Why time disappears so quickly
People rarely run out of time because they’re slow readers. They run out of time because of three very common mistakes.
1. Treating the exam like trivia
When you don’t have a clear method for approaching a question, you start second-guessing yourself. You reread the question. You reread the regulation. You check another section “just to be safe.”
Each of those choices costs a minute or two. Multiply that by 80 questions, and you’re suddenly racing the clock.
2. Not practicing navigation early enough
Most people know what the 19 CFR and HTSUS are. Far fewer people practice using them under time pressure.
If you haven’t practiced:
- finding the right section quickly
- narrowing down to the correct paragraph
- stopping once you have your answer
then exam day is the first time you’re doing all of that at speed. That’s when time slips away.
Navigation is a skill. Skills only improve with repetition.
3. Waiting too long to start studying
This is the biggest issue I see.
People often tell themselves:
“I’ll start seriously studying in February.”
By that point, you’re trying to:
- learn the structure of the exam
- learn the regulations
- learn how to manage time
all at once.
That’s a lot to stack on top of each other. The students who finish the exam comfortably are almost always the ones who started earlier than they thought they needed to.
What successful test takers do differently
The people who finish the exam on time usually have three things in common:
- They start early enough to build familiarity with the materials
- They practice how to find answers, not just what the answers are
- They simulate exam conditions well before test day
Time management on the Customs Broker Exam isn’t a last-minute trick. It’s something you build gradually over weeks of preparation.
A better way to think about exam prep
Instead of asking:
“How much do I need to memorize?”
A better question is:
“How quickly can I find and apply the right authority?”
When you shift your preparation toward process and navigation, confidence goes up and time pressure goes down.
Final thought
If you’re planning to sit for the April Customs Broker Exam, the best thing you can do right now is start building those skills early — before panic sets in and before the clock becomes your biggest problem.
We offer a free preview of our Customs Broker Exam course so you can see exactly how we approach exam navigation, timing, and strategy before committing to anything.