No, you do not need any experience in the industry in order to succeed. The Customs Broker License Exam (CBLE) requires different skills than day-to-day work in the industry builds. You'll want to focus on your test-taking habits and gaining familiarity with the paper resources whether or not you work in the industry.

We currently offer a 16-week online course leading up to each exam.

Yes! The course is time-intensive and focused because the exam is difficult. It's the only way to learn what you need to pass the exam. Having said that, it's completely doable if you work hard and are committed. We excel in breaking down complex topics into layperson language that makes them understandable. If there are areas where you are struggling, our team is available for discussion via the course instant-messaging platform to help you grasp the concepts.

The weekly lessons are prerecorded and can be viewed anytime.

The week before the course begins, you will be given access to our Introduction lesson in the online Learning Management System (LMS). Once the course officially starts, a new lesson will launch each week on Thursdays. That lesson covers 1-3 topics from the CBLE. Each lesson contains a recording about the topic along with multiple material handouts that you can study, print for your exam-room binder, or use to help complete the homework. There are also lists of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) sections that are usually tested in this topic, and you're responsible for familiarizing yourself with those sections. Each week comes with homework in the format of the exam (multiple-choice questions delivered electronically). The penultimate lesson comes with a comprehensive timed exam to simulate the CBLE experience. Please see the current schedule for the most up-to-date information. Once you complete the course, whether or not you take the exam, you have the opportunity to earn a certificate of completion.

Each week consists of a recorded webinar that lasts 1-2.5 hours. In addition to webinars, we assign weekly readings and homework. Most lessons have homework that consists of 50 questions to complete and submit and also have a voluntary practice option. Students typically take about 20 hours per week to listen to the webinar and do the homework and also probably spend an additional 10 hours per week on readings and study outside of that. It’s important to note that this is an average, so some weeks will take longer and some shorter, and the same goes for individual students. The course is self-steered - it's up to you to determine how much you want to put in. The more time you spend now familiarizing yourself with the regulations and building your test-taking skills, the more likely you are to succeed.

The course includes a lot of reference materials, but it does not include paper copies of the reference materials required to take the exam. The specific list of materials required varies slightly between each exam, but generally CBP requires:

• • 19 CFR Parts 1-199

• • Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, Basic Edition

• • ACE Entry Summary Instructions

• • ACE Entry Summary Business Rules & Process Document

• • Right to Make Entry Directive 3530-002A

After decades of experience, we strongly recommend paper copies of the reference materials during your study and at the exam. Digital copies are provided via our LMS, and you may choose to print them yourself. The CFR and HTS are many pages long, so most students opt to purchase them elsewhere. The last three items on the list are approximately 150 pages altogether and can be printed easily.

Starting on the October 2020 exam, CBP offered digital copies of the reference materials to use built into the exam software. Many of the test-takers who used these digital versions experienced computer problems while taking the exam. Many of these issues were resolved by the April 2021 exam, allowing test-takers to search electronically within resources. Now test-takers are struggling with the poor search function and finding that while ctrl+f works well while studying, it is not effective in the exam. This increases anxiety, slows answering questions, and generally is a high factor in student failure.

We highly recommend each person take a hard copy of all materials to the exam. Students should be familiar with these materials and have indexed them in a way so that can readily find the needed information.

No, however, we have recommendations for vendors that are responsive as well as suggested organization methods in the Materials Brochure. Please email us for the Materials Brochure if you would like a copy.

Yes, you can reach the instructor during the course via email and our instant-messaging system. The instructor, Jo Harper, loves to hear from you and talk about any questions or worries that you have. Star USA also offers a 1:1 tutoring package with Jo Harper which includes time for her to answer your questions directly as well as additional practice content. Our instant-messaging system allows you to interact not only with the instructor, but also your fellow students and the Star USA team, who are excited about making sure that your questions are answered!

Yes! If 3 or more people from an organization wish to enroll in the course, we offer a 15% discount on the course. Please contact Star prior to registering to receive this discount. We do not currently offer a military discount. Please visit our site for information regarding pricing of this course.

We do not offer refunds on the course or any of the materials purchased. If you have an extenuating circumstance, Star will work with you to determine the best course of action.

For students who pass the course (meaning an average score for the course of 75%), we guarantee that you have access to our course - free of charge - for subsequent sections until you pass the exam. Students who pass our course have an 85% pass rate on the Customs Broker Licensure Exam the first time they take it.

If you do not pass the exam and would like to continue your studies with us, you are automatically eligible for our next course if you have purchased the Tutor Package. Alternatively, you can purchase enrollment in the next course at a discounted price. You will continue to have access to the course you just took for two years, but the course contents won't be updated as the HTS and regulations change.

If you completed all course assignments with an average grade of 75% or higher, you will automatically be eligible for our next course as part of our pass-the-test guarantee.

We alert students throughout the course as to when the exam is scheduled and when registration for the exam opens and ends. We will happily work with students to determine the most convenient place for them to take the exam.

Absolutely! One of the first things you'll enjoy is commiserating with your fellow students after the test. Once CBP posts the exam, instructors will take the exam and provide preliminary answers. At that time, you can compare your answer sheet and have a good idea of if you passed the exam weeks ahead of when CBP posts their official answer key, letting you rest a bit easier. If you need to protest a few questions from the exam to reach a passing score, we are here to help you put together arguments that have a higher chance of success. Once you've received your passing score, our team is happy to discuss the licensure process to help you reach that final goal.