Customs Broker Exam pass rate
Published pass rates for the last 5 sittings run from 12% to 30%, averaging about 21%. Passing takes 60 correct answers out of 80 — 75%.
| Sitting | Pass rate | Out of 100 candidates |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | 22% | 22 passed, 78 did not |
| October 2025 | 12% | 12 passed, 88 did not |
| April 2025 | 30% | 30 passed, 70 did not |
| October 2024 | 18% | 18 passed, 82 did not |
| May 2024 | 22% | 22 passed, 78 did not |
Rates as published by CBP for each sitting; figures checked October 6, 2026. CBP releases each paper and its answer key after the exam, which is where this site's 1,261 questions come from.
What the number means for you
A 12–30% pass rate is not a warning about how clever the candidates are. It is a warning about the clock. The exam is open book, so nothing is hidden from you; what is scarce is the three minutes you get per question against thousands of pages of HTSUS and 19 CFR.
It also means a retake is the norm rather than the exception. Most people who hold the licence sat the exam more than once, which is why the honest way to plan is to budget for two sittings and to treat the first as the one you intend to win.
The gap between a near miss and a pass is usually a handful of questions in two or three topics. Finding out which topics those are — before exam day — is the whole game.