Takers of the April 2026 customs broker license exam have reported discrepancies between answers they listed on their own scratch paper tracking sheets and the digital score reports listing their recorded answers that were posted after the exam. Compounding those concerns are recent changes that limit the ability of test takers to appeal their scores to CBP.
CBP said the answer recording issues were resolved prior to the tests being graded, and CBP reported a 22% pass rate. CBP also posted the answer key to the test on May 13.
One examinee, who asked to remain anonymous because they were worried about their comments affecting their grade, told us they noticed the grading discrepancy when they got home and checked the score report CBP sent out.
A full day after the exam, the examinee said they compared with their friend who also took the exam that day. The examinee knew they both brought in paper tracking sheets after doing practice exams together. The two noticed that questions one through 17, for individuals who maintained a tracking sheet, were aligned with the score report that listed their officially recorded answers. But questions 18 and after were inconsistent with their paper answer sheets. There would be intermittent periods where the answers would align, and then some would again be different.
The examinee said around half of their answers didn't match. The two approached their instructor, who helped them draft emails to CBP.
“They just responded saying, ‘there was a known issue in the system. And now your answer sheet has been corrected,’” the examinee said.
Renata Pearson, a broker exam prep class instructor, had quickly found, through talking with her own students the day after the test, that it was a nationwide problem.
“It wasn't just one or two people. The proctoring company, or CBP, should have immediately emailed every single exam participant, 'We are aware that there is a problem.' They did not do that at this point,” she said.
CBP later sent a follow-up email to test takers, the examinee said, telling them there was an issue with the system, and to redownload their score report.
Pearson said some of her colleagues’ students found there were still some differing answers in their corrected version.
Read more here
