April 2016 Preliminary Answers

(ETA:  Apologies for the late blog post.  Hopefully you got these answers already when we posted them Monday morning.)


Click here to get our preliminary exam answers.


If you are interested in a deeper dive, we also are making our preliminary commentary available today for a small fee.

If you are an exam student on bcpLearning, the preliminary commentary will be available free on our message boards, so be sure to check there instead of buying.


As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in the coming weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; they merely are presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are eager to have any idea of where they stand.


If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog.

Thank you for your patience and interest, and thanks for choosing Boskage!

April 2016 Exam Answers

As always, Boskage is committed to giving customs broker exam students as much support and information as we can. We know waiting for the official answers to the customs broker exam can be excruciating. That’s why we will be releasing our Boskage Preliminary Answers to the customs broker exam on April 11, 2016.

These answers are NOT CBP’s official answers. They are, however, answers from our experts and are historically, very accurate. You can compare your answers to the Boskage Preliminary Answers and get a pretty good idea of where you stand.

The answers will be available here.

If you have questions, please call 888-880-4088 or visit us at the Boskage site!

October 2015 Preliminary Answers

Click here to get our preliminary exam answers.


If you are interested in a deeper dive, we also are making our preliminary commentary available today for a small fee.

If you are an exam student on bcpLearning, the preliminary commentary will be available free on our message boards, so be sure to check there instead of buying.


As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in the coming weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; they merely are presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are eager to have any idea of where they stand.


If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog.

Thank you for your patience and interest, and thanks for choosing Boskage!

Preliminary October 2015 Exam Answers Coming

As always, Boskage is committed to giving customs broker exam students as much support and information as we can. We know waiting for the official answers to the customs broker exam can be excruciating. That’s why we will be releasing our Boskage Preliminary Answers to the customs broker exam on October 14, 2015.

These answers are NOT CBP’s official answers. They are, however, answers from our experts and are historically, very accurate. You can compare your answers to the Boskage Preliminary Answers and get a pretty good idea of where you stand.

The answers will be available here.

If you have questions, please call 888-880-4088 or visit us at the Boskage site!

April 2015 Preliminary Answers

Click here to get our preliminary exam answers.


If you are interested in a deeper dive, we also are making our preliminary commentary available today for a small fee.

If you are an exam student on bcpLearning, the preliminary commentary will be available free on our message boards, so be sure to check there instead of buying.


As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in the coming weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; they merely are presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are eager to have any idea of where they stand.


If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog.

Thank you for your patience and interest, and thanks for choosing Boskage!

UPDATE:  Preliminary answers will be posted before the end of the day Monday.

Another Broker's Exam is upon us . . . and with it, another round of preliminary answers from Boskage!

We will be posting our April 2015 preliminary answers (without commentary) for free through our site www.boskage.com, approximately 5 days after the exam (Friday).  Watch this space for the FREE download.

We will also post the answers with commentary through our online course at www.bcplearning.com to all our broker exam preparation students.  (Answers with commentary will be available for non-Boskage students for a fee.)

October 2014 Exam Preliminary Answers

Click here to get our preliminary exam answers.


Our preliminary answers will be available for free tomorrow. (UPDATE: free preliminary answers are now available.)

If you are interested in a deeper dive, we also are making our preliminary commentary available today for a small fee.

If you are an exam student on bcpLearning, the preliminary commentary will be available free on our message boards, so be sure to check there instead of buying.


As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in the coming weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; they merely are presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are eager to have any idea of where they stand.


If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog.

Thank you for your patience and interest, and thanks for choosing Boskage!

October 2014 Preliminary Answers - Status

Another Broker's Exam is upon us . . . and with it, another round of preliminary answers from Boskage!

We will be posting our October 2014 preliminary answers (without commentary) for free through our site www.boskage.com, approximately 10 days after the exam.  Watch this space for the FREE download.

We will also post the answers with commentary through our online course at www.bcplearning.com to all our broker exam preparation students.  (Answers with commentary will be available for non-Boskage students for a fee.)

April 2014 Preliminary Answers

Click here to get our preliminary unofficial exam answers as a free download from our online checkout system.

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As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in the coming weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; they merely are presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are eager to have any idea of where they stand.


If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog.

Thank you for your patience and interest, and thanks for choosing Boskage!

April 2014 Preliminary Answers - Status

Another Broker's Exam is upon us . . . and with it, another round of preliminary answers from Boskage!

We will be posting our April 2014 preliminary answers (without commentary) for free through our site www.boskage.com, approximately 10 days after the exam.  Watch this space for the FREE download.

We will also post the answers with commentary through our online course at www.bcpLearning.com to all our broker exam preparation students.  (Answers with commentary will be available for non-Boskage students for a fee.)

4/16/2014 UPDATE -- We plan to post preliminary answers on Thursday, April 17. 

4/18/2014 UPDATE -- We posted the preliminary answers yesterday, April 17.

October 2013 CBP Broker Exam Preliminary Answers

Click here to get our preliminary unofficial exam answers as a free download from our online checkout system.



As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in the coming weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; it merely is presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are (quite understandably) eager to have any idea of where they stand.

In three places, we've noted where we think there are errors in the exam itself that merit special attention.

If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog; however, we ask that comments be professional and to the point. We cannot respond to all of the comments, but this forum will provide you an opportunity to converse with each other.

Thank you for your patience and interest, and happy browsing!

October 2013 Customs Broker Exam - Answers Coming Next Week

We're hard at work on the broker exam for October 2013, and expect to post our preliminary answers by next Friday.

UPDATE -- Due to unexpected circumstances, our preliminary answers will not be posted tonight. However, we do not have many more questions to research before we are complete. We expect answers early next week.

Thank you for your continued patience.

NOTICE: The Shutdown and the October 2013 Broker Exam

Because CBP is considered an essential agency, CBP is not as affected by the government shutdown as other federal agencies.  Based on CBP's briefing and AAEI's newsletter, the Customs Broker Exam will proceed on Oct. 7. 

April 2013 Preliminary Answers

Determining potential answers for the broker's exam questions after the test is different in a few key ways from taking the test, but none is more key than the fact that we have more than four hours to give our answers. That means that we can take the time to research as much as we need to in order to get the most accurate (though still unofficial) document possible to all of you.

Click here to get our preliminary unofficial exam answers as a free download from our online checkout system.



As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in a few weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; it merely is presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are (quite understandably) eager to have any idea of where they stand.

If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog; however, we ask that comments be professional and to the point. We cannot respond to all of the comments, but this forum will provide you an opportunity to converse with each other.

Happy browsing!

April 2012 Preliminary Answers

Determining potential answers for the broker's exam questions after the test is different in a few key ways from taking the test, but none is more key than the fact that we have more than four hours. That means that we can take the time to research as much as we need to in order to get the most accurate (though still unofficial) document possible to all of you.

Click here to get our preliminary unofficial exam answers as a free download from our online checkout system.



As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in a few weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; it merely is presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are (quite understandably) eager to have any idea of where they stand.

If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog; however, we ask that comments be professional and to the point. We cannot respond to all of the comments, but this forum will provide you an opportunity to converse with each other.

Happy browsing!

Customs Announces ACE Simplified Entry Pilot Program

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced its plan to conduct a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) entry capability. According to CBP’s General Notice, the new trial will test entry filing via a process known as Simplified Entry, which will be filed in lieu of filing a Form 3461 or its electronic equivalent.

Simplified Entry is intended to simplify the entry process by allowing participants to submit twelve (12) required and three (3) optional data elements to CBP at any time before the imported goods arrive, as follows:

Required Data Elements

1. Importer of Record
2. Buyer name and address
3. Buyer Employer Identification Number (consignee number)
4. Seller name and address
5. Manufacturer/supplier name and address
6. HTS 10-digit number
7. Country of origin
8. Bill of lading/house air waybill number
9. Bill of lading issuer code
10. Entry number
11. Entry type
12. Estimated shipment value

Optional Data Elements

1. Ship to party name and address
2. Consolidator name and address
3. Container stuffing location

The Simplified Entry may not be filed in lieu of an entry summary, which still must be made in ACE. CBP has limited this initial phase to entries that are not under the admissibility jurisdiction of Other Government Agencies (OGAs). It also will limit to air shipments.

CBP has chosen the following nine brokers to participate in the pilot program, which is expected to begin at the end of 2011/beginning of 2012:

1. A.N. Deringer Inc.
2. Expeditors
3. FedEx Trade Networks
4. FH Kaysing
5. Janel Group of New York
6. Kuehne + Nagel Inc.
7. Livingston International
8. Page & Jones Inc.
9. UPS.

CBP Posts Answer Key to October 2011 Broker Exam

U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted the answer key to the October 2011 customs broker exam. We will review and determine whether any questions are protestable. Exam key can be found at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/trade_programs/broker/broker_exam/exam_and_key_downloads/oct_11_answer_key.ctt/oct_11_answer_key.pdf

ABI Notice regarding the Classification of Sets

On Oct. 6, 2011, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a notice through the Automated Broker Interface regarding sets classified in accordance with GRI 3(b) or 3(c). Specifically, CBP reminded ABI users to report in column 30 the HTSUS number of the part of the set that provides the duty rate for the set when the set is classified pursuant to GRI 3(b) or 3(c). Users should precede this HTSUS number with a SPI of “X.”

However, the set classification does not stop there. Each article included in the set needs to be classified separately and reported on a separate line, as though it was not part of a set. Those articles of the set that do not provide the duty rate for the set as a whole should be preceded with a SPI of “V.” Brokers will also need to report the quantity and value attributed to each article with the “V” SPI.

Here is where you can find this message on the Cargo Systems Messaging Service on CBP’s website: http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=18488&page=1&srch_argv=&srchtype=&btype=abi&sortby=&sby=

More “Free” Trade Anyone?

Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the bills sponsored by Representative Eric Cantor and a co-sponsor that is the first step in implementing the U.S. Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. The entire House of Representatives and the Senate are expected to vote on the bills the week of October 10.

Congressional action on these agreements has been a long time coming. The parties entered into the U.S.- Korea Free Trade Agreement on June 30, 2007 The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement was entered into on November 22, 2006, as amended by both governments on June 28, 2007 (Colombia TPA). The parties entered into the U.S.- Panama Trade Promotion Act on June 28, 2007 (Panama TPA).

Both the House and the Senate are expected to pass the three bills, referred to as the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, the United States- Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act and the United States- Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. Although President Obama is expected to sign the bills into law rather quickly, each Agreement will not take effect until the United States is satisfied that each country will be in compliance with the terms of the Agreements, respectively. For example, there is some concern that labor rights issues could delay the effect date of the Colombia Agreement. It is unlikely that any terms of the agreements will change between now and the enactment date. However, it is doubtful that the Korea FTA, Colombia TPA or the Panama TPA will take effect before the beginning of 2012. It could take up to several months for the President to certify that the countries are in compliance.

Korea FTA H.R. 3080

Colombia TPA H.R. 3078

Panama TPA H.R. 3079

October 2011 Broker Exam - Preliminary Answers

Determining potential answers for the broker's exam questions after the test is different in a few key ways from taking the test, but none is more key than the fact that we have more than four hours. That means that we can take the time to research as much as we need to in order to get the most accurate (though still unofficial) document possible to all of you.

Click here to get our preliminary unofficial exam answers as a free download from our online checkout system.



As always, remember that these answers represent only our opinion. The official answers will come from Customs and Border Protection in a few weeks and will be posted on their site. In other words, we probably answered the majority of the questions correctly, but these answers do not guarantee whether or not you've passed; it merely is presented as a helpful tool for broker students who are (quite understandably) eager to have any idea of where they stand.

If you would like to share your answers, explanations and comments, we invite you to post them as comments to this blog; however, we ask that comments be professional and to the point. We cannot respond to all of the comments, but this forum will provide you an opportunity to converse with each other.

Happy browsing!