CBP Hoping to Accommodate October Broker Test Takers After Cancellation of April Exam

Following the cancellation of the April customs broker exam, “there are a lot of people that are very interested in taking this broker exam in October” and CBP “is going to try and accommodate everyone possible,” said John Van Wallaghen, vice president at UPS Public Affairs, during the July 15 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting. The agency is planning on having a “split session on a single day” that will include morning and afternoon sessions, he said. Due to gathering restrictions, additional testing space will likely be necessary in order to hold the exams, he said.

CBP should take some other steps in order to make sure the October test can safely occur, the COAC said in recommendations. For example, CBP should move to a paper-based exam, rather than automated, as a way to reduce the number of people located in an individual test-taking location, the COAC said. Also, if CBP can't find enough government space to safely hold and proctor the exam, “CBP should allow alternate private sector locations within 30 miles of the CBP ports of entry,” it said.

Such contingency plans should now be considered primary plans, the COAC said. “If, by the registration start date of August 3, 2020, it is clear that emergency measures will not be taken in all planned Proctor locations, CBP would revert to a normal electronic exam at the designated proctor locations,” it said. CBP should also make sure for a minimum one-hour break between exam sessions to allow for proper cleaning and sanitizing, it said.

Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade, sounded amenable to the recommendations during the meeting. She said she has already asked the broker management team at CBP “to make as many of these decisions as soon as possible” so that registrants for the October exam can know what to expect. Still, “we will not have a perfect solution, but we do believe it's very important that we give people the opportunity to test for their license, so we are committed to that,” Smith said.