How the CBP Officer Entrance Exam Works (2026)

Checked on October 19, 2026, against the official CBP Officer Entrance Exam Preparation Guide (Publication No. 5302-1225, posted July 13, 2026), the current USAJOBS Announcement CBPO DH 27-1 and two closed announcements, CBPO 25-2 and CBPO VRA 25-6.

The CBP Officer Entrance Exam is the computer test that applicants for entry-level Customs and Border Protection Officer jobs take, and CBP's 2026 preparation guide is the official study guide for it. This guide explains how the CBP entrance exam works in 2026: who takes it and when, the three parts and their time limits, the adaptive rules, testing at home or at a test center, scoring, retakes and how to prepare. Where CBP does not publish a fact, such as how many questions are on the exam, we say so.

Who takes the CBP entrance exam, and when

The current announcement, CBPO DH 27-1 (posted October 1, 2026), says: "Applicants selected at the GS-5 or GS-7 grade levels must complete and pass the CBP Officer Entrance Exam." It lists the exam among the pre-employment steps, and those steps start only after you receive and accept a tentative offer. The announcement does not list the exam for GS-9 selections. All pre-employment steps are conducted in English.

The order has changed before. An older announcement, CBPO 25-2 (November 2024), evaluated applicants on the exam before they were referred for selection. Read the announcement you apply under, because it sets the steps for your application. The full path from application to the academy is in the CBP Officer hiring process guide.

The exam is given by a test vendor, not by USAJOBS. You register a separate account with the vendor and verify your email address, and the vendor's email gives you the links and the time window for each part.

The three parts and their time limits

• Experience Record (up to 60 minutes): a questionnaire about your background experience related to success as a CBP Officer. CBP says it needs no prior knowledge of the job and no preparation. You can exit it and return within the time frame in your email.
• Writing Skills Test (up to 63 minutes): grammar, syntax, usage, sentence and paragraph organization and punctuation.
• Logical Reasoning Test (up to 83 minutes): reasoning, decision-making, judgment and problem-solving. A 5-minute preview of how the test screens work comes before it.

These times are maximums, and the guide says many test takers finish each part in less time. Once you click the link for the Writing Skills Test or the Logical Reasoning Test, you must finish that test in one sitting.

How the adaptive test works: no skipping, no going back

The Writing Skills Test and the Logical Reasoning Test are computer adaptive tests. The first question is of average difficulty, and later questions are matched to your estimated ability. The rules that matter on test day:

• You cannot go back to a question after you submit an answer.
• You cannot skip a question, so give your best guess when you are unsure.
• There is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question.
• Do not try to judge how you are doing from how hard the questions seem.

How many questions are on the CBP entrance exam?

CBP does not publish a question count for either test. The guide gives pacing advice instead: about 1.5 minutes per question on the Writing Skills Test and about 3 minutes per question on the Logical Reasoning Test. Some websites divide the time limit by that pace and print the result as the number of questions. CBP does not state a count, so we do not give one. Plan your time by the pace CBP gives.

What the Logical Reasoning Test covers

Each question gives a paragraph drawn from written material about CBP or government work. You accept every fact in the paragraph as true and use no outside knowledge. Each question has five answer choices and one of two lead-ins:

• Positive: "it can be validly concluded that." One choice is valid, and four are not.
• Negative: "it CANNOT be validly concluded that." Four choices are valid, and one is not.

The guide teaches how to read "all" and "every" statements (do not reverse them), "none" and "not" statements, "some" (it means at least some), "most" and "many" (they say nothing about the rest) and if-then statements, where the contrapositive is valid but the converse and inverse are not. It also warns about words such as "unless," "except," "only" and double negatives. One tip runs against common test advice: do not avoid choices with "all" or "none," because those words appear in right and wrong answers on this test. The guide's practice set has 8 questions with a suggested time of 20 minutes.

What the Writing Skills Test covers

The guide reviews sentence parts, clauses, verbs, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, shifts in verb tense and voice, capitalization, punctuation and how sentences are ordered in a paragraph. Its practice set has 8 questions with a suggested time of 15 minutes, in three types:

1. A sentence with four choices: three specific corrections or "no correction is necessary."
2. Four versions of a sentence: pick the one correct in grammar, syntax, punctuation and spelling and suitable for a formal letter or report.
3. Four numbered sentences: pick the order that makes a well-organized paragraph.

One rule to know: the guide's comma rule puts a comma after every item in a series, and its examples follow that rule. On the test, use the guide's rules, even where other style guides differ.

The Experience Record

The Experience Record, also called the Candidate Experience Record, measures background experience. CBP says no preparation is needed, and Announcement CBPO 25-2 calls it "a short online questionnaire." A veterans-only announcement, CBPO VRA 25-6, asked applicants to complete it within 48 hours of its email, so open your email promptly. CBP does not publish how it is scored or whether it counts toward your exam score. Answer it honestly about your own background. We explain it, and we do not offer practice for it.

Taking the exam at home or at a test center

Under the 2026 guide, you can take all three parts at home within the time window in your email. You can switch to a test center up to 24 hours before an appointment, and if you booked a test center, you can switch to testing at home up to 24 hours before.

• At home: be alone in a quiet space, and use no outside aids unless they are approved as a reasonable accommodation. A desktop, laptop or tablet is recommended.
• At a test center: arrive 15 minutes early with your confirmation email (printed or on your phone) and a valid ID from the list in the email. No cellphone is allowed in the room, and your wallet and keys may also be barred. Bottled water is allowed.
• Accommodations: request them through the test vendor's instructions.

Plan carefully. If you do not complete the exam, cancel a test center slot less than 24 hours ahead or do not check in, your application is considered abandoned. You may reapply in the next open period.

Scoring and the pass score

The current guide and Announcement CBPO DH 27-1 do not state a pass score. The last announcement we found that did was CBPO 25-2 (November 2024): "To be eligible, applicants must pass the entrance examination with a score of at least 70." Passing did not mean you would be selected. CBP does not publish how the three parts combine into one score.

Retakes: the official wait is not consistent

The current guide and announcement do not say how long to wait before a retest. Two closed announcements disagree: CBPO 25-2 said to wait three months from the date you failed, and CBPO VRA 25-6 said 90 days. We found no official source for the six-month wait that some websites give. Check your announcement or ask the vendor before you plan a retest.

How long is a CBP entrance exam score good for?

CBP does not publish how long a passing result stays valid. Announcement CBPO 25-2 said a new entrance exam went into effect on February 1, 2024, and that test results from before that date are no longer valid. Beyond that, no official source we checked gives an expiration period.

What changed since the 2022 guide

• No arithmetic. The 2022 guide had an Arithmetic Reasoning section, with a calculator provided. The 2024 and 2026 guides have only the Experience Record, Writing Skills and Logical Reasoning.
• Testing at home. The 2024 guide put the Experience Record and Writing Skills at home and the Logical Reasoning Test at a test center. The 2026 guide allows all three at home.
• Old pages. CBP's own study guides page, last modified in May 2023, still links an arithmetic lesson and practice test. The 2026 guide governs, and it has no arithmetic.
• Scratch paper. The 2024 guide said the proctor gives scratch paper and pencils. The 2026 guide does not say whether scratch paper or a calculator is allowed.

Common mix-ups, checked against the official guide

How to prepare for the CBP Officer Entrance Exam

1. Read the official preparation guide. The 2026 CBP Officer Entrance Exam Preparation Guide explains the Logical Reasoning rules and the writing rules the test uses.
2. Learn the reasoning rules. Practice "all," "some," "none" and if-then statements until the valid and invalid forms are automatic.
3. Practice at CBP's pace. Aim for about 3 minutes per Logical Reasoning question and about 1.5 minutes per Writing Skills question.
4. Answer every question. You cannot skip or go back, and there is no penalty for guessing.
5. Use CBP's free practice tests. The CBP study guides page has Logical Reasoning and Writing lessons and practice tests, plus a scored final practice test on the vendor's site.
6. Set up your test space. A quiet room where you can be alone and a desktop, laptop or tablet.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• CBP Officer Entrance Exam Preparation Guide, Publication No. 5302-1225 (posted July 13, 2026)
• USAJOBS: Customs and Border Protection Officer, Announcement CBPO DH 27-1
• USAJOBS: Customs and Border Protection Officer, Announcement CBPO 25-2 (closed)
• USAJOBS: Customs and Border Protection Officer, Announcement CBPO VRA 25-6 (closed)
• CBP: study guides and practice tests
• CBP Officer Entrance Exam Preparation Guide, Publication No. 3706-0524 (2024, superseded, PDF)
• CBPO Entrance Exam Preparation Guide (2022, historical, PDF)

PrepRaven is an independent exam-prep site. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the Department of Homeland Security. Always confirm the rules in the current USAJOBS announcement and the current CBP preparation guide.

Last updated October 2026