CBP officer entrance exam practice test

What the real test usually looks like

The entrance exam has three parts, in two places. CBP's August 2024 preparation guide says the exam is taken on a computer (CBP guide):

• At home: the Experience Record, up to 60 minutes. Questions about your background and experience.
• At home: the Writing Skills Test, up to 63 minutes. Grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation and how sentences and paragraphs are organized.
• At a test center: a 5-minute preview of how the test system works, then the Logical Reasoning Test, up to 83 minutes. The proctor gives you scratch paper and pencils, and you may not bring your own materials.

The times are the most you are allowed; the guide notes many people finish in less.

Question formats. The guide's Writing Skills practice uses three formats, each with four choices (CBP guide):

• Error correction: a sentence, then three possible corrections, with "no correction is necessary" as the last choice.
• Choose the correct sentence: four versions of a sentence, only one correct in grammar, punctuation and spelling and suitable for a formal report.
• Paragraph order: numbered paragraphs, three possible orders, and "no correction is necessary" as the last choice.

Each Logical Reasoning question is a short paragraph followed by five choices. You pick the one conclusion that can be validly drawn from the paragraph, or, when the question is worded negatively, the one that cannot.

No going back. Both tests are computer adaptive: each next question depends on your earlier answers. The guide says you cannot go back after submitting an answer and you cannot skip a question. It suggests about 1.5 minutes per Writing Skills question and about three minutes per Logical Reasoning question. It does not publish question counts (CBP guide).

What our mocks cover. Each full mock is 70 questions in 146 minutes: 42 writing skills questions (63 minutes at 1.5 minutes each), then 28 logical reasoning questions (83 minutes at about three minutes each), in the formats above. Like the real tests, you cannot go back to a question once you move on. Every answer is explained.

What our mocks leave out. The Experience Record, because it asks about your own background and has no right answers to practice, and the 5-minute system preview. Older CBP guides also described an arithmetic reasoning section; it is not in the 2024 guide, so our mocks do not include it. Our mocks are not adaptive: every learner gets the same fixed set of questions in a mock.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example for each question format, with the trap most people fall into.

1. Error correction: subject and verb. "The list of seized items were sent to the supervisor." Correction: change "were" to "was", because the subject is "list", not "items". Trap: matching the verb to the nearest noun instead of the real subject.

2. Error correction: no correction needed. "The officer and her trainee inspected the trailer." Two people joined by "and" take a plural verb, and "inspected" works for either. Answer: no correction is necessary. Trap: assuming every sentence must have an error. On this test, some do not, so do not change a correct sentence.

3. Choose the correct sentence. Four sentences differ by one detail each: a misspelling ("recieve"), a missing period, "who" against "which", or a stray comma. Read each one word by word and cross off any with an error. Trap: reading for meaning and missing small spelling or punctuation errors, because all four sentences say the same thing.

4. Paragraph order. Look for the paragraph that introduces the topic, then for words that point back to something already mentioned ("these steps", "at the same time", "in sum"). A paragraph starting "In sum" belongs at the end. Trap: choosing the order that matches how the paragraphs were numbered. Check the given order too, because it may already be correct.

5. Logical reasoning: "only". "Only certified officers may operate the scanner." Valid: "No officer who is not certified may operate the scanner." Not valid: "All certified officers operate the scanner." Trap: reversing "only", which turns a limit into a promise.

6. Logical reasoning: negative wording. When asked what cannot be validly concluded, four choices follow from the paragraph and one does not. Trap: picking the first true-sounding choice, as on a positive question. Before you answer, read the question again.

How to prepare

1. Read CBP's guide. It reviews grammar, usage, punctuation and paragraph organization, and includes Writing Skills and Logical Reasoning practice questions with the reasoning for each answer (CBP guide).
2. Plan your at-home session. The Experience Record and Writing Skills Test are taken at home. Pick a quiet time when you can finish without interruption.
3. Review the common grammar traps. Subject and verb agreement, "who" and "which", "their", "there" and "they're", commas, and commonly misspelled words such as "separate", "receive" and "occurrence".
4. For paragraph order, find the opening and the closing. Then use the linking words to place the middle.
5. For logical reasoning, use only the paragraph. Watch "all", "some", "none", "only" and "unless", and do not let what is true in real life decide the answer.
6. Practice without going back. Neither test lets you return to a question, so finish each one before you move on.
7. Practice at the real pace. About 1.5 minutes a writing question and three minutes a reasoning question (CBP guide). Take full timed mocks so the pace feels normal, then review every explanation.

How scoring usually works

CBP's preparation guide does not publish how the Writing Skills and Logical Reasoning Tests are scored or what score you need to move forward in the hiring process (CBP guide). Because both tests are adaptive, the questions you see depend on your earlier answers, so how hard the questions feel is not a reliable sign of how you are doing. Your application and test instructions are the place to check for how results are shared.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you answered correctly, with a breakdown for writing skills and logical reasoning, so you can see where to focus. It is a practice score: it is not a CBP score, and it does not predict whether you will pass.

Common mistakes on the CBP officer exam

• Changing a correct sentence. "No correction is necessary" is sometimes the right answer.
• Spending too long on one writing question. At about 1.5 minutes each, a hard one should not take five.
• Rushing logical reasoning. You have about three minutes each, so use the time to check every choice.
• Bringing in outside facts. A reasoning answer must follow from the paragraph alone.