The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Entrance Exam takes approximately 4–6 hours to complete and is made up of four different sections: logical reasoning, arithmetic reasoning, writing skills, and work style (personal assessment). Let’s take a look at each of these sections in detail:
CBP Entrance Exam– Logical Reasoning Section
This is usually the first part of the CBP test and it is used to measure candidates’ ability to understand written passages and draw reasonable conclusions.
The questions in this section of the border patrol exam involve reading passages that are related to the work of border protection or federal government.
Candidates are required to assess the information provided in the passage, and to determine whether a given conclusion is accurate based on their understanding of a given statement. In other versions, the candidate must select the most logical conclusion from the five response choices that are provided.
The logical reasoning part requires careful reading and focus. Note that the objective of this part is not to test your knowledge of the facts, but your critical thinking skills and your ability to draw conclusions from the given passage.
CBP Entrance Exam – Arithmetic Reasoning Section
The arithmetic reasoning section is used in the border patrol entrance exam to assess the test taker’s skills in mathematical knowledge and reasoning.
Candidates are to answer necessary arithmetic computations that consist of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. Some of the questions may involve calculations involving decimals, percentages, averages and rates, distance, and time.
The few word-based problems in the CBP exam will require candidates to read and understand sentences or short paragraphs before conducting the necessary calculations.
CBP Entrance Exam – Writing Skills Test
The arithmetic reasoning section is used in the border patrol entrance exam to assess the test taker’s skills in mathematical knowledge and reasoning.
Candidates are to answer necessary arithmetic computations that consist of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. Some of the questions may involve calculations involving decimals, percentages, averages and rates, distance, and time.
The few word-based problems in the CBP exam will require candidates to read and understand sentences or short paragraphs before conducting the necessary calculations.
CBP Entrance Exam – Writing Skills Test
All CBP officers need to exhibit superior writing skills. Border protection officers typically need to write up assessments and reports that are easy to understand. These reports need to be concise and grammatically accurate.
The writing skills tests measure a test-taker’s ability to use words in an appropriate content, format paragraphs in a logical manner, and use punctuation correctly.
CBP Entrance Exam – Work Style Section
The work style or personal assessment section is the last part of the CBP test. It assesses the candidate’s job-related experiences and achievements. The section consists of a questionnaire to examine an applicant’s skills and potentials.
