Appeal Helper: free sample from April 2026
One question from CBP's April 2026 exam, analysed the way the full Appeal Helper covers all 80 of the October 2026 exam: every answer you could have picked, rated for appeal strength, with the official text and a draft justification ready to paste.
Open each question you missed and find the answer you chose.
Appeal only Strong or Arguable options, at most four. Weak ones waste a slot.
Copy the draft justification into CBP's appeal template. It already cites the reference. Rules and deadline →
October 2026 Appeal Helper
All 80 questions, every option rated, paste-ready draft justifications for the strong ones. $49, or included in the CBLE Pass. Opens when CBP publishes the October 2026 exam.
How appeals work →Q48Broker's computer error, no entry summary filed: which liability statement is FALSE?1 arguable · 2 weak
Keyed answer: A. The question asks for the FALSE statement, so an appeal for B, C or D has to argue that your choice is false.
D) "Thrift Surety has legal responsibility …" Arguable
Support: HKI was the importer of record and had its own continuous bond with Total Country Surety. The obligations on a basic importation bond run to that bond's principal and surety: "the obligors (principal and surety, jointly and severally) agree to … deposit … any duties, taxes, and charges" (19 CFR 113.62(a)(1)(i)). Thrift Surety is surety only on Best's own bond. None of the key's cited sections (113.62(a)(1)(i), 141.101(a), 142.12(b), 142.15) makes a broker's surety answerable for its client's entry.
CBP's likely counter: CBP's guidance notes that a broker making entry "may permit the use of their bond to provide the required coverage" (ACE BRPD, Ch. 1, § 1.3). CBP may read Best's bond as covering the entry. The facts don't say Best's bond was used.
I selected D because the statement about Thrift Surety is false on these facts. HKI filed as importer of record and maintained its own continuous basic importation and entry bond with Total Country Surety, so that bond secured the entry. Under 19 CFR 113.62(a)(1)(i), the obligation to deposit duties, taxes and charges is undertaken by the obligors on the bond, its principal and surety, jointly and severally. Thrift Surety is the surety only on Best's own bond. Nothing in the facts shows Best's bond was designated for this entry. None of the cited provisions (19 CFR 113.62(a)(1)(i), 141.101(a), 142.12(b), 142.15) gives a broker's surety liability for an entry secured by the importer's bond. D is therefore a false statement, and it is the best answer. Citation: 19 CFR 113.62(a)(1)(i).
C) "… CBP will make a demand for payment on Total Country Surety" Weak
Why it fails: Total Country is the surety on the bond the entry was charged to, and sureties are liable jointly and severally with the principal (19 CFR 113.62(a)(1)). The 60 days matches the window to petition for relief (19 CFR 172.3(b)). One nuance, 19 CFR 172.1(a), says sureties are notified when the claim issues, not only after 60 days. That is too thin to show C is false.
B) "HKI is liable … because it is the importer of record" Weak
Why it fails: HKI is the importer of record and the principal on the bond that secured the entry (19 CFR 113.62(a)(1)), so B is true. No support found for arguing it false.
Ratings are our analysis of the official references, not CBP's. No rating guarantees a successful appeal. CBP's instructions ask for justifications in your own words, so edit any draft as you see fit. Only examinees scoring 57 or more out of 80 may appeal (CBP, April 2026 rules).