Interesting. Even CBP officially recommends that you get hard copies of the CFR and HTS. Quote directly from the CBP CBLE exam site: “CBP highly recommends that CBLE candidates have paper copies of the references available during the exam. “

Students report problems with the PDF search function during the exam. Not all students, but the search issues seem to be random by location. Also, some remote students complained about getting kicked out of the exam computer and having to wait for help to re-enter the system. there seems to be an issue with the PDF search function on the exam computers. I estimate at least 80% of my students chose to use hard copies. Students who communicated with me after the exam were happy they did. Why? First, the exam computer is a single screen. Meaning when you access the PDF of the HTS or CFR, it blocks the screen and you cannot see the actual question anymore. Yes, you can kind of manipulate the box on the screen, but you end up with smaller print. THATS not perfect if you are trying to see the question while referring back to the HTS or CFR. Additionally, some students find that the search function is not perfect if you use a two word or three word search term.