10 free, exam-style Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free PCI practice test to study every exam domain.
An investigator was previously employed by Company A and signed a non-disclosure agreement covering proprietary processes. Two years later, the investigator is retained by Company B, a direct competitor of Company A, to investigate suspected industrial espionage. The investigator's MOST appropriate action is to:
Correct answer: C - Decline the engagement due to the conflict of interest and risk of breaching the NDA
An employer is conducting an internal investigation into alleged timecard fraud and intends to terminate the employee if the allegations are substantiated. Which standard of proof MUST be met to support the termination decision?
Correct answer: C - Preponderance of the evidence
During a fact-finding session about missing inventory, the investigator becomes reasonably certain that the warehouse supervisor is responsible for the losses. The investigator now wishes to confront the supervisor and obtain an admission. The interaction has now properly transitioned from an interview to a/an:
Correct answer: B - Interrogation
A federal agency has formally declined criminal prosecution against an employee suspected of misusing agency resources. The agency now informs the employee that he must answer questions in an internal administrative interview or face termination. Which warning applies to this interview?
Correct answer: B - Kalkines warning
An investigator located in Texas (a one-party-consent state) places a recorded phone call to a subject located in California (an all-party-consent state). To lawfully record the call without notifying the subject, the investigator must comply with:
Correct answer: C - The stricter of the two state laws - California's all-party-consent rule
An investigator seizes a powered-on smartphone as evidence in an internal fraud investigation. To preserve the digital evidence, the FIRST action the investigator should take is to:
Correct answer: C - Place the device in a Faraday container
An employer has decided not to hire an applicant based on information in a consumer report obtained from a third-party background screening company. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, before issuing the final adverse action notice, the employer MUST:
Correct answer: A - Provide the applicant with a copy of the report and a Summary of Rights, then wait a reasonable period
In the Reid Technique nine-step interrogation, the step that IMMEDIATELY follows 'theme development' is:
Correct answer: B - Handling denials
A witness to a workplace assault tells the investigator, 'Oh my God, he just punched her - I can't believe what I saw!' The witness made the statement approximately 90 seconds after the incident, while still visibly shaken. If offered at trial to prove that the assault occurred, this statement would MOST LIKELY be admissible under which exception to the hearsay rule?
Correct answer: B - Excited utterance
During trial testimony, an investigator finds that her present memory of an interview conducted three years earlier is insufficient even after reviewing her contemporaneous notes. The notes accurately reflect her knowledge at the time of the interview. Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, the proper procedure is to:
Correct answer: B - Have the contents of the notes read into evidence under FRE 803(5) (recorded recollection)
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