AFOSI Special Agent Selection Cognitive Exam (Air Force Office of Special Investigations)

A lead will be investigated if, and only if, a special agent deems it credible. A lead from a trusted source is generally deemed credible. Lead #14 came from a trusted source and was investigated. Based only on this, which statement must be true?

• ALead #14 was deemed credible by a special agent
• BLead #14 came from an informant
• CEvery credible lead leads to a prosecution
• DAll leads from trusted sources are eventually closed

Read the statement: 'It is not the case that all reports were submitted on time.' Which conclusion can be validly inferred?

• ANo reports were submitted on time
• BSome reports were not submitted on time
• CAll reports were submitted late
• DExactly half the reports were late

All successful agents pass the fitness test. Agent Diaz is a successful agent. Which conclusion follows validly?

• AAgent Diaz passed the fitness test
• BEveryone who passed the fitness test is a successful agent
• CSome agents who failed the fitness test are successful
• DAgent Diaz trains daily

If an investigation crosses international jurisdiction, then a legal attache briefing is required. This investigation does NOT require a legal attache briefing. What follows?

• AThe investigation crosses international jurisdiction
• BThe investigation does not cross international jurisdiction
• CA briefing was held anyway
• DThe investigation is closed

Choose the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to 'corroborate.'

• AConfirm
• BRefute
• CDocument
• DStrengthen

Some evidence items are admissible. All admissible items have a documented chain of custody. Which statement must be true?

• AAll evidence items have a documented chain of custody
• BSome evidence items have a documented chain of custody
• CNo inadmissible item has a chain of custody
• DEvery documented item is admissible

Analogy: WITNESS is to TESTIMONY as AUTHOR is to ____.

• AReader
• BManuscript
• CEditor
• DLibrary

Either the suspect used the rear entrance or an accomplice disabled the alarm. The alarm was never disabled. Which conclusion is valid?

• ANo accomplice was involved at all
• BThe suspect used the rear entrance
• CThe suspect used the front entrance
• DBoth statements are false

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: 'The agent's account of events was entirely ____ with the physical evidence at the scene.'

• Aconsistent
• Bconsistently
• Cconsist
• Dconsistency

No fabricated reports are reliable. Some submitted reports are fabricated. Which conclusion is valid?

• ASome submitted reports are not reliable
• BAll submitted reports are reliable
• CNo submitted reports are reliable
• DAll reliable reports are submitted

An agent argues: 'Crime fell after we added patrols, so the patrols caused the drop.' This reasoning is most vulnerable to which criticism?

• AIt assumes correlation proves causation
• BIt uses a valid deductive form
• CIt defines its terms too precisely
• DIt relies on an irrelevant analogy

Select the word most nearly the SAME in meaning as 'culpable.'

• ABlameless
• BGuilty
• CCautious
• DHidden

If a memo is classified, then it must be stored in a secure container. Memo 7 is stored in a secure container. What can be validly concluded?

• AMemo 7 is classified
• BMemo 7 is not classified
• CNothing can be concluded about Memo 7's classification
• DMemo 7 must be destroyed

Analogy: SUSPECT is to INVESTIGATE as PATIENT is to ____.

• ADiagnose
• BHospital
• CDoctor
• DRecover

All counterintelligence cases require a security clearance. Some fraud cases also require a security clearance. Which statement is necessarily true?

• AAll fraud cases are counterintelligence cases
• BSome cases requiring a clearance are fraud cases
• CNo fraud case is a counterintelligence case
• DEvery clearance-required case is a fraud case

Choose the sentence that is logically equivalent to: 'Only authorized personnel may enter the vault.'

• AIf a person may enter the vault, then that person is authorized
• BIf a person is authorized, then that person may enter the vault
• CAll authorized personnel must enter the vault
• DSome authorized personnel may enter the vault

Select the word most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to 'overt.'

• AOpen
• BObvious
• CCovert
• DDirect

An argument states: 'Every agent I have met is detail-oriented; therefore all agents are detail-oriented.' What is the main weakness?

• AIt generalizes from a possibly unrepresentative sample
• BIt contradicts its own premise
• CIt uses circular reasoning
• DIt appeals to an authority

If the polygraph is inconclusive, the candidate is rescheduled. The candidate was not rescheduled. Which conclusion follows?

• AThe polygraph was inconclusive
• BThe polygraph was not inconclusive
• CThe candidate failed the polygraph
• DThe candidate withdrew

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: 'Because the testimony was uncorroborated, the agent treated it with appropriate ____.'

• Acredulity
• Bskepticism
• Cindifference
• Dhostility

Analogy: ENCRYPT is to PLAINTEXT as LOCK is to ____.

• AKey
• BDoor
• CThief
• DBurglary

All items logged before noon were photographed. Item 22 was not photographed. Which conclusion is valid?

• AItem 22 was logged before noon
• BItem 22 was not logged before noon
• CItem 22 was logged after midnight
• DItem 22 was destroyed

Select the word most nearly the SAME in meaning as 'discrepancy.'

• AAgreement
• BInconsistency
• CSummary
• DConfession

Premise: 'Whenever the server logs show a failed login, an alert is generated.' An alert was generated at 0300. Can we conclude a failed login occurred at 0300?

• AYes, a failed login certainly occurred
• BNo, alerts may have other causes
• CYes, but only if the server was online
• DNo, alerts are never tied to logins

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: 'The two witness statements were so ____ that investigators suspected the accounts had been coordinated in advance.'

• Adivergent
• Bidentical
• Cincomplete
• Dirrelevant

Passage: 'The Office of Special Investigations conducts criminal, fraud, and counterintelligence investigations for the Department of the Air Force. Agents are drawn from active-duty officers and enlisted Airmen, civilians, and reservists.' According to the passage, who can serve as OSI agents?

• AOnly active-duty officers
• BOfficers, enlisted Airmen, civilians, and reservists
• COnly civilians with prior law enforcement experience
• DOnly enlisted Airmen below the rank of sergeant

Passage: 'During the assessment step, applicants attend an in-person meeting where they complete an interview, a writing assessment, and a computer-based cognitive exam. Special agents evaluate these items to gauge competitiveness for the Agent Suitability Investigation.' What is the purpose of the assessment items?

• ATo set the applicant's final salary
• BTo gauge competitiveness for the Agent Suitability Investigation
• CTo replace the background investigation
• DTo certify firearms qualification

Passage: 'New OSI special agent recruits begin training with an 11-week Criminal Investigator Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center before continuing to agency-specific instruction.' Which inference is best supported?

• ACITP is the only training OSI agents receive
• BTraining begins at FLETC and is followed by additional instruction
• CRecruits skip FLETC if they have prior experience
• DThe program lasts one full year

Passage: 'Chain of custody documents who handled an item of evidence, when, and for what purpose, from collection to courtroom. A single undocumented transfer can render an item inadmissible.' What is the central idea?

• AEvidence is always admissible if photographed
• BUnbroken documentation of evidence handling is essential to admissibility
• COnly the collecting agent may handle evidence
• DCourtrooms rarely examine chain of custody

Passage: 'An informant provided a tip on Tuesday. Agents verified the suspect's address on Wednesday and obtained a warrant on Thursday. The search was executed Friday morning.' On which day was the warrant obtained?

• ATuesday
• BWednesday
• CThursday
• DFriday

Passage: 'Counterintelligence focuses on identifying and neutralizing foreign intelligence threats, whereas criminal investigations address violations of law such as fraud or theft. Some cases involve both elements.' Which statement is best supported?

• ACounterintelligence and criminal work never overlap
• BA single case may contain both counterintelligence and criminal elements
• CFraud is a counterintelligence matter
• DCriminal investigations focus on foreign threats

Passage: 'Field reports should record only observed facts. Conclusions and opinions belong in a separate analysis section so that readers can distinguish what occurred from what the agent infers.' Why separate facts from conclusions?

• ATo make the report longer
• BSo readers can distinguish observations from inferences
• CBecause opinions are prohibited entirely
• DTo hide the agent's reasoning

Passage: 'Although the witness initially claimed to have seen nothing, she later provided a detailed description of the vehicle. Investigators noted the inconsistency but did not discount her account outright.' What does the passage suggest about the investigators' approach?

• AThey immediately rejected the witness
• BThey weighed the inconsistency without automatically dismissing the account
• CThey accepted both statements as equally true
• DThey charged the witness with a crime

Passage: 'A security clearance is required before an OSI agent can access classified information. The clearance is granted only after a favorable background investigation.' Which condition must come first?

• AAccessing classified information
• BA favorable background investigation
• CPromotion to officer rank
• DCompletion of field training

Passage: 'The interview panel evaluates candidates on judgment, communication, and integrity rather than on memorized facts. Rehearsed answers that lack genuine reflection tend to score poorly.' What kind of response is the panel seeking?

• AMemorized definitions of legal terms
• BThoughtful, genuine responses reflecting judgment and integrity
• CThe fastest possible answers
• DAnswers that avoid any personal experience

Passage: 'Of 120 tips received in a month, 30 were anonymous. Of the anonymous tips, one-third led to a follow-up interview.' How many anonymous tips led to a follow-up interview?

• A10
• B30
• C40
• D90

A department buys badges at $18 each for all 12 graduates of a training class. What is the total cost of the badges?

• A$180
• B$196
• C$216
• D$240

An agent rented a vehicle for 5 days at $40 per day plus $0.25 per mile. The total bill was $400. How many miles were driven?

• A600
• B700
• C800
• D900

A case backlog dropped from 250 cases to 200 cases over a quarter. What was the percentage decrease?

• A10%
• B20%
• C25%
• D50%

Three agents process evidence at the same steady rate and clear 90 items in 6 hours together. How many items would 2 agents clear in 6 hours at the same individual rate?

• A45
• B60
• C75
• D90

A surveillance log shows entries at 0900, 1015, 1130, and 1245. What is the consistent time interval between entries?

• A45 minutes
• B1 hour
• C1 hour 15 minutes
• D1 hour 30 minutes

In a stack of 200 files, 35% are flagged for review. How many files are flagged?

• A35
• B65
• C70
• D130

A team must review 480 documents. They review 60 documents per day. How many full days are needed to finish?

• A6 days
• B7 days
• C8 days
• D9 days

An evidence vehicle travels 150 miles in 2.5 hours at a constant speed. What is its average speed?

• A50 mph
• B60 mph
• C65 mph
• D75 mph

A budget allocates funds in the ratio 3:2 between field operations and analysis. If the total budget is $50,000, how much goes to field operations?

• A$20,000
• B$25,000
• C$30,000
• D$33,000

An agent earns 1.5 times the hourly rate for overtime. If the base rate is $30 per hour, what is the overtime rate?

• A$15
• B$30
• C$45
• D$60

A report is 24 pages long. An agent has completed 5/8 of it. How many pages remain?

• A9 pages
• B15 pages
• C18 pages
• D3 pages