Data Analysis & Reporting Flashcards
7 cards from real CPI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Data Analysis & Reporting flashcards as text
When writing an investigative report, using passive voice excessively can cause which problem?
Answer: It obscures who performed which action, reducing accountability and clarity
Passive voice hides the actor behind the action (e.g., 'the package was delivered' vs. 'the subject delivered the package'), which reduces precision in investigative reports.
A PI is analyzing phone records and notices a cluster of calls between a subject and an unknown number during the period of an alleged crime. The FIRST analytical step should be:
Answer: Identify the unknown number through carrier subpoena or public records lookup
Before drawing conclusions, the PI must identify who owns the unknown number through legal means such as subpoenas or public records searches.
Which report format is MOST appropriate when a PI needs to submit ongoing updates to a corporate client during a long-running investigation?
Answer: Interim progress reports with cumulative findings
Interim progress reports allow clients to stay informed, adjust resources, and make decisions while the investigation is ongoing.
A PI discovers through data analysis that a company's expense reports follow a suspicious pattern of amounts just below the $25 approval threshold. This is an example of:
Answer: Structuring or threshold avoidance behavior
Clustering transactions just below approval or reporting thresholds is a classic fraud indicator known as structuring or threshold avoidance.
In a report intended for an insurance company client, which section would detail the methodology used to conduct surveillance and gather evidence?
Answer: Investigative methods section
The investigative methods section documents how evidence was collected, ensuring transparency and allowing the client to assess the reliability of the findings.
When analyzing social network data, 'centrality' in a relationship map indicates:
Answer: How influential or connected a node (person/entity) is within the network
High centrality indicates that a node is a hub connecting many others, making that individual or entity a key player or potential coordinator within the network.
A PI must analyze handwritten documents suspected of being forged. Which specialist should be consulted to support the data analysis findings?
Answer: Forensic document examiner (questioned documents expert)
Forensic document examiners (QDE specialists) are trained to scientifically analyze handwriting, ink, paper, and printing methods to detect forgeries.