Free U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent Exam Questions and Answers

Read the paragraph and answer the question using only the information given. No informant who was paid in advance was called as a witness at trial. Some informants who were called as witnesses had prior convictions. All informants interviewed on Monday were paid in advance. Which of the following must be true?

• AA. No informant interviewed on Monday was called as a witness at trial.
• BB. All informants with prior convictions were called as witnesses at trial.
• CC. Some informants interviewed on Monday had prior convictions.
• DD. Every informant who was not paid in advance was called as a witness at trial.

An agent is drafting a section of a report and wants every sentence to be grammatically correct and clear. Which of the following sentences uses parallel structure correctly?

• AA. The agent's duties included interviewing witnesses, reviewing bank records, and the preparation of the affidavit.
• BB. The agent's duties included interviewing witnesses, reviewing bank records, and preparing the affidavit.
• CC. The agent's duties included to interview witnesses, reviewing bank records, and preparing the affidavit.
• DD. The agent's duties included interviewing witnesses, to review bank records, and preparing the affidavit.

An agent working on an active investigation receives a call from a newspaper reporter who asks whether a named local business owner is a suspect. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate response by the agent?

• AA. Neither confirm nor deny the information, then tell the owner about the call.
• BB. Confirm that the owner is a suspect but give no further details.
• CC. Refer the reporter to the agency's public affairs office without discussing the case.
• DD. Say that the matter is under review and ask the reporter to call back after the agent checks.

Two agents are reviewing 144 case files. Agent Ruiz reviews 12 files per hour and begins 2 hours before Agent Cole, who reviews 8 files per hour. Once Cole begins, both work without a break at their steady rates until all 144 files are reviewed. How many hours does Ruiz work in total?

• AA. 6
• BB. 7.2
• CC. 8
• DD. 9

Passage: Every surveillance report filed this month was reviewed by a supervisor. A report that a supervisor reviewed was either approved or returned to the agent who wrote it. No returned report was sent to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Some reports filed this month concern firearms trafficking. Based only on the information in the passage, which of the following must be true?

• AA. Any report that was not sent to the U.S. Attorney's Office was returned to an agent.
• BB. No report concerning firearms trafficking was returned to an agent.
• CC. Every report that was approved was sent to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
• DD. At least one report concerning firearms trafficking was approved or returned to an agent.

During a three-day surveillance operation, your team agreed to radio a status check every two hours. On the second day, the location has been quiet for six hours and your partner says the checks are no longer needed. What should you do?

• AA. Continue the radio checks at each agreed interval and report that there is nothing new to report
• BB. Reduce the checks to once every four hours and note the change in the log at the end of your shift
• CC. Skip the checks until the team lead asks for an update, and log the quiet hours at the end of the shift
• DD. Radio the team only when activity at the location changes, and record the quiet periods in the log

You and another agent drove to an out-of-town interview in the same vehicle and returned the same evening. Later you see that his travel voucher claims a hotel night for the trip. Which action is MOST appropriate?

• AA. Mention the discrepancy to other agents on the team to see whether anyone else noticed it
• BB. Report what you observed to your supervisor or the appropriate oversight office
• CC. Say nothing unless you see a similar claim on a later voucher submitted by him
• DD. Ask him to correct the voucher, and take no further action if he agrees to do so

Which of the following sentences is the clearest and most grammatically correct for use in an official investigative report?

• AA. After the search, Special Agent Lowe placed each item in a separate bag and recorded its location on the inventory form.
• BB. After the search, Special Agent Lowe placed each item in a separate bag, and recording its location on the inventory form.
• CC. Special Agent Lowe bagged each item separately, he recorded its location on the inventory form after the search.
• DD. Having completed the search, the inventory form was filled out by Special Agent Lowe, who bagged each item separately.

A task force must review 424 financial records. Analyst Reyes begins alone and reviews 14 records per hour. Two hours later, Analyst Okafor joins and reviews 22 records per hour, and both continue at those rates until all records are reviewed. How many hours after Reyes began is the review finished?

• AA. 11
• BB. 12
• CC. 13
• DD. 15

A Special Agent is writing the narrative section of a surveillance report that a prosecutor may read. The agent personally watched the suspect leave 410 Alder Street at 3:15 p.m. Which sentence is MOST appropriate for the report?

• AA. At 3:15 p.m., I saw the suspect leave 410 Alder Street carrying a black duffel bag and walk to a gray sedan.
• BB. At 3:15 p.m., the suspect left 410 Alder Street carrying a black duffel bag that held the firearms, and walked to a gray sedan.
• CC. Sometime that afternoon, a black duffel bag was carried from the Alder Street building to a gray sedan by the suspect.
• DD. At about 3:15 p.m., the suspect hurried out of 410 Alder Street with a heavy duffel bag and went to his gray sedan.