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

Passage: Surveillance logs show the suspect's car parked outside a warehouse on three consecutive Tuesdays. The logs do not say whether the suspect entered the building. Which conclusion is supported?

• AA. The suspect owns the warehouse
• BB. The suspect's car was at the warehouse on three consecutive Tuesdays
• CC. The suspect entered the warehouse each Tuesday
• DD. The suspect visits the warehouse every day

Passage: Evidence must be logged within 24 hours of seizure unless the case agent documents a justified delay in writing. An agent seized items Monday at 09:00 and logged them Wednesday at 10:00 with no written justification. Which is true?

• AA. The policy does not apply to seized items
• BB. The agent followed the policy because the delay was under three days
• CC. The policy allows delays without documentation
• DD. The agent did not follow the policy

Which word is closest in meaning to 'corroborate'?

• AA. Conceal
• BB. Confirm with supporting evidence
• CC. Summarize
• DD. Contradict

Passage: Informants whose details are later verified by independent sources are generally treated as reliable. Informant K's details were later contradicted by independent sources. What can be inferred?

• AA. All informants are unreliable
• BB. Informant K's reliability is in question
• CC. Informant K deliberately lied
• DD. Informant K never provided useful information

Passage: When agencies run separate investigations of the same trafficking network, they often interview the same witnesses and surveil the same locations. Joint task forces that pool intelligence from the start avoid much of this duplication and free agents for new leads. What is the main idea?

• AA. Pooling intelligence in joint task forces reduces duplicated effort
• BB. Trafficking networks are easy to dismantle
• CC. Surveillance is the best investigative tool
• DD. Agencies should never share witnesses

Passage: All field reports must include the date, time, and location of the incident. Reports submitted without a supervisor's signature are returned. Report A has date, time, and location but no signature. Report B has date, location, and a signature but no time. Which two statements are supported? Choose two.

Select 2 answers.

• AA. Report A will be returned
• BB. Report B will be returned for lack of a signature
• CC. Report A is missing a required element
• DD. Report B is missing a required element

Which of the following is an inference rather than an observation?

• AA. The suspect was nervous because he was lying.
• BB. The suspect carried a blue duffel bag.
• CC. The suspect left at 3:40.
• DD. The suspect's hands were shaking.

A seizure totals 250 kg, and 36 percent of it is a single substance. How many kilograms are not that substance?

• AA. 175
• BB. 160
• CC. 150
• DD. 90

Agents drive 3 hours at 55 mph, then 2 hours at 70 mph. What is the average speed for the whole trip?

• AA. 62.5 mph
• BB. 61 mph
• CC. 65 mph
• DD. 60 mph

Cash and checks seized are in the ratio 5:3 and total $48,000. How much is cash?

• AA. $28,800
• BB. $30,000
• CC. $24,000
• DD. $18,000