ABC Drug Analysis study guide
ABC Drug Analysis · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Seized Drug Analysis (SDA) credential is one of the certification examinations offered by the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC), a non-profit corporation incorporated in New York and recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organization. ABC describes certification as a voluntary process of peer review by which a practitioner is recognized as having attained the professional qualifications necessary to practice in one or more disciplines of criminalistics. The SDA exam is intended for forensic practitioners whose work involves the analysis of seized drug evidence, and it appears in ABC's published scopes of accreditation alongside Biological Evidence Screening (BIO), Forensic DNA (DNA), and Foundational Knowledge (FKE). ABC states that its certifications span biological evidence screening, forensic DNA, foundational knowledge, and drug chemistry, and that the forensic science community has an obligation to establish professional levels of knowledge, skills and abilities, define a mechanism for achieving these levels, recognize those who demonstrate attainment, and promote growth within the profession. Topics on this exam: Seized Drug Analysis and Foundational Knowledge. The ABC Drug Analysis study guide has 2 sections and about 716 words.
01Seized Drug Analysis: Core Concepts and Exam Traps
Seized drug analysis is the systematic identification of controlled substances in physical evidence. A candidate must understand the analytical screening-to-confirmation workflow, the logic of presumptive versus confirmatory testing, and the statistical and legal meaning of a result. Presumptive (screening) tests - color tests, immunoassays, and microcrystalline tests. They are fast and sensitive but not specific; a positive result means "possibly present," never "identified." Confirmatory tests - typically a chromatographic separation coupled to a spectroscopic detector (GC-MS, LC-MS, FTIR).
352 words, about 2 min02Foundational Knowledge: Chemistry, Law, and Quality Principles
Foundational knowledge is the scaffolding beneath analytical work: basic organic chemistry of drug classes, pharmacology vocabulary, chain-of-custody and legal standards, and laboratory quality systems. Questions here test whether you understand why methods work and what makes a result defensible. Drug classes and functional groups - alkaloids (amine nitrogen, often basic), cannabinoids (lipophilic phenols), amphetamines (phenethylamine backbone), opioids, benzodiazepines, and their salt forms. Salt versus free base affects solubility, melting point, and color-test behavior.
364 words, about 2 min