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Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) practice questions

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Question 1E-Discovery Project Planning

Which document typically authorizes a vendor to begin billable work on an e-discovery matter before the full engagement letter is finalized?

  1. Statement of work Correct answer.
  2. Litigation hold notice
  3. Privilege log
  4. Chain-of-custody form

Explanation

A statement of work defines the scope, deliverables, schedule, and fees for a defined engagement and is the instrument that authorizes billable work to begin. A litigation hold preserves evidence but does not authorize vendor billing.

Question 2E-Discovery Project Planning

What is the primary purpose of a project charter in an e-discovery engagement?

  1. To record every custodian interview verbatim
  2. To replace the review protocol documentation
  3. To formally define scope, objectives, roles, and authority Correct answer.
  4. To serve as the legal basis for a protective order

Explanation

A charter formally establishes the project's scope, objectives, stakeholders, roles, and decision authority. It is a governance document rather than a record of interviews or a court filing.

Question 3E-Discovery Project Planning

In e-discovery project planning, what does the acronym RACI describe?

  1. A data mapping methodology for legacy systems
  2. A protocol for validating search terms
  3. A framework assigning Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed roles Correct answer.
  4. A tiered pricing model for review services

Explanation

RACI is a responsibility-assignment matrix that clarifies who does the work, who owns the outcome, and who must be consulted or informed. It supports clear governance on multi-party matters.

Question 4E-Discovery Project Planning

Which metric is most useful for forecasting the total cost of a document review before review begins?

  1. Number of custodians interviewed
  2. Number of search terms applied
  3. Count of produced native files
  4. Estimated document count and review rate Correct answer.

Explanation

Cost forecasting for review depends primarily on the volume of documents to be reviewed and the expected review rate (documents per reviewer per hour). Multiplying volume by rate and hourly cost yields a defensible estimate.

Question 5E-Discovery Project Planning

What is the main function of a data map in e-discovery planning?

  1. To identify where relevant data is stored and who owns it Correct answer.
  2. To calculate the privilege review budget
  3. To list the attorneys admitted to the case
  4. To certify that a vendor meets security standards

Explanation

A data map inventories systems, repositories, and data owners so the team can target collection and preservation. It is an information-governance tool, not a certification or staffing list.

Question 6E-Discovery Project Planning

Which document defines the technical specifications for how electronically stored information will be collected and produced?

  1. Engagement letter
  2. ESI protocol Correct answer.
  3. Deposition outline
  4. Litigation hold memo

Explanation

An ESI protocol specifies formats, metadata fields, deduplication, date ranges, and production specifications agreed by the parties. It is the technical blueprint for collection and production.

Question 7E-Discovery Project Planning

A litigation hold should generally be issued at what point in the matter lifecycle?

  1. At the close of discovery
  2. After the first production is delivered
  3. Only after a court order is entered
  4. When litigation is reasonably anticipated Correct answer.

Explanation

The duty to preserve attaches when litigation is reasonably anticipated, so the hold should issue at that point. Waiting for a court order or production risks spoliation.

Question 8E-Discovery Project Planning

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a kickoff meeting in an e-discovery project?

  1. To authenticate collected evidence
  2. To align stakeholders on scope, schedule, and communication norms Correct answer.
  3. To finalize the privilege log
  4. To conduct the final quality-control review

Explanation

A kickoff meeting brings the team together to confirm scope, timeline, roles, and communication protocols before work begins. Quality control, authentication, and privilege logging occur later in the workflow.

Question 9E-Discovery Project Planning

During planning, the team learns that a key custodian's email resides on a third-party cloud platform with a 30-day retention window. What is the most appropriate immediate planning action?

  1. Exclude the custodian from the data map
  2. Rely on the custodian to forward relevant messages
  3. Wait for a formal discovery request before acting
  4. Initiate preservation with the provider and document the step Correct answer.

Explanation

Short retention windows create imminent risk of loss, so preservation should be initiated promptly with the provider and documented. Waiting or relying on informal forwarding is unreliable and undocumented.

Question 10E-Discovery Project Planning

A matter has 2 million documents and a review rate of 50 documents per reviewer-hour. How many reviewer-hours are needed to review the full population once?

  1. 20,000
  2. 10,000
  3. 40,000 Correct answer.
  4. 50,000

Explanation

Dividing 2,000,000 documents by 50 documents per hour yields 40,000 reviewer-hours. This figure is then multiplied by the blended hourly rate to forecast labor cost.

Question 11E-Discovery Project Planning

Which approach best supports proportionate discovery planning under the Federal Rules?

  1. Collecting every backup tape regardless of relevance
  2. Applying identical scope to every matter
  3. Deferring all planning until the first deposition
  4. Tailoring scope to claims, data volume, and cost Correct answer.

Explanation

Proportionality considers the importance of the issues, the amount in controversy, and the burden and cost of collection relative to the case. Tailoring scope to those factors supports a defensible plan.

Question 12E-Discovery Project Planning

A project manager needs to track dozens of interdependent tasks with dependencies and a critical path. Which planning tool is most appropriate?

  1. A deposition transcript
  2. A privilege log
  3. A chain-of-custody log
  4. A Gantt chart Correct answer.

Explanation

A Gantt chart visually represents task durations, dependencies, and the critical path, making it well suited to schedule management. The other options are evidentiary or legal records.

Question 13E-Discovery Project Planning

What is the primary risk of failing to define a clear review protocol before document review begins?

  1. Inconsistent coding decisions and rework Correct answer.
  2. Automatic waiver of privilege
  3. Immediate sanctions by the court
  4. Loss of the ability to produce native files

Explanation

A review protocol sets coding rules, responsiveness criteria, and privilege handling so reviewers apply consistent standards. Without it, coding is inconsistent and rework increases.

Question 14E-Discovery Project Planning

Which of the following is the best first step when scoping a new e-discovery matter with limited information?

  1. Order a full forensic collection of all devices
  2. Interview key custodians and counsel about claims and data Correct answer.
  3. Finalize the production format
  4. Set the review deadline

Explanation

Early interviews with counsel and key custodians clarify the claims, likely data sources, and volume, which inform all subsequent planning. Committing to formats or full forensic collection before scoping is premature.

Question 15E-Discovery Project Planning

A team uses technology-assisted review. Which planning element is most important to document for defensibility?

  1. The workflow, validation, and quality-control steps Correct answer.
  2. The vendor's marketing materials
  3. The number of conference rooms reserved
  4. The reviewers' educational backgrounds

Explanation

Defensibility of technology-assisted review depends on documenting the workflow, training and validation of the model, and quality-control measures. These records demonstrate a reasonable process.

Question 16E-Discovery Project Planning

Which communication artifact best ensures that scope changes are formally approved and documented?

  1. An informal email thread
  2. A meeting agenda
  3. A change control log Correct answer.
  4. A status report

Explanation

A change control log records requested scope changes, their impact, and formal approval, providing an audit trail. Informal emails and status reports lack the approval structure.

Question 17E-Discovery Project Planning

When planning collection from mobile devices, which consideration most affects the collection methodology?

  1. The font used in the production
  2. Encryption and access controls on the device Correct answer.
  3. The color scheme of the review platform
  4. The number of reviewers assigned

Explanation

Device encryption and access controls determine whether logical or physical extraction is feasible and what tools are required. Review staffing and formatting choices do not affect collection methodology.

Question 18E-Discovery Project Planning

A litigation hold is issued, but a custodian reports that automatic deletion continues on their mailbox. What is the most appropriate planning response?

  1. Verify and adjust the preservation mechanism with IT Correct answer.
  2. Accept the custodian's assurance that nothing relevant exists
  3. Document the issue without taking action
  4. Wait until the next quarterly review

Explanation

If automatic deletion continues, the preservation mechanism is ineffective and must be verified and corrected with IT. Documenting without action or relying on assurances risks spoliation.

Question 19E-Discovery Project Planning

Which budget category typically represents the largest variable cost in a large document review?

  1. Collection media
  2. Hosting fees
  3. Reviewer labor Correct answer.
  4. Project management software

Explanation

Reviewer labor is usually the largest variable cost because it scales directly with document volume and review rate. Hosting and media costs are comparatively fixed or smaller.

Question 20E-Discovery Project Planning

A team plans to use keyword search terms to cull a large population. Which planning step best supports later defensibility?

  1. Selecting terms based only on reviewer intuition
  2. Applying the same terms used in a prior unrelated matter
  3. Testing terms against a sample and documenting results Correct answer.
  4. Removing all terms after the first run

Explanation

Testing search terms against a sample and documenting precision and recall supports a defensible, iterative process. Untested or copied terms lack validation for this matter.

Question 21E-Discovery Project Planning

Which element is most essential to include in a project status report for an e-discovery engagement?

  1. A complete privilege log
  2. Progress against milestones, risks, and budget variance Correct answer.
  3. Personal opinions about opposing counsel
  4. Full text of all collected documents

Explanation

Status reports should communicate progress against milestones, emerging risks, and budget variance so stakeholders can make decisions. Including full document text or opinions is inappropriate.

Question 22E-Discovery Project Planning

A matter involves data in three countries with differing privacy laws. Which planning approach is most appropriate?

  1. Assess local legal restrictions and design compliant transfers Correct answer.
  2. Collect all data regardless of local law
  3. Assume the home jurisdiction's law governs all data
  4. Delay all planning until litigation begins

Explanation

Cross-border collection requires assessing local privacy and data-protection restrictions and designing lawful transfer mechanisms. Ignoring local law or assuming home law applies creates compliance risk.

Question 23E-Discovery Project Planning

A project manager must choose between two review approaches: linear review of 500,000 documents or a validated technology-assisted workflow. Which planning analysis best supports the decision?

  1. Choose the approach with the most reviewers
  2. Select the approach used most recently
  3. Compare expected cost, duration, and quality metrics of each approach Correct answer.
  4. Defer the decision to the reviewing attorneys

Explanation

A sound decision compares cost, duration, and quality (such as recall and precision) of each approach against the matter's requirements. Reviewer count or recency alone is not a reasoned basis.

Question 24E-Discovery Project Planning

Midway through a matter, the producing party requests a substantial expansion of custodians and date ranges. Which planning response best preserves budget and schedule control?

  1. Assess impact through change control and renegotiate scope and budget Correct answer.
  2. Apply the change without updating documentation
  3. Immediately halt all review indefinitely
  4. Absorb the change silently to avoid conflict

Explanation

Significant scope changes should flow through change control, where impact on cost and schedule is assessed and the scope and budget are renegotiated. Silent absorption or undocumented changes undermine control.

Question 25E-Discovery Project Planning

A team plans to rely on a single custodian's self-collected files for a contested issue. Which planning critique is most significant?

  1. The review rate may be too high
  2. The collection may lack completeness and integrity controls Correct answer.
  3. The files may be too small to host
  4. The custodian may use an unusual font

Explanation

Self-collection by a custodian lacks the completeness verification and integrity controls of a defensible process, which is a significant risk for a contested issue. File size, fonts, and review rate are not the core concern.

Question 26E-Discovery Project Planning

Which document typically defines the roles, responsibilities, and authority of each team member on an e-discovery engagement?

  1. The production cover letter
  2. The chain-of-custody form
  3. The privilege log
  4. The project charter Correct answer.

Explanation

A project charter formally establishes the project, its objectives, and the roles and responsibilities of participants, serving as the authority baseline for the team. Privilege logs, custody forms, and cover letters are operational artifacts created later in the workflow.

Question 27E-Discovery Project Planning

Which phase of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) immediately follows identification?

  1. Review
  2. Production
  3. Presentation
  4. Preservation Correct answer.

Explanation

In the EDRM, identification is followed by preservation, which safeguards potentially relevant information from loss or alteration. Review, production, and presentation come later in the lifecycle.

Question 28E-Discovery Project Planning

What is the primary purpose of a data map in e-discovery planning?

  1. To calculate the total cost of a production
  2. To catalog where data sources reside and how they are managed Correct answer.
  3. To record reviewer productivity metrics
  4. To list privileged documents withheld from production

Explanation

A data map inventories systems, custodians, and data locations so the team can plan collection and preservation intelligently. It is an information-governance tool, not a metrics or privilege record.

Question 29E-Discovery Project Planning

Which metric is most commonly used to estimate the effort required for a document review?

  1. Gigabytes collected per day
  2. Count of search terms applied
  3. Number of custodians interviewed
  4. Documents reviewed per reviewer-hour Correct answer.

Explanation

Review throughput, expressed as documents per reviewer-hour, converts a document population into an estimated labor requirement. Custodian counts, collection volume, and term counts inform scope but do not directly measure review effort.

Question 30E-Discovery Project Planning

In project planning terminology, what does a critical path represent?

  1. The budget line with the highest estimated cost
  2. The sequence of dependent tasks that determines the minimum project duration Correct answer.
  3. The list of tasks assigned to the most senior team member
  4. The set of tasks that can be delayed without affecting the deadline

Explanation

The critical path is the longest chain of dependent tasks and therefore sets the shortest possible completion time; delay on any task in that chain delays the project. Tasks with slack can slip without moving the end date.

Question 31E-Discovery Project Planning

Which statement best describes the purpose of a processing specification in an e-discovery project?

  1. It authorizes the vendor to invoice the client for services
  2. It records the legal basis for withholding privileged documents
  3. It lists the custodians who received a litigation hold
  4. It defines de-duplication, filtering, and output parameters applied to collected data Correct answer.

Explanation

Processing specifications set the technical rules by which collected data is normalized, de-duplicated, filtered, and exported for review. They govern how data is handled, not billing, privilege, or hold administration.

Question 32E-Discovery Project Planning

What is the main benefit of establishing a shared document review protocol before review begins?

  1. It guarantees that no privileged document will be produced
  2. It eliminates the need for quality-control sampling
  3. It removes the requirement to issue a litigation hold
  4. It ensures consistent coding decisions across reviewers Correct answer.

Explanation

A review protocol standardizes definitions, tagging rules, and escalation paths so multiple reviewers apply the same criteria. It supports consistency but cannot guarantee perfect outcomes or replace QC or hold obligations.

Question 33E-Discovery Project Planning

Which artifact is the standard vehicle for obtaining written client approval of a change in project scope?

  1. A media chain-of-custody log
  2. A privilege log
  3. A change request form Correct answer.
  4. A processing exception report

Explanation

A change request documents the proposed scope change, its impact, and the client's formal approval, creating an auditable record. The other artifacts serve evidence-handling or review functions.

Question 34E-Discovery Project Planning

A team must preserve data from a departing employee's laptop before it is reimaged. Which planning element is most directly implicated?

  1. The preservation plan and collection window Correct answer.
  2. The privilege log format
  3. The production numbering convention
  4. The review coding panel

Explanation

The imminent reimaging creates a preservation deadline, so the plan must specify what to collect and when to capture it before the device is wiped. Coding panels, privilege formats, and numbering conventions apply later in the workflow.

Question 35E-Discovery Project Planning

A matter has 400,000 documents and a blended review rate of 80 documents per reviewer-hour. How many reviewer-hours are required?

  1. 3,200
  2. 32,000
  3. 8,000
  4. 5,000 Correct answer.

Explanation

Divide the document count by the review rate: 400,000 divided by 80 equals 5,000 reviewer-hours. This converts population size into a labor estimate used for budgeting and scheduling.

Question 36E-Discovery Project Planning

A project manager learns that a vendor's processing backlog will delay load files by two weeks while the review deadline is fixed. Which response best reflects sound project planning?

  1. Skip quality-control sampling to recover time
  2. Compress the review schedule and document the resulting risk to quality Correct answer.
  3. Extend the deadline without notifying the client
  4. Reduce the document population by dropping custodians without approval

Explanation

When an upstream delay collides with a fixed deadline, the planner should model the schedule compression, assess quality risk, and communicate it rather than silently altering scope or quality. Unilateral changes undermine defensibility and client trust.

Question 37E-Discovery Project Planning

Which planning consideration most affects whether data can be collected remotely versus on-site?

  1. The color scheme of the review platform
  2. The number of search terms in the culling list
  3. The format of the privilege log
  4. The network architecture and security controls at the source location Correct answer.

Explanation

Remote collection depends on secure network access, encryption, and controls at the source site; where those are inadequate, on-site collection may be required. Search terms, platform styling, and privilege formats do not determine collection logistics.

Question 38E-Discovery Project Planning

A team plans to use predictive coding. Which planning step best supports later defensibility of the workflow?

  1. Limiting all documentation to the final production letter
  2. Deferring all quality metrics until after production
  3. Documenting the training set design, validation sampling, and statistical measures used Correct answer.
  4. Selecting the vendor with the lowest per-gigabyte price

Explanation

Defensibility of technology-assisted review rests on a documented, validated process: how training documents were selected, how effectiveness was measured, and what sampling supported the conclusions. Cost alone or after-the-fact documentation does not establish methodological rigor.

Question 39E-Discovery Project Planning

Which factor most strongly influences the choice between on-site and remote document review staffing?

  1. The need for real-time supervision and data-security constraints Correct answer.
  2. The naming convention for production volumes
  3. The number of pages in the complaint
  4. The font used in the review platform

Explanation

Supervision needs and security requirements drive whether reviewers must work in a controlled facility or can work remotely under monitored access. Formatting and naming choices are unrelated to staffing location.

Question 40E-Discovery Project Planning

A custodian's data is subject to a foreign blocking statute that prohibits transfer. Which planning response is most appropriate?

  1. Exclude the custodian from the matter entirely without analysis
  2. Transfer the data anyway and rely on a confidentiality order
  3. Delay all planning until the statute is repealed
  4. Assess local law and design a collection or review approach that complies with it Correct answer.

Explanation

Blocking statutes require the team to evaluate local legal constraints and adapt collection, transfer, or review (for example, in-country review) to remain compliant. Ignoring the statute or reflexively excluding data are both inadequate responses.

Question 41E-Discovery Project Planning

Which element should a project plan include to manage the handoff between processing and review?

  1. A narrative history of the underlying dispute
  2. A defined load-file specification and validation checkpoint Correct answer.
  3. A list of every search term ever considered
  4. A roster of all company employees

Explanation

The processing-to-review handoff requires a clear load-file specification and a validation step confirming document counts, metadata, and families loaded correctly. The other items are either irrelevant or excessive for this control point.

Question 42E-Discovery Project Planning

A team is planning a rolling production with several deadlines. Which planning technique best supports meeting each deadline?

  1. Scheduling all review work to finish on the final deadline
  2. Sequencing collections and review batches to align with each production date Correct answer.
  3. Producing everything at once at the end of the matter
  4. Waiting for all collections to complete before any review begins

Explanation

Rolling productions require the plan to sequence collection, processing, and review so each batch matures in time for its deadline. Deferring all work to the end or to a single production defeats the purpose of staged deadlines.

Question 43E-Discovery Project Planning

Which planning document typically captures the agreed scope, deliverables, timeline, and assumptions for an e-discovery engagement?

  1. The de-duplication report
  2. The chain-of-custody record
  3. The statement of work Correct answer.
  4. The privilege log

Explanation

A statement of work defines what will be delivered, when, and under what assumptions, forming the contractual scope baseline. The other documents are operational records generated during the matter.

Question 44E-Discovery Project Planning

A team must decide how many reviewers to staff to complete 120,000 documents in 10 business days, assuming 6 productive hours per reviewer per day and a rate of 60 documents per hour. What is the minimum whole number of reviewers needed?

  1. 34 Correct answer.
  2. 40
  3. 45
  4. 28

Explanation

Each reviewer can process 6 hours times 60 documents, or 360 documents per day, and 3,600 over 10 days. Dividing 120,000 by 3,600 yields about 33.3, so 34 reviewers are the minimum whole number.

Question 45E-Discovery Project Planning

A project manager is deciding whether to collect entire mailboxes or target date ranges and custodians. Which planning principle best guides this decision?

  1. Balance relevance and proportionality against burden and cost Correct answer.
  2. Follow the largest custodian's preference
  3. Defer the decision until after review begins
  4. Collect everything to avoid any risk of omission

Explanation

Collection scope should reflect proportionality, weighing the likely relevance of the data against the burden and cost of collecting it. Over-collection and arbitrary deferral both undermine efficient, defensible planning.

Question 46E-Discovery Project Planning

A team discovers mid-project that the review platform cannot display family relationships between parent emails and attachments. What is the most significant planning consequence?

  1. The litigation hold must be reissued to all custodians
  2. The privilege log will no longer be required
  3. Reviewers may code family members inconsistently, risking incomplete production Correct answer.
  4. The processing de-duplication rate will increase automatically

Explanation

Family grouping is essential for consistent coding of related documents; without it, reviewers may treat attachments and parents divergently, risking inconsistent or incomplete productions. Hold obligations, de-duplication rates, and privilege logging are unaffected by a display limitation.

Question 47E-Discovery Project Planning

A matter involves both a regulatory inquiry with a tight deadline and parallel civil litigation with a longer horizon. Which planning approach is most sound?

  1. Suspend the regulatory response until the civil case concludes
  2. Plan solely around the civil litigation timeline
  3. Run two fully independent plans with no shared data
  4. Build a single plan keyed to the earliest deadline and flag downstream dependencies Correct answer.

Explanation

When deadlines differ, the plan should be driven by the earliest binding date while explicitly mapping dependencies that affect later obligations, preserving a single coherent record. Ignoring the earlier deadline or suspending it creates legal exposure.

Question 48E-Discovery Project Planning

A team plans to rely on search terms to cull a population but has not tested them against a known relevant sample. What is the most significant planning weakness?

  1. The review platform may run more slowly
  2. The terms may be over- or under-inclusive with no measured basis for the choice Correct answer.
  3. The production will require more binders
  4. The privilege log will be longer than necessary

Explanation

Untested terms lack an empirical basis, so the team cannot show whether the cull is over- or under-inclusive, weakening defensibility. Platform speed, physical binders, and privilege log length are not the core methodological concern.

Question 49E-Discovery Project Planning

Which planning control best mitigates the risk that a vendor misses an agreed production deadline?

  1. A larger overall budget
  2. A milestone schedule with defined acceptance criteria and escalation points Correct answer.
  3. A shorter privilege log format
  4. A verbal promise from the vendor's sales representative

Explanation

Milestones with acceptance criteria and escalation paths create checkpoints that surface slippage early and trigger corrective action. Informal assurances, larger budgets, or formatting choices do not create accountability.

Question 50E-Discovery Project Planning

What is the primary purpose of a kickoff meeting in an e-discovery engagement?

  1. To conduct the final quality-control review
  2. To finalize the privilege log before collection
  3. To align stakeholders on scope, roles, schedule, and communication norms Correct answer.
  4. To complete the production of all documents

Explanation

A kickoff aligns the team on objectives, responsibilities, timeline, and how issues will be communicated before work begins. Privilege logging, production, and final QC occur later in the lifecycle.