FBI Phase I Test case studies
FBI Phase I Test · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The FBI Phase I Test is the first written examination step that applicants for the FBI Special Agent position encounter during the Bureau's hiring process. It functions as a screening instrument: candidates who clear it move forward toward later stages such as interviews, background investigation, and physical fitness assessment, while those who do not may be stopped at this gate. The test is designed for adults pursuing a Special Agent career, typically degree-holding professionals with several years of work experience, and it samples aptitudes the role demands rather than subject-matter knowledge from a textbook. Preparation therefore centers on practicing the underlying skills - reading a tense interpersonal scenario and choosing the most defensible response, spotting the structure of an argument, and working quickly and accurately with numbers and data - under timed conditions. The FBI Phase I Test case studies are 5 cases and about 3,137 words.
1The Overloaded Evidence Locker
You are a newly assigned case agent in a field office. The office has a single evidence locker room with 12 lockers, each holding up to 5 boxes.
469 words, about 2 min2The Interrogation Scheduling Conflict
You are a supervisory special agent managing a team of 4 agents (A, B, C, D). Two high-priority interrogations are scheduled for tomorrow: Suspect X at 9:00 AM and Suspect Y at 11:00 AM.
494 words, about 2 min3The Informant's Tip
You receive an anonymous tip that a local warehouse is being used to store stolen goods. The tipster claims that the warehouse has 3 loading docks, and that stolen goods are moved every Tuesday and Friday between 2 AM and 4 AM.
558 words, about 3 min4The Missing File
You are an FBI analyst tasked with auditing case files. You have a list of 100 case files, each with a unique ID from 1 to 100.
1,087 words, about 5 min5The Team Morale Dilemma
You are a unit chief in a federal law enforcement agency. Your team of 8 agents has been working overtime for 3 weeks on a high-profile case.
529 words, about 3 min