FBI Phase I Test key terms

The ability to read a workplace scenario, weigh competing options, and choose the response that best fits policy, ethics, and effective teamwork.

Making a defensible decision under uncertainty by applying training, policy, and common sense rather than personal preference or convenience.

The authority to choose among lawful courses of action within set limits, exercised with restraint and awareness of consequences.

The formal line of authority through which orders, reports, and escalations travel within an organization.

Referring a problem to a higher authority or specialist when it exceeds your role, training, or authority to resolve.

The obligation to notify the proper authority about misconduct, safety hazards, or significant incidents, even when doing so is uncomfortable.

Consistently acting honestly and ethically, including when no one is watching and when honesty carries a cost.

Owning the results of your actions and decisions, including mistakes, rather than shifting blame or hiding outcomes.

The principle that decisions and actions must follow established legal rules applied equally, not personal whim or convenience.

A situation where a personal interest could improperly influence a work decision, requiring disclosure or withdrawal from the decision.

Techniques that reduce tension and the risk of harm in a confrontation, such as calm speech, space, and active listening.

Fully concentrating on a speaker, reflecting back what was heard, and asking clarifying questions to confirm understanding.

Recognizing and understanding another person's feelings and perspective without necessarily sharing or endorsing them.

Coordinating effort with others toward a shared goal, including sharing information, supporting colleagues, and resolving friction constructively.

A statement offered as evidence or support within an argument; conclusions are supposed to follow from premises.

The claim an argument is trying to establish, supported by the premises offered in its favor.

A conclusion drawn from available evidence rather than stated directly; it can be strong or weak depending on support.

An unstated belief an argument relies on; if the assumption fails, the reasoning collapses.

A property of reasoning where the conclusion must follow if the premises are true; it concerns structure, not factual truth.

When an argument is valid and all its premises are actually true, making the conclusion reliably true.

A condition whose presence guarantees the outcome; meeting it is enough, though not necessarily the only route.

A condition that must hold for the outcome to occur; without it the outcome cannot happen, though it alone may not cause it.

A statistical relationship where two variables tend to move together, which does not by itself prove one causes the other.

A relationship where one factor actually produces or changes another, requiring more than co-occurrence to establish.

The tendency to seek, notice, and remember information that supports existing beliefs while ignoring contrary evidence.

Reasoning from general rules to specific conclusions, where true premises and valid form guarantee the conclusion.

Reasoning from specific observations to broader generalizations or predictions, which are probable rather than certain.

A comparison of two quantities by division, expressing how many times one value contains or relates to another.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, used to solve for an unknown value in a consistent relationship.

The difference between an old and new value divided by the old value, expressed as a percent of the starting amount.

A number expressed as a fraction of one hundred, useful for comparing relative sizes across different totals.

An average where each value contributes in proportion to an assigned weight rather than equally.

The arithmetic average, found by adding all values and dividing by the number of values.

The middle value in an ordered data set, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even.

A ratio comparing quantities with different units, such as distance per hour or cases per thousand people.

A number from zero to one expressing how likely an event is, often as favorable outcomes over total equally likely outcomes.

The pace at which a task is completed, allowing combined effort to be modeled as the sum of individual rates.

General mental capacity for learning, reasoning, and solving problems, often assessed through verbal, numerical, and abstract items.

The limited mental workspace that briefly holds and manipulates information while a task is being performed.

The capacity to notice small discrepancies and follow precise instructions accurately under time pressure.

The ability to stay composed and effective when facing pressure, deadlines, ambiguity, or hostile conditions.

Managing your own emotional reactions so they do not impair judgment or conduct in demanding situations.

Recovering quickly and constructively after setbacks, criticism, or failure rather than becoming discouraged.