IAI CLPE study guide
IAI CLPE · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The IAI Certified Latent Print Examiner (CLPE) credential is offered through the certification program of the International Association for Identification, which describes itself as the oldest and largest forensic association in the world. The IAI states that its membership is assembled to educate, share, critique and publish methods, techniques and research in the physical forensic science disciplines, and it lists Latent Print among its certification disciplines alongside Bloodstain Pattern, Crime Scene, Footwear, Forensic Art, Forensic Photography & Imaging, Forensic Video and Tenprint Fingerprint. CLPE is aimed at examiners who already perform latent print work and want independent verification of their knowledge and judgment. Preparation should combine three strands: latent print identification (analysis, comparison, evaluation and verification reasoning, distortion, and reporting conclusions), latent print development (reagent and technique selection by surface and substrate, sequencing, and safety), and overall policies and procedures (quality assurance, documentation, ethics and laboratory practice). The IAI CLPE study guide has 3 sections and about 957 words.
01Latent Print Identification
This domain tests the examiner’s ability to apply ACE-V (Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation, Verification) to friction ridge impressions and to defend the resulting conclusion. Questions focus on sufficiency, distortion, feature hierarchy, documentation, and independent verification rather than on memorized minutiae counts.
325 words, about 2 min02Latent Print Development
This domain tests whether you can choose and sequence latent print development methods for porous, non-porous, adhesive, wet, and blood-bearing surfaces. The exam favors reagent specificity, sequence logic, and documentation over reagent recipes.
321 words, about 2 min03Overall Policies and Procedures
This domain tests the administrative and quality framework around latent print work: chain of custody, written procedures, validation, proficiency testing, audits, ethics, and courtroom limits. The exam rewards precise documentation and disclosure over general claims of “standard practice.” Core rules Chain of custody is a continuous, documented record: item description, seal number, date and time, transfers, storage location, and every opening.
311 words, about 2 min