IAI SP5 study plan

Define and distinguish the principal bloodstain pattern categories (passive, spatter, altered) and state the physical mechanism that produces each

Explain how surface texture, angle of impact, and drop volume affect stain shape, and compute angle of impact from width and length measurements

Identify area of origin and area of convergence using stringing or trigonometric methods, and describe the limits of each method

List documentation requirements for bloodstain scenes, including overall, midrange, and close-up photography with scale

Analyze cast-off, impact, expiration, and transfer patterns and justify each classification from described stain characteristics

Describe presumptive and confirmatory blood tests and explain why presumptive results require follow-up

Outline scene security, initial walk-through, and evidence prioritization steps for a scene with biological evidence

Apply chain-of-custody and packaging rules to wet versus dried biological items

Sequence the steps of scene documentation from arrival through release and identify what must be recorded at each step

Differentiate primary, secondary, and tertiary scenes and explain how that classification changes search strategy

Select appropriate search patterns (line, grid, spiral, zone) for indoor, outdoor, and vehicle scenes and justify the choice

Explain contamination prevention, PPE levels, and biohazard handling for biological and chemical scenes

Identify the parts of a footwear impression (heel, arch, toe, outsole design) and the class and individual characteristics examiners compare

Describe enhancement and recovery methods for latent, dust, and blood-contaminated impressions on porous and nonporous surfaces

Explain the accepted methods for lifting, casting, and photographing three-dimensional impressions, including casting material preparation

State the limitations of footwear comparison and how exclusion, identification, and inconclusive conclusions are worded

Apply the exposure triangle and explain how aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and lighting choices change forensic image quality

Describe the photographic documentation sequence (overall, midrange, close-up with and without scale) and the rules for scale placement and camera alignment

Explain alternate light sources, filters, and infrared/UV imaging and when each is appropriate for latent evidence

Outline the standards for forensic video recovery, hashing, working copies, and frame-by-frame analysis, and explain why original files are preserved

Describe latent print residue composition and how surfaces, humidity, and time affect development choice

Compare powder, cyanoacrylate fuming, ninhydrin, and physical developer by surface type and sequence of application

Explain ACE-V and the difference between exclusion, identification, and inconclusive conclusions

Identify distortion factors (pressure, substrate, movement) that affect comparison and describe documentation of a developed print

Describe tenprint capture standards including rolled and plain impressions, sequence, and common quality rejection reasons

Explain classification concepts and why print quality and completeness matter for database searches

Outline the role of forensic art in identification, including facial approximation, age progression, and composite imagery, and the limits of each

Explain how postmortem and surveillance imagery is used in identification and what contextual information an artist must document

Integrate all eight domains by working through timed mixed-domain practice sets and recording accuracy by domain

Re-study the two lowest-scoring domains and correct the specific misconceptions identified

Recite key definitions, standards, and terminology for each domain without notes

Explain how evidence from one domain supports or constrains conclusions in another (for example, bloodstain directionality with footwear orientation)