NCIS Special Agent case studies
NCIS Special Agent · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NCIS Special Agent hiring process is the entry route into the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the federal law enforcement agency that investigates felony-level crime tied to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. It is built for people seeking a sworn federal special agent career, not for current agents pursuing a promotion, and it blends written testing with performance-based stages: a writing sample, structured and panel interviews, an oral board, a physical fitness assessment, medical and polygraph screening, and a background investigation. The knowledge tested spans criminal investigation and case management, federal criminal law and procedure, investigative interviewing, evidence and crime scene handling, report writing, logic and problem solving, situational judgment and integrity, the naval and military justice context, and digital evidence awareness. The NCIS Special Agent case studies are 5 cases and about 3,345 words.
1Missing Copper at the Naval Supply Warehouse
Over a six-week period, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) personnel at a West Coast warehouse report that 14 pallets of copper grounding wire-approximately $86,000 in value-are missing. The inventory system shows the pallets were received but no corresponding issue or transfer documents exist.
718 words, about 4 min2Search Authorization in the Barracks
A Marine corporal assigned to a stateside base is suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material. A Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agent receives a tip from a civilian computer repair technician who says the corporal brought in a personal laptop with a cracked screen and that the technician saw a folder name suggesting illegal content.
734 words, about 4 min3The Changing Alibi at the Gym
A seaman reports that he was assaulted outside the base gym at 21:40. He names a petty officer second class as the assailant.
666 words, about 3 min4Overdose in the Barracks Suite
A 22-year-old sailor is found unresponsive in the common area of a four-person barracks suite. First responders administered naloxone and transported him to the hospital.
635 words, about 3 min5Phishing, Wiping, and the XO's Request
The executive officer (XO) of a destroyer squadron forwards you an email he received from a 'defense contractor' asking him to review an attached invoice. He clicked the link, entered his Navy credentials on a lookalike page, and realized the mistake an hour later.
592 words, about 3 min