TSA TSO CBT cheat sheet

X-ray color convention: organic materials (food, plastic, fabric, wood) appear orange/brown; inorganic/metals appear blue/green; dense metals appear darkest blue and block the beam.

Density rule: the denser and thicker an object, the darker it renders; a dense item in front of a lighter one masks it (occlusion), so scan from multiple angles.

Wire rule: a continuous thin dark line crossing other objects without breaking usually indicates a wire or component of an assembled device.

Threat silhouettes: recognize guns by barrel/grip/trigger-guard outline, knives by blade edge plus handle junction, and detonators by battery-plus-wiring-plus-cylinder clusters.

Sharp-object rule: any thin straight high-density line with a pointed tip is a potential blade; confirm by rotating the bag view for a second profile.

Shape over color: color indicates material only, so identify the object by outline and proportions, then use color to confirm composition.

Clutter strategy: divide the image into quadrants, clear each quadrant systematically, then re-scan the whole image for cross-quadrant objects.

Anomaly rule: an object that does not match the bag's contents (e.g., a lone dense cylinder in a clothing bag) is a cue for secondary inspection.

Change detection: compare images side by side in the same order each time (top-left to bottom-right) to avoid missing swapped or added items.

Feature discrimination: compare exact attributes - shape, count, orientation, color, and position - rather than overall impression.

Memory limit: hold roughly four to seven items in working memory at once, so chunk items into groups when scanning a scene.

Set rule: knowing what you are looking for speeds detection of that target but increases misses of unexpected items (inattentional blindness).

Orientation rule: a mirrored or rotated item is a match only if the task specifies rotation-invariant matching; otherwise it is a difference.

Peripheral accuracy: fine detail discrimination degrades outside central vision, so move the eyes to each item rather than relying on a wide glance.

Counting rule: count items by physically pointing or marking each one once to prevent double-counting in dense arrays.

Priority order: safety of people first, then security of the checkpoint, then throughput; never trade safety for speed.

Escalation rule: when a possible threat exceeds your authority or training, stop the process and notify a supervisor or law enforcement.

Unattended-item rule: treat any unattended bag as suspicious - do not open or move it yourself; secure the area and report.

Consistency rule: apply the same screening standard to every passenger regardless of appearance, age, or demeanor.

Documentation rule: record the facts (time, location, description, action taken) at the time of the event, not from memory later.

Conflict rule: de-escalate verbally, keep a safe distance, and involve a supervisor before any physical intervention.

Decision rule: when evidence is ambiguous, choose the option that preserves options and safety (secondary screening, not waiver).

Main-idea rule: the correct answer restates the passage's central point, not a supporting detail or an extreme version of it.

Inference rule: a valid inference must be supported by the text; anything requiring outside facts is out of scope.

Except/not questions: three options are supported by the passage and one is not; eliminate the three supported options.

Word-in-context rule: choose the meaning that fits the surrounding sentence, not the most common dictionary sense.

Tone rule: identify attitude words (e.g., 'unfortunately', 'commendably') to judge whether the author is neutral, critical, or approving.

Sequence rule: for procedural text, order steps by explicit signal words (first, after, before, finally) rather than by guess.

Grammar rule: a verb agrees with its subject, not with a phrase between them (e.g., 'the list of items is').

Service standard: acknowledge each passenger promptly, use a calm professional tone, and explain the next step in plain language.

Complaint rule: listen fully, restate the concern, state what you can do, and escalate if the request exceeds policy.

Policy rule: apply rules uniformly; exceptions require supervisor authorization, not personal discretion.

Privacy rule: share passenger information only on a need-to-know basis with authorized personnel.

Teamwork rule: report relief needs and hand off incomplete tasks explicitly so no checkpoint position is left uncovered.

De-escalation rule: lower voice volume, avoid arguing, offer choices within policy, and call a supervisor if hostility continues.

Accuracy rule: confirm names and numbers by reading them back to prevent errors in records and instructions.

Organic materials (food, plastic, fabric, wood) render orange/brown; inorganic and metal items render blue/green; dense metals render darkest blue and block the beam.

The denser and thicker an object, the darker it renders; a dense item in front of a lighter one masks it, so scan from multiple angles.

A continuous thin dark line crossing other objects without breaking usually indicates a wire or a component of an assembled device.

Recognize guns by barrel, grip, and trigger-guard outline; knives by blade edge plus handle junction; detonators by battery-plus-wiring-plus-cylinder clusters.

Any thin straight high-density line with a pointed tip is a potential blade; rotate the bag view for a second profile to confirm.

Color indicates material only, so identify objects by outline and proportions first, then use color to confirm composition.

Divide the image into quadrants, clear each quadrant systematically, then re-scan the whole image for cross-quadrant objects.

An object that does not match the bag's contents, such as a lone dense cylinder in a clothing bag, is a cue for secondary inspection.

Compare images side by side in the same order each time (top-left to bottom-right) to avoid missing swapped or added items.

Compare exact attributes - shape, count, orientation, color, and position - rather than overall impression.

Working memory holds roughly four to seven items at once, so chunk items into groups when scanning a scene.

Knowing what you are looking for speeds detection of that target but increases misses of unexpected items (inattentional blindness).

A mirrored or rotated item is a match only if the task specifies rotation-invariant matching; otherwise it is a difference.

Fine detail discrimination degrades outside central vision, so move the eyes to each item rather than relying on a wide glance.

Count items by physically pointing or marking each one once to prevent double-counting in dense arrays.

Priority order: safety of people first, then security of the checkpoint, then throughput; never trade safety for speed.

When a possible threat exceeds your authority or training, stop the process and notify a supervisor or law enforcement.

Treat any unattended bag as suspicious - do not open or move it yourself; secure the area and report.

Apply the same screening standard to every passenger regardless of appearance, age, or demeanor.

Record the facts (time, location, description, action taken) at the time of the event, not from memory later.

De-escalate verbally, keep a safe distance, and involve a supervisor before any physical intervention.

When evidence is ambiguous, choose the option that preserves options and safety (secondary screening, not waiver).

The correct main-idea answer restates the passage's central point, not a supporting detail or an extreme version of it.

A valid inference must be supported by the text; anything requiring outside facts is out of scope.

In except/not questions, three options are supported by the passage and one is not; eliminate the three supported options.

For word-in-context items, choose the meaning that fits the surrounding sentence, not the most common dictionary sense.

Identify attitude words (e.g., 'unfortunately', 'commendably') to judge whether the author is neutral, critical, or approving.

For procedural text, order steps by explicit signal words (first, after, before, finally) rather than by guess.

A verb agrees with its subject, not with a phrase between them (e.g., 'the list of items is').

Acknowledge each passenger promptly, use a calm professional tone, and explain the next step in plain language.

For complaints: listen fully, restate the concern, state what you can do, and escalate if the request exceeds policy.

Apply rules uniformly; exceptions require supervisor authorization, not personal discretion.

Share passenger information only on a need-to-know basis with authorized personnel.

Report relief needs and hand off incomplete tasks explicitly so no checkpoint position is left uncovered.

Lower voice volume, avoid arguing, offer choices within policy, and call a supervisor if hostility continues.

Confirm names and numbers by reading them back to prevent errors in records and instructions.