What does the ACI certification cover?

The ACI (AccessData Certified Investigator) certification validates proficiency in digital forensics investigation using FTK (Forensic Toolkit). The exam covers digital evidence acquisition, FTK case management and analysis workflow, file system forensics, deleted data recovery, chain of custody documentation, legal standards for digital evidence, and professional report writing. It is targeted at forensic analysts, law enforcement investigators, and corporate security professionals.

What is FTK and why is it important for the ACI exam?

FTK (Forensic Toolkit) is AccessData's industry-standard digital forensics platform used by law enforcement agencies, government investigators, and corporate security teams worldwide. The ACI exam tests hands-on knowledge of FTK workflows — creating cases, processing evidence, searching and filtering, recovering deleted files, and generating reports. Because ACI is an AccessData certification, FTK-specific knowledge is central to the exam rather than platform-agnostic forensics theory.

What is a write blocker in digital forensics?

A write blocker (hardware or software) prevents any data from being written to an evidence drive during the acquisition process. This preserves the original state of the evidence — any modification would compromise the forensic integrity of the evidence and could make it inadmissible in court. Hardware write blockers are preferred for legal proceedings because they operate at the hardware level and are not subject to software bugs or OS interference.

How is chain of custody maintained in digital investigations?

Chain of custody documentation tracks every person who handled the evidence, when they handled it, what they did with it, and where the evidence was stored. Each transfer must be documented and signed. In digital forensics, this includes logging when drives were imaged, who performed the imaging, which workstation was used, and all subsequent analysis steps. Breaks in chain of custody can make evidence inadmissible and undermine the entire investigation.

ACI Practice Test PDF (Free Printable 2026)

Download a free ACI practice test PDF with AccessData Certified Investigator exam questions. Print and study offline for digital forensics certification.

ACI - AccessData Certified InvestigatorMay 4, 20265 min read

ACI Practice Test PDF (Free Printable 2026)

ACI Practice Test PDF – Free Printable AccessData Certified Investigator Prep

Preparing for the ACI (AccessData Certified Investigator) exam? A printable ACI practice test PDF gives you an offline format to review digital forensics investigation concepts, FTK (Forensic Toolkit) procedures, evidence handling, and legal standards that the ACI certification exam tests. Working through forensics scenario questions by hand sharpens the analytical thinking and procedural recall that professional digital forensics work demands. This page provides a free PDF download and a subject-by-subject ACI preparation guide.

The ACI certification is issued by AccessData (now part of Exterro) and validates competency in digital forensics investigation using FTK — the industry-standard forensic platform. ACI is recognized by law enforcement agencies, corporate security teams, and legal teams that rely on defensible digital evidence collection and analysis.

📄Download Free ACI PDF

ACI Exam Fast Facts

What the ACI Exam Covers

The ACI exam tests competency across the entire digital forensics investigation lifecycle — from evidence acquisition through analysis, documentation, and legal presentation. Your ACI practice test PDF covers all major topic areas.

Digital Evidence Acquisition

Evidence acquisition is the foundation of defensible forensics. The ACI exam tests proper imaging procedures: creating forensic images using write-blocking hardware to prevent evidence modification, verifying image integrity with MD5 and SHA-1 hash values, and documenting the chain of custody from acquisition through analysis. Know the difference between live acquisition (capturing volatile data from a running system) and dead acquisition (imaging a powered-off device), and when each approach is appropriate.

FTK (Forensic Toolkit) Workflow

FTK-specific questions test the core investigation workflow: creating a new case and adding evidence items, using the Evidence Processing module to index and categorize data, understanding FTK's database architecture (how it differs from file-based tools), filtering and searching across evidence items using indexed search vs. live search, and generating reproducible reports. Know FTK's key filtering options — file type, date range, hash sets — and how to use KFF (Known File Filter) to exclude known-good files from investigations.

File Systems and Deleted Data Recovery

ACI exams test fundamental file system knowledge: NTFS (MFT structure, alternate data streams, journal artifacts), FAT32/exFAT (directory entries, cluster allocation), and how files are "deleted" at the file system level. Understand that deletion typically marks clusters as available without overwriting data — and how FTK recovers deleted files by locating orphaned file records and carving unallocated space. Registry artifacts, browser history, and prefetch files appear as evidence sources in scenario questions.

Legal Standards and Chain of Custody

Digital evidence must meet legal admissibility standards. ACI questions test: maintaining chain of custody documentation (who accessed evidence, when, and why), understanding Federal Rules of Evidence standards for digital evidence in US courts, and proper handling of privilege concerns (attorney-client communications in corporate investigations). Know the Daubert standard for expert testimony and the importance of reproducibility — another examiner should reach the same conclusions from the same evidence.

Report Writing and Expert Testimony

Investigation reports must be accurate, objective, and comprehensible to non-technical audiences (lawyers, judges, juries). ACI tests report structure: executive summary, methodology, findings, and supporting exhibits. Examiner objectivity — reporting what the evidence shows, not what the client wants to hear — is a professional ethics topic consistently tested in ACI exam scenarios.

How to Use This PDF

Work through evidence acquisition and FTK workflow topics first — these are the most tool-specific areas. After completing the PDF, take online ACI practice tests at aci certification for instant scored feedback.

Aci Tracking - ACI - AccessData Certified Investigator certification study resource

Free ACI Practice Tests Online

After completing this PDF, take full online ACI practice tests at aci certification — instant scoring across digital forensics, FTK workflow, evidence handling, and legal standards topics with explanations for every answer. Use both formats: PDF for offline concept review, online for timed exam simulation and progress tracking.