MEPS Moral and Background Screening 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which form do military applicants complete that covers personal history including residence, employment, and legal issues for security clearance purposes?
- DD Form 2807
- SF-86 (Standard Form 86) (Correct answer)
- DD Form 1966
- OF-306
Correct answer: SF-86 (Standard Form 86)
The SF-86, now completed through the e-QIP system, is the primary form used to gather personal history for security clearance investigations.
Question 2: An applicant admits to experimenting with marijuana twice in college but has no other drug history. What is the most accurate statement about their eligibility?
- Any drug use is an automatic lifetime bar from service
- Limited experimental drug use may be waiverable depending on branch and policy (Correct answer)
- Drug use is only relevant if it led to an arrest
- The applicant must wait 10 years before reapplying
Correct answer: Limited experimental drug use may be waiverable depending on branch and policy
Some branches allow waivers for limited, experimental drug use, though policies vary and more extensive histories are harder to waive.
Question 3: What is the purpose of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check performed during MEPS screening?
- To verify the applicant's educational credentials
- To search for outstanding warrants, criminal records, and wanted persons (Correct answer)
- To confirm Social Security number authenticity
- To check the applicant's credit score
Correct answer: To search for outstanding warrants, criminal records, and wanted persons
The NCIC check searches law enforcement databases nationwide for criminal records, outstanding warrants, and other flags that could affect enlistment eligibility.
Question 4: A recruit discloses a civil restraining order during MEPS screening. Why is this relevant to moral screening?
- Restraining orders are medical, not moral, disqualifiers
- They may indicate a pattern of behavior that raises conduct concerns (Correct answer)
- Civil orders are irrelevant; only criminal convictions matter
- A restraining order automatically grants a military exemption
Correct answer: They may indicate a pattern of behavior that raises conduct concerns
Civil restraining orders, especially those related to domestic violence or harassment, may indicate conduct issues relevant to moral character assessment.
Question 5: Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), what is 'fraudulent enlistment'?
- Enlisting in two branches simultaneously
- Procuring enlistment by knowingly false representation or deliberate concealment (Correct answer)
- Failing a physical fitness test after enlisting
- Using a family member's identity to enlist
Correct answer: Procuring enlistment by knowingly false representation or deliberate concealment
Fraudulent enlistment under UCMJ Article 83 involves obtaining enlistment through knowing misrepresentation or concealment of disqualifying information.
Question 6: Which of the following financial issues is MOST likely to negatively affect a security clearance adjudication during MEPS background screening?
- Having a car loan
- Unresolved tax liens and consistent pattern of not meeting financial obligations (Correct answer)
- Having a student loan in good standing
- Using a credit card for everyday purchases
Correct answer: Unresolved tax liens and consistent pattern of not meeting financial obligations
Unresolved financial obligations like tax liens or a pattern of debt delinquency raise concerns about reliability and susceptibility to coercion.
Question 7: If an applicant has a pending criminal charge at the time of MEPS processing, what typically happens?
- Processing continues normally and the charge is disregarded
- MEPS processing is usually deferred until the charge is resolved (Correct answer)
- The applicant is immediately enlisted to escape civilian jurisdiction
- The branch judge advocate takes over the civilian case
Correct answer: MEPS processing is usually deferred until the charge is resolved
MEPS typically defers processing of applicants with pending criminal charges until the legal matter is fully resolved and its outcome can be properly evaluated.
MEPS Moral and Background Screening 3
Which form do military applicants complete that covers personal history including residence, employment, and legal issues for security clearance purposes?