Quality Auditor Certification ASQ Certified Quality Auditor 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of objective evidence in an audit?
- An employee's verbal statement that training is current
- A signed training record with dates and trainer signature (Correct answer)
- The auditor's professional judgment about competency
- An email from management stating compliance
Correct answer: A signed training record with dates and trainer signature
Objective evidence is verifiable information based on facts obtained through observation, measurement, or documented records.
Question 2: In statistical process control (SPC), a process is considered 'in control' when:
- All data points fall within customer specification limits
- All data points fall within the control limits with no non-random patterns (Correct answer)
- The Cpk index exceeds 2.0
- The process has zero defects
Correct answer: All data points fall within the control limits with no non-random patterns
A process is in statistical control when variation is due only to common causes, indicated by points within control limits and no non-random patterns.
Question 3: Which audit type is conducted by the organization on its own systems and processes?
- Second-party audit
- Third-party audit
- First-party audit (Correct answer)
- Compliance audit
Correct answer: First-party audit
A first-party audit, or internal audit, is performed by or on behalf of the organization itself for management review and improvement.
Question 4: The term 'nonconformity' in quality auditing refers to:
- A suggestion for improvement that does not affect compliance
- The failure to fulfill a specified requirement (Correct answer)
- A risk identified during the audit process
- An auditor's observation about a best practice gap
Correct answer: The failure to fulfill a specified requirement
A nonconformity is the non-fulfillment of a requirement as defined by the applicable standard, specification, or procedure.
Question 5: What is the main purpose of an opening meeting in an audit?
- To present the final audit report to management
- To confirm the audit scope, schedule, and logistics with the auditee (Correct answer)
- To review corrective actions from prior audits
- To collect initial samples of records
Correct answer: To confirm the audit scope, schedule, and logistics with the auditee
The opening meeting aligns both parties on scope, objectives, methods, and schedule before fieldwork begins.
Question 6: Which root cause analysis tool organizes potential causes into categories such as Man, Machine, Method, and Material?
- Pareto chart
- Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram (Correct answer)
- Scatter diagram
- Histogram
Correct answer: Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram
The Ishikawa diagram, also called a cause-and-effect or fishbone diagram, groups potential causes into major categories to identify root causes.
Question 7: During audit reporting, findings should be prioritized by:
- Alphabetical order of the department audited
- The severity and risk associated with each finding (Correct answer)
- The order in which they were discovered
- The auditor's personal preference
Correct answer: The severity and risk associated with each finding
Findings are presented in order of severity and risk impact so that management can allocate corrective action resources appropriately.
Quality Auditor Certification ASQ Certified Quality Auditor 3
Which of the following is an example of objective evidence in an audit?