Quality Auditor Certification ASQ Certified Quality Auditor 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the correct sequence for conducting a quality audit?
- Report → Plan → Execute → Follow-up
- Plan → Execute → Report → Follow-up (Correct answer)
- Execute → Plan → Report → Follow-up
- Plan → Report → Execute → Follow-up
Correct answer: Plan → Execute → Report → Follow-up
The standard audit cycle is: planning, execution (fieldwork), reporting, and follow-up on corrective actions.
Question 2: A supplier audit is classified as which type of audit?
- First-party audit
- Second-party audit (Correct answer)
- Third-party audit
- Internal audit
Correct answer: Second-party audit
A second-party audit is conducted by a customer on its supplier, representing an external audit that is not fully independent.
Question 3: Which document formally authorizes an audit team to perform an audit?
- Audit checklist
- Corrective action request
- Audit plan (Correct answer)
- Audit notification letter
Correct answer: Audit plan
The audit plan, issued by audit management, formally defines and authorizes the scope, objectives, and team for a specific audit.
Question 4: An auditor observes that calibration labels are missing from two measuring instruments. This is best classified as:
- An opportunity for improvement
- An observation only, since no product defect was found
- A nonconformity against the calibration requirement (Correct answer)
- A major nonconformity requiring immediate shutdown
Correct answer: A nonconformity against the calibration requirement
Missing calibration labels violate the documented requirement to maintain calibrated measuring equipment, making it a nonconformity.
Question 5: What does a Pareto chart help an auditor or quality professional determine?
- The correlation between two variables
- The distribution of data around a mean
- The vital few causes responsible for the majority of defects (Correct answer)
- The trend in process variation over time
Correct answer: The vital few causes responsible for the majority of defects
A Pareto chart applies the 80/20 rule to visually identify the few causes that account for most problems, enabling prioritized corrective action.
Question 6: In a corrective action request (CAR), what must the auditee provide to demonstrate effective closure?
- A management signature acknowledging the finding
- A root cause analysis and evidence of implemented corrective action (Correct answer)
- A revised procedure without implementation evidence
- A verbal commitment from the process owner
Correct answer: A root cause analysis and evidence of implemented corrective action
Effective CAR closure requires documented root cause analysis and verifiable evidence that the corrective action has been implemented and is effective.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes 'audit criteria'?
- The list of auditees to be interviewed
- The set of policies, procedures, or requirements against which evidence is compared (Correct answer)
- The timeframe allotted to conduct the audit
- The qualifications required for lead auditor certification
Correct answer: The set of policies, procedures, or requirements against which evidence is compared
Audit criteria are the reference standards, policies, procedures, or requirements used as a benchmark to evaluate audit evidence.
Quality Auditor Certification ASQ Certified Quality Auditor 4
Which of the following is the correct sequence for conducting a quality audit?