TSA Problem Solving Flashcards

A shift covers 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM with a mandatory 30-minute unpaid break. How many paid working hours does the officer have?

Answer: 7.5

The shift spans 8 hours minus a 30-minute break, leaving 7.5 paid hours.

Rule: a passenger is cleared only if their name matches the manifest AND their ID is unexpired. Name matches but ID expired last week. Decision?

Answer: Not cleared

The expired ID fails one required condition, so the passenger is not cleared.

Four bins are filled in rotation: 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4... Which bin receives the 15th item?

Answer: Bin 3

15 divided by 4 leaves a remainder of 3, so the 15th item goes to bin 3.

A lane's throughput drops 25% during a staff shortage. If normal throughput is 240 passengers per hour, what is the reduced rate?

Answer: 180 per hour

A 25% reduction removes 60 from 240, leaving 180 passengers per hour.

If a suspicious item is found, protocol requires: 1) isolate, 2) notify supervisor, 3) evacuate if directed. An item is found and the supervisor has not yet been notified. What is the next step?

Answer: Notify the supervisor

The item is isolated, so the next sequential step is notifying the supervisor.

A traveler connects through two flights with a 90-minute layover. Security re-screening takes 40 minutes and walking to the gate takes 20 minutes. How much buffer time remains?

Answer: 30 minutes

Re-screening and walking use 60 minutes, leaving 30 minutes of the 90-minute layover.

Officers rotate positions every 45 minutes. Over an 8-hour shift with no rotations during a 30-minute break, how many rotations occur?

Answer: 10

Working time is 450 minutes, and 450 divided by 45 gives 10 rotations.