ACE practice examsIn development
AccessData Certified Examiner
Computer forensics with FTK and its database-first design: processing all evidence into a searchable index up front so later search is near-instant, deliberate processing options and hash libraries chosen at the start to avoid a costly reprocess, signature analysis exposing disguised files, and the Known File Filter excluding known-good files; then index and live searching for words and patterns, tabs, filters and bookmarks narrowing millions of items to the few that matter, artefact analysis reconstructing user activity from the registry and logs, and defensible reporting built from bookmarks.
What you get
Papers are cut from the bank and weighted like the real exam, and no question appears in two of them. Every wrong answer comes back on later days until you have it right.
What the exam covers
| FTK, processing and the case database | Not published |
| Searching, analysis and reporting | Not published |
Two sample questions
1. Which practice organises findings during review?
- Exporting each relevant item as it is found
- Filtering the case down to the relevant items
- Tagging, or bookmarking, the relevant items — correct
- Re-hashing the items that turn out to matter
Why: Tagging marks relevant items so they can be gathered, reviewed, and reported consistently.
2. Why is the up-front cost worthwhile in a large case?
- Repeated searches become fast and repeatable — correct
- It avoids ever having to hash any of the files
- It removes the need for a report
- It changes the acquired image
Why: One heavy processing pass makes every later search fast, which pays off across a long investigation.
The real ACE exam
| Length | An online proctored practical examination |
|---|---|
| Questions | A knowledge and practical exam using FTK and a provided evidence set |
| Pass mark | 80% |
| Price | The exam is offered at no cost; training is sold separately |
| Recommended before you sit it | None enforced. Familiarity with FTK, Registry Viewer and the AccessData tools is assumed. |
| Valid for | 2 years, renewed by re-examination on the current version |
Exam facts as published by Exterro; always check the vendor’s page before you book.
Study ACE with Chiron
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