BC Private Investigator Practice Test 6

All 25 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. Why must a PI firm carry general liability insurance in B.C.?

   1. The regulation requires at least $1,000,000
   2. Only if the firm owns a vehicle
   3. Only when it works outside B.C.
   4. Only to win larger clients who ask for proof of insurance

2. In B.C., which body resolves most small claims up to $5,000?

   1. The Supreme Court of B.C.
   2. The Registrar of Security Services
   3. The B.C. Court of Appeal
   4. The Civil Resolution Tribunal

3. Which condition is part of self-defence under section 34?

   1. The defender had a licence to use force
   2. Police were called before acting
   3. The act is reasonable in the circumstances
   4. The attacker was larger than the defender

4. Which courses does the regulation link to the full PI licence, along with two years' experience?

   1. Accounting, bookkeeping and tax preparation
   2. Basic Security Training and Advanced Security Training from the JIBC
   3. First aid, CPR and defensive driving
   4. Evidence gathering and presentation, and criminal and civil law

5. When should a PI write up an interview?

   1. Only if the client asks
   2. At the end of the month, with other reports
   3. Before the trial date
   4. Right after the interview

6. According to the PSKN course page, who must a private investigator in B.C. work for?

   1. Any law firm or insurance company in B.C.
   2. A police service that has a contract with them for investigative work
   3. Themselves, as an unlicensed sole operator
   4. A provincially licensed private investigation firm

7. What must letters proving PI experience for a full licence include?

   1. The names of every client the applicant worked for
   2. Dates, role and duties, hours logged and supervisor names
   3. The applicant's salary history and tax returns
   4. Only the employer's name and a general letter of recommendation for the file

8. What kind of evidence are surveillance photographs and video usually considered?

   1. Illustrative evidence
   2. Opinion evidence
   3. Character evidence
   4. Hearsay evidence

9. May a PI leave a hidden recorder in a room to capture a conversation between two other people?

   1. Yes, if the client owns the building where the room is located
   2. Yes, if the room is in a workplace
   3. Yes, if the PI owns the recorder
   4. No, that intercepts a private communication

10. While undercover for a theft file, an operator sees a safety violation. What should they do?

    1. Report it, along with all other infractions seen
    2. Report it only if a worker is injured
    3. Ignore it, since it is not part of the theft file
    4. Fix it themselves without telling anyone

11. Does B.C.'s PIPA apply to private investigation firms?

    1. Only for files involving children
    2. Yes, they are private organizations covered by PIPA
    3. No, PI firms are fully exempt from B.C. privacy law in all their work
    4. Only when they work for government

12. Where may a PI usually film a subject without breaching privacy expectations?

    1. Inside a public washroom
    2. Through the bedroom window of their home
    3. From inside their fenced backyard
    4. In a public place, such as a street or park

13. What general liability insurance must a licensed PI business carry at minimum?

    1. $100,000
    2. $1,000,000
    3. $500,000
    4. $5,000,000

14. Under B.C.'s PIPA, what is personal information?

    1. Anything a company stores on paper
    2. Only medical and financial records
    3. Information about an identifiable individual
    4. Only information that has been marked as confidential by the person

15. What is the key to a successful interview?

    1. Knowing the purpose of the interview
    2. Interviewing only people who agree with the client
    3. Arriving without any prepared questions
    4. Keeping the interview as short as possible

16. How is the degree of privacy a person is entitled to decided under the Privacy Act?

    1. The same fixed rules for every situation
    2. Whatever the PI's client is willing to pay to find out about them
    3. Whatever the person says they expect
    4. What is reasonable in the circumstances

17. Which source can help a PI find old notices of bankruptcy or probate?

    1. A subject's private tax return
    2. A hospital's patient database
    3. A police officer's personal notebook
    4. Back issues of newspapers at a public library

18. A PI learns a youth was dealt with under the YCJA. May the PI's report be published naming the youth?

    1. Yes, if the offence was minor
    2. Yes, once the youth turns 16
    3. Yes, if the client consents and the youth is over 16 years old
    4. No, identifying the youth is generally banned

19. Under s. 30 of the Canada Evidence Act, which record can be admissible on production?

    1. A PI's report made for an investigation
    2. A note written by a lawyer while preparing for a lawsuit
    3. A record protected by legal privilege
    4. A record made in the ordinary course of business

20. What does the code of conduct require about information a PI learns on a file?

    1. Publish it once the file is closed and paid
    2. Share it with any other client who might find it useful for their own file
    3. Delete it all on the day the file is closed
    4. Keep it confidential unless work or law requires disclosure

21. A PI saves a lawfully recorded call to a USB drive. How should the drive be treated?

    1. As scrap once copied to a laptop
    2. As a gift for the client to keep
    3. As evidence, stored securely
    4. As a personal backup to reuse

22. May a licensed PI carry a firearm while on surveillance in B.C.?

    1. No, licensees may not carry firearms
    2. Yes, if the client agrees in writing
    3. Yes, if they hold a federal firearms licence for it
    4. Yes, in remote areas only

23. Which course and exam does B.C. name for a PI-under-supervision licence?

    1. PSKN's Introduction to Private Investigation
    2. JIBC's Advanced Security Training
    3. JIBC's Basic Security Training (BST)
    4. The Ontario private investigator test

24. A PI receives a subpoena to testify. What is it?

    1. A court order that requires attendance
    2. A notice that the file is now closed
    3. A bill for the cost of the trial
    4. A request the PI may decline politely

25. Which is a team surveillance method named in the study guide?

    1. Pretexting
    2. Leapfrogging
    3. Cold calling
    4. Tailgating