- Which Credential This Guide Covers
- How to Read the 22 Domains
- Exam Format and Passing Standards
- Acquisition, Integrity and Evidence Handling (Domains 1-3)
- Playback, Conversion and Processing (Domains 4-8)
- Enhancement, Damaged Media and Repair (Domains 9-12)
- Photogrammetry, Comparison and Authentication (Domains 13-16)
- Reporting, Testimony and Error Mitigation (Domains 17-20)
- Legacy Equipment and Metadata (Domains 21-22)
- The Prescribed Reading List
- Sequencing the Domains in a Study Plan
- Eligibility, Fees and Renewal
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The 22 domains are unweighted task headings from the IAI scope list, not a published weighted exam blueprint.
- Part 1 is a closed-book, proctored exam: 100 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours, 75% to pass.
- Parts 2 and 3 are unproctored practicals on supplied video files, each requiring 85% and sharing a 30-day window.
- Eligibility needs 1 year of experience and 120 training hours, with 96 specifically in forensic video.
Which Credential This Guide Covers
Before diving into the domains, one clarification matters. This guide covers the forensic video examiner certification administered by the International Association for Identification (IAI) through its Forensic Video Examiner Certification Board. On this site it is referred to as Forensic Video Certification (CFVT). Note, however, that the IAI's current operations manual (section 8.6) names the credential Certified Forensic Video Examiner (CFVE), and "CFVT" should not be treated as the IAI's official abbreviation. The acronym is also used by separate credentials from other organizations, including LEVA's Certified Forensic Video Technician and Certified Forensic Video Analyst. Those programs have their own requirements, exams and fees, and nothing in this article applies to them.
If you are still sorting out the terminology, our explainers on what CFVT is and what CFVT stands for walk through the naming overlap in more detail.
How to Read the 22 Domains
The 22 domains below reproduce the official "Tasks Related to Scope" list from the IAI's Certification Program Operations Manual (FCMB-01-2020-C27, revised October 1, 2026). Treat them as a map of the work a certified examiner is expected to perform, not as a weighted exam outline. The IAI does not publish percentage weights per domain, so no domain can honestly be called "highest-weighted," and the list does not establish exhaustive coverage of every question you may see.
For a deeper look at how candidates experience the difficulty of this breadth, see how hard the CFVT exam is.
Exam Format and Passing Standards
The certification is a three-part process, and the domains feed all three parts differently.
| Part | Format | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Proctored, closed-book written exam; 100 multiple-choice questions; 3 hours; Board-approved proctor | 75% to pass |
| Part 2 | Unproctored; 22 questions about supplied video files | 85% to pass |
| Part 3 | Unproctored; examine, compare and/or evaluate four supplied video files; submit processed media and/or expert reports | 85% to pass |
Parts 2 and 3 become available only after you pass Part 1, and they share a single 30-day completion window. Resources may be used for the practical parts, but every response must be your own original work. The 22 practical questions in Part 2 are separate from, and not added to, the 100 timed questions in Part 1. For the score details, read our passing score breakdown, and for how scheduling works see CFVT exam dates and deadlines.
Key Takeaway
The two formats test different skills. Part 1 rewards recall of principles and terminology under time pressure; Parts 2 and 3 reward hands-on technique and defensible written conclusions. Prepare for both, not just the multiple-choice portion.
Acquisition, Integrity and Evidence Handling (Domains 1-3)
The first three domains cover the front end of every forensic video case: getting the evidence, proving it has not changed, and keeping it controlled.
Domain 1: Acquisition of video files from various recording devices
Candidates must understand how to retrieve native data from different recorder types and why the method chosen affects what evidence survives.
- Native export versus screen capture or re-recording, and the quality and metadata consequences of each
- Dealing with proprietary recorders, removable media and network-based systems
- Documenting the acquisition process so it can be reproduced and explained
Domain 2: File verification and integrity
Showing that a working copy matches the original is a foundational expectation.
- Hash-based verification concepts and when to record them
- Detecting incomplete, truncated or altered transfers
- Maintaining a clear distinction between original and derivative files
Domain 3: Evidence handling and packaging
Procedural discipline is tested alongside technical skill.
- Chain-of-custody practices for digital media
- Proper storage, labeling and transport of physical media and devices
- Preserving the original while working only on copies
Playback, Conversion and Processing (Domains 4-8)
This cluster covers the technical workflow between raw evidence and a viewable, analyzable result.
Domain 4: Playback of various video file formats, including proprietary formats
Many surveillance systems store video in vendor-specific containers that standard players cannot open.
- Identifying why a file will not play and which component is missing
- Using vendor players versus conversion, and the evidentiary trade-offs
- Verifying that playback reflects true frame timing and content
Domain 5: Video file format conversion
Conversion is sometimes necessary but is never neutral.
- Transcoding versus rewrapping (remuxing) and what each does to the data
- Understanding when conversion introduces recompression loss
- Documenting settings so a peer could repeat the conversion
Domain 6: Video processing techniques
Frame-level operations such as deinterlacing, scaling, frame-rate handling and timing correction fall here.
- How interlaced, variable-frame-rate and duplicated-frame content behaves
- Choosing processing steps that do not misrepresent the source
Domain 7: Image processing techniques
The same discipline applies to still frames extracted from video.
- Frame extraction methods and their limitations
- Documenting each operation applied to a still image
Domain 8: Video editing
In a forensic context, editing means clipping, assembling and presenting video for investigators or courts without altering evidentiary meaning.
- Creating excerpts and demonstratives that remain faithful to the source
- Transparency about what was cut, slowed or highlighted
The processing and tool questions in these domains are where the prescribed FFmpeg reference becomes useful, discussed in the reading list section below.
Enhancement, Damaged Media and Repair (Domains 9-12)
Domain 9: Video enhancement/clarification
Enhancement must be principled, limited and explainable. The IAI's reading list includes a framework publication specifically for forensic image enhancement, which signals the emphasis on method over cosmetic improvement.
- Distinguishing improving visibility from inventing detail
- Choosing a sequence of operations and recording it
Domain 10: Image enhancement/clarification
The same logic extends to individual images, including noise, contrast, sharpness and scaling decisions.
- Recognizing the limits of what the underlying data can support
Domain 11: Identification of damaged media
Candidates should recognize the signs of physical and logical damage.
- Distinguishing media failure from recorder faults and file-level corruption
- Knowing when to stop and avoid causing further damage
Domain 12: Video file repair/reconstruction
When a file is truncated or its structure is broken, recovery depends on understanding how the container and codec are organized.
- Rebuilding headers or indexes versus recovering raw stream data
- Documenting exactly what was repaired and what remains uncertain
Photogrammetry, Comparison and Authentication (Domains 13-16)
Domain 13: Photogrammetry
Measuring from video requires understanding camera geometry, lens distortion and scene reference.
- Height and dimension estimation from reference objects
- How perspective, resolution and lens effects limit measurement certainty
- Reporting measurements with appropriate uncertainty
Domain 14: Comparative analysis
This domain covers comparing questioned content, such as a vehicle, clothing or object, against known items, and expressing how strongly the evidence supports a conclusion.
- Class versus individual characteristics
- Avoiding conclusions the video quality cannot support
Domain 15: Content authentication
Content authentication asks whether the recorded scene is a true and unaltered representation of events.
- Looking for splices, deletions, insertions and re-encoding traces
- Applying a structured framework rather than ad hoc impressions
Domain 16: Source authentication
Source authentication asks whether a file truly originated from the claimed device or system.
- Linking file structure and metadata characteristics to a recorder type
- Recognizing signs of re-saving or processing by other software
The reading list names a "Proposed Framework for Digital Video Authentication" and an MPEG-4 authentication text built on file structure and metadata, which underlines that Domains 15, 16 and 22 are closely linked.
Reporting, Testimony and Error Mitigation (Domains 17-20)
Domain 17: Documentation/authorship of reports
Part 3 requires submission of processed media and/or expert reports, so this domain is graded directly through your written work.
- Recording procedures, tools, settings and limitations
- Writing conclusions that match the evidence and no more
- Producing reports a qualified peer could review and reproduce
Domain 18: Expert testimony in legal proceedings
Examiners must be able to explain technical work to non-technical audiences and withstand challenge.
- Qualifications, methodology and limits of opinion
- Explaining processing choices clearly and honestly
Domain 19: Identification of video/image attributes and compression artifacts
Reading the visual and structural fingerprints of compression is central to both authentication and enhancement.
- Block artifacts, motion compensation effects and frame-type behavior
- Telling compression effects from true scene content
Domain 20: Mitigation of sources of error, uncertainty, and bias
This domain addresses the examiner's own reliability.
- Cognitive bias, context effects and the value of blind or peer review
- Quantifying and communicating uncertainty
- Using validated procedures and documenting deviations
Key Takeaway
Domains 17 and 20 are quietly decisive. Technical skill earns you the right to an opinion, but reporting discipline and bias awareness determine whether that opinion is defensible.
Legacy Equipment and Metadata (Domains 21-22)
Domain 21: Operation of current and legacy equipment/methods
Real casework still includes older analog formats, tape-based systems and aging digital recorders alongside modern equipment.
- Knowing how older recording and playback chains work
- Recognizing legacy-method limitations and when they matter
Domain 22: File format and metadata analysis
Container structure, timestamps and embedded metadata support nearly every other domain.
- Reading container structure and stream properties
- Interpreting timing and device-related metadata cautiously
- Recognizing what metadata can and cannot prove
The Prescribed Reading List
The manual prescribes specific editions and chapters. Do not substitute newer publications on your own, since the exam follows the prescribed versions.
- How Video Works, second edition: the entire text
- Proposed Framework for Digital Video Authentication: all
- A Proposed Framework for Forensic Image Enhancement: chapters 1-4
- MPEG-4 Video Authentication Using File Structure and Metadata: chapters 1 and 4-6
- Designated SWGDE references covering acquisition, processing, formats and compression, comparison, FFmpeg, photogrammetry, content and time-based analysis, the glossary and error mitigation
Mapped against the domains, the SWGDE documents line up neatly: acquisition with Domains 1-3, processing and FFmpeg with Domains 5-8, comparison with Domain 14, photogrammetry with Domain 13, and error mitigation with Domain 20. For a condensed review, our one-page cheat sheet collects the must-know facts.
Sequencing the Domains in a Study Plan
Because Part 1 is a timed, closed-book test, sequence the material so foundations come before applications. One reasonable order:
Foundations
- Read How Video Works in full
- Domains 1-4 and 22: acquisition, integrity, handling, playback, metadata
Processing and enhancement
- Domains 5-12 with the enhancement framework chapters and SWGDE FFmpeg and processing documents
Analysis and authentication
- Domains 13-16 and 19, plus the authentication framework and MPEG-4 chapters
Reporting, testimony and error
- Domains 17, 18, 20 and 21, then timed practice on mixed questions
Metadata and file structure come early because they underpin repair, authentication and artifact analysis later. Once you reach the timed phase, a CFVT practice test helps you gauge how recall holds up across all domains at once. For a wider planning framework, see our CFVT study guide, and explore CFVT training options to understand how approved coursework fits in.
Eligibility, Fees and Renewal
Applications are submitted through IAI's eCert system. Eligibility requires:
- 1 year of experience
- 120 approved training hours, including 96 specifically in forensic video
- Two recommendation letters and two different additional references
- A signed certification agreement
Training acceptance and recency follow sections 7.1.3.2 and 8.9 of the manual, including chair discretion for older training. The IAI publishes a list of previously approved classes, and some courses carry restrictions on initial certification, recertification or forensic-video hours, so do not assume every listed hour counts equally. Course approval is not an endorsement of any provider. Details are in our requirements guide.
| Fee type | IAI member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Initial certification | USD $300 | USD $400 |
| Recertification | USD $300 | USD $400 |
| Retest | USD $300 | USD $400 |
Division-only membership does not qualify for member pricing. See the full cost breakdown for budgeting.
Renewal
Certification is valid for up to 5 years. Renewal requires 80 professional-development credits earned within the preceding 5 years, an application and fee, and an unproctored 10-question multiple-choice examination completed within 14 days with 80% needed to pass. This renewal exam is mandatory for applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, and applications may be filed no earlier than 12 months before expiration.
Frequently Asked Questions
No weights are published. The 22 items are the IAI's unweighted "Tasks Related to Scope" headings, so prepare broadly rather than targeting a presumed high-weight area.
Part 1 has 100 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, closed-book and proctored, with a 75% passing standard. The 22 questions in Part 2 are separate and untimed in the same sense.
Yes, resources may be used for Parts 2 and 3, but all answers and work product must be your sole original work, and both parts must be finished within the shared 30-day window.
No. LEVA offers separate credentials with their own requirements. This guide covers the IAI examiner certification, which the IAI manual names Certified Forensic Video Examiner (CFVE).
Our articles on whether the certification is worth it and CFVT-related jobs discuss career context, and the practice test site offers question-style preparation.