Questioned Document Examination - Candidacy

Candidacy

A person who desires to enter a career of forensic document examination must possess certain traits and abilities. The ASTM Standard E2388-05 (Standard Guide for Minimum Training Requirements for Forensic Document Examiners) lists several requirements for the "Trainee Candidate".

First and foremost, "an earned baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university" is required as it gives the aspirant a scientific background with which to approach the work in an objective manner, as well as bestowing necessary biological, physical, and chemical knowledge sometimes called upon in the work.

Second, excellent eyesight is required in order to see fine details that are otherwise inconspicuous. To this end, the aspirant must successfully complete:

• a form discrimination test in order to ensure that the aspirant does not suffer from the condition of being unable to tell apart two similarly-appearing yet different items,
• a color perception test, and
• near and distant visual acuity tests "with best corrected vision within six months prior to commencement of training."

Beyond the above, additional desirable skills would include knowledge of paper, ink, printing processes, or handwriting.