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Free CQA Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free CQA practice test to study every exam domain.

The CQA exam has 165 questions and runs 5 hours 18 minutes.

Question 1

Scenario: An auditee asks the lead auditor for advice on how to design corrective actions to address findings. The lead auditor should:

  1. Decline; designing CAPA is auditee's responsibility
  2. Provide detailed corrective-action designs to assist
  3. Provide advice only if compensated separately later
  4. Refuse to discuss anything until the next audit visit
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Decline; designing CAPA is auditee's responsibility

Question 2

Scenario: An audit team reviews a supplier's records against an outdated revision of ISO 9001. The MOST appropriate action when discovered is to:

  1. Continue with the obsolete revision for consistency
  2. Issue findings against both old and new revisions
  3. Stop and notify the audit-program manager promptly
  4. Allow the auditee to decide which revision applies
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Stop and notify the audit-program manager promptly

Question 3

Scenario: The auditor observes a process running without the required validation. The BEST classification is likely:

  1. An opportunity for improvement only here
  2. Minor finding only, not material here
  3. An observation outside the audit scope
  4. Major nonconformity due to control absence
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Major nonconformity due to control absence

Question 4

Scenario: An auditee replaces a defective part but does not investigate why. This is BEST described as:

  1. A correction without root-cause analysis
  2. A complete corrective action plan now
  3. A preventive action by ISO 9001 terms
  4. An effective system improvement effort
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - A correction without root-cause analysis

Question 5

Scenario: An auditee insists the auditor remove a finding before the report is issued, threatening to file a complaint. The auditor should:

  1. Remove the finding to avoid the complaint
  2. Reword the finding ambiguously to satisfy them
  3. Withdraw from auditing this auditee permanently
  4. Maintain it if supported and follow procedures
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Maintain it if supported and follow procedures

Question 6

Which BEST describes an auditor's appropriate professional skepticism?

  1. Question evidence while remaining objective
  2. Cynically distrust all auditee statements
  3. Accept all auditee statements at face value
  4. Verify only the items the auditee selects first
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Question evidence while remaining objective

Question 7

Scenario: An auditor's first interview question is 'Do you follow the procedure?' This is BEST classified as:

  1. An effective and open-ended question
  2. A leading question that biases the result
  3. A closed-ended yes/no answer question
  4. A probing follow-up question approach
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - A closed-ended yes/no answer question

Question 8

ISO 9001 certification differs from a regulatory audit in that ISO certification is:

  1. Always replaces regulatory oversight
  2. Voluntary unless contractually required
  3. Mandatory for all regulated industries
  4. Issued only by government agencies
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Voluntary unless contractually required

Question 9

Scenario: A point falls beyond the upper control limit on a control chart. This MOST likely indicates:

  1. Common-cause variation only, no action
  2. A random pattern with no real concern
  3. Perfect process control has been achieved
  4. A special cause requiring investigation
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - A special cause requiring investigation

Question 10

A statistically significant correlation in a scatter plot does NOT imply:

  1. A measurable relationship between variables
  2. Patterns worth further investigation
  3. Direct causation between the variables
  4. Useful insight for further analysis work
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Direct causation between the variables

What's on the CQA exam

The Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) exam is organized into 5 knowledge domains. These free practice questions are drawn from across them so you can see where you're strong and where to study:

  1. Auditing Fundamentals 25% of exam
  2. Audit Process 30% of exam
  3. Auditor Competencies 20% of exam
  4. Audit Program Management and Business Applications 15% of exam
  5. Quality Tools and Techniques 10% of exam

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