Please contact Forensic Assurance to check availability for late-purchase tests.
Standard (Static) Proficiency Test Design: $145
Declared Double-Blind Proficiency Test Design: $200
Description: Each proficiency test includes two (2) known-contributor blood samples, provided on bloodstain cards or, upon request, on swabs. STR and Y-STR DNA results will be collected for these tests. DNA Database proficiency tests are distributed twice annually—once in the Winter and once in the Summer. These distributions are scheduled to help laboratories meet the test frequency requirements outlined by the DNA Advisory Board (DAB) and the FBI Quality Assurance Standards (QAS). Click here for more information.
Unless otherwise requested, known-contributor samples will be provided on untreated bloodstain cards.
Summer 2025 DNA Database Proficiency Test
Purchase Deadline: February 28, 2025
Distribution: Week of July 7, 2025
Answer Submission Deadline: October 6, 2025
Winter 2026 DNA Database Proficiency Test
Purchase Deadline: October 31, 2025
Distribution: Week of January 19, 2026
Answer Submission Deadline: April 20, 2026
Summer 2026 DNA Database Proficiency Test
Purchase Deadline: February 27, 2026
Distribution: Week of July 6, 2026
Answer Submission Deadline: October 5, 2026
Standard (Static) Proficiency Test Design: All forensic practitioners within a laboratory will receive the same test samples with the same expected results. These tests may include some of the same items used in the double-blind version; however, all samples are unique to each testing cycle. Static proficiency tests follow the same purchase deadlines, distribution dates, and answer submission deadlines as their double-blind counterparts.
Declared Double-Blind Proficiency Test Design: Each forensic practitioner will receive a uniquely composed test containing randomly selected known and/or unknown items. The correct answers are specific to each test, preventing participants from gaining information through discussion with others or with test administrators. These blind elements are built into the test design to reduce bias and increase the integrity of results. Please note that Forensic Assurance tests are declared, meaning the participant is aware they are taking a test.
Please contact Forensic Assurance to check availability for late-purchase tests.