An institute built around how examiners actually work.
IDFE certifies people who identify, acquire, analyse and report digital evidence. Our courses are free, our exams are practical, and every credential can be checked by anyone.
Independent assessment
Training never decides who passes. Courses are free and optional, and exam items are written and reviewed separately from course content.
Practice over memory
Examiner-level exams use evidence you have never seen. FRET asks for the report you would actually deliver.
Published standards
Blueprints, weights, pass marks, rubrics and policies are public. What we assess is never a secret.
Three languages, one standard
English, Spanish and Portuguese. An exam opens in a language only after its full item bank is translated and reviewed by examiners fluent in it.
How an IDFE exam is built
Each exam follows the same sequence, and each step is documented.
Job task analysis
Practising examiners describe the tasks the role really involves.
Published blueprint
Domains and weights are fixed and published before any item is written.
Item writing and review
Every item is reviewed for accuracy, clarity and bias by someone other than its author.
Pilot and statistics
Difficulty and discrimination are measured. Weak items are rewritten or retired.
Continuous review
Tools and platforms change, so every exam is reviewed at least once a year.
Board of Examiners
The Board sets exam content and pass marks, grades written reports and decides on integrity cases. Members are practising examiners and do not write course content.
Names and short biographies of the members will be published here.
Honour, backed by review
There is no webcam and no screen recording. Candidates accept the exam rules, and timing, answer patterns and practical submissions are reviewed. An attempt can be invalidated, and the credential revoked publicly with its reason.
Questions and reports
Write to the Institute through the contact page. Reports about suspicious certificates are confidential and go straight to the Board.