MICA Master Intelligence Analyst — Capstone Exam

What this exam covers

150 questions drawn from the 9 chapters of the MICA Unified Master Manual — Intelligence, Fraud, Blockchain & OSINT. Pass mark 80%. Read the study book first. Then try the free practice exam with answers.

1. Chapter 1: Intelligence Foundations

   Establishes the intelligence cycle, analyst mindset, and the structured analytic techniques every MICA candidate must internalize before touching a case. This chapter is doctrine: it governs how every later chapter is applied.

   • The Intelligence Cycle
   • The Analyst Mindset
   • Cognitive Bias Mitigation
   • Structured Analytic Techniques (SATs)
   • Confidence Scoring & Analyst Caveats
   • Intelligence Requirements & Collection Planning
   • Product Standards & BLUF Writing

2. Chapter 2: Fraud Intelligence & Financial Crime

   Covers the architecture of modern fraud ecosystems, social engineering, victim psychology, evidence preservation and the case-triage discipline drawn from CFPS, treated as an intelligence problem rather than a customer-service problem.

   • Scam Architecture
   • Fraud Ecosystems & Roles
   • Social Engineering
   • Victim Psychology & Triage
   • Evidence Preservation
   • Payment-Rail & Off-Ramp Awareness
   • Case-Triage Discipline

3. Chapter 3: Blockchain Forensics & Crypto Crime

   Wallet forensics, multi-chain tracing, mixers and bridges, smart-contract exploitation, NFT laundering, DeFi fraud patterns and the analytic discipline that separates a tracer from an investigator. This is the CBI body of knowledge, condensed to its operational essentials.

   • Wallet Forensics & Address Clustering
   • Transaction Tracing
   • Cross-Chain Laundering
   • Mixers, Tumblers & Privacy Tools
   • Smart-Contract Exploitation
   • NFT & DeFi Fraud Patterns
   • Exchange & Compliance Workflow

4. Chapter 4: OSINT Intelligence & Attribution

   Digital footprint mapping, SOCMINT, GEOINT, CHRONOINT, IMGINT/VIDINT, dark-web intelligence and threat-actor profiling — the OIA body of knowledge, taught as attribution craft rather than as a tool catalog.

   • Digital Footprint Mapping
   • SOCMINT — Social Media Intelligence
   • GEOINT & CHRONOINT
   • IMGINT & VIDINT
   • Dark-Web Intelligence
   • Threat-Actor Profiling
   • Source Validation & Disinformation Hygiene

5. Chapter 5: Integrated Intelligence Operations

   How to fuse fraud, blockchain and OSINT streams into a single attributable case — the discipline that separates MICA-level analysts from single-domain practitioners. This chapter is where the previous three chapters become one workflow.

   • Multi-Source Fusion
   • Cross-Discipline Attribution
   • Case Reconstruction & Timeline
   • Intelligence Reporting Standards
   • Chain of Custody
   • Operational Tempo & Quality Control

6. Chapter 6: Master-Level Case Studies

   Six representative cases that require simultaneous fraud, blockchain and OSINT competency. These mirror the scenarios candidates will see on the MICA capstone exam and are designed to be reconstructed end-to-end from the evidence model alone.

   • Case A — Pig-Butchering with Cross-Chain Laundering
   • Case B — Rug Pull with NFT Wash Trading
   • Case C — Recovery Scam Targeting Prior Victims
   • Case D — Dark-Web Vendor Attribution
   • Case E — Flash-Loan Exploit & Laundering
   • Case F — Multi-Jurisdiction Investment Scam Ring

7. Chapter 7: Counterintelligence, OPSEC & Tradecraft Hygiene

   The analyst is also a target. This chapter covers operational security for the investigator, counter-surveillance against the subjects of investigation, and the tradecraft hygiene that keeps cases — and the analysts working them — defensible and safe.

   • Analyst OPSEC
   • Counter-Surveillance & Subject Awareness
   • Sockpuppet Construction & Management
   • Data Handling & Sensitive Material
   • Personal Safety & Threats to Analysts
   • Burn Notices & Compromise Recovery

8. Chapter 8: Legal, Ethical & Liaison Framework

   Intelligence work that cannot be used in court, by regulators or by liaison partners is intelligence work that does not matter. This chapter covers the legal frame, the ethical floor, and the liaison craft that turns analytic products into action.

   • Legal Basis for Collection
   • Evidence Admissibility
   • Privacy, Proportionality & Necessity
   • Working with Law Enforcement & Regulators
   • Working with Exchanges & Custodians
   • Cross-Border Liaison
   • Whistleblower & Source Protection

9. Chapter 9: Analyst Tradecraft Glossary & Reference

   A consolidated reference for the terms-of-art the MICA analyst is expected to use precisely. The capstone exam treats these as common vocabulary; candidates who use them loosely will be marked down.

   • PIR / EEI / SIR
   • BLUF / EXSUM / Findings / Caveats
   • Confidence Vocabulary
   • TTPs / IOCs / I&W
   • Attribution Vocabulary
   • Tradecraft Discipline Summary