Markings and data rights
Derivative classification study guide (IF103.16)
Answers to the derivative classification questions people search for, each with the answer, why it's right, and the exact paragraph and page.
Oct 31, 2026 · Updated Nov 1, 202616 questions answered10 sources
The short version
- 1Besides the level, you carry forward when the information can be downgraded and declassified.
- 2Use a security classification guide or a properly marked source document. If they conflict, the guide wins.
- 3You never decide compilation yourself. The guide has to say so.
These are the derivative classification questions people actually search for. Each one has the answer, why it's right, and where to find it. "Student guide" means the CDSE Derivative Classification Student Guide, September 2026. The documents cited here still carry their Department of Defense (DoD) titles, so you'll see DoD Manual 5200.01 used for Department of War (DoW) rules.
CDSE doesn't print its final exam, so this isn't the exam key. Your exam's wording may be different. For the background, read derivative classification and security classification guides, explained.
Carrying markings forward
In addition to assigning the appropriate classification level, what else must a derivative classifier carry forward from an authorized source to the new document?
Answer
When the information can be downgraded and when it can be declassified.
Why
A new document can stay classified too long, or not long enough, if those instructions get lost. So you carry them over along with the level.
Absent any other declassification instruction from an authorized source, what Declassify On date must a derivative classifier apply to a new document?
Answer
In DoW, a date 25 years from the day the new document was created.
Why
Every classified document needs a Declassify On instruction. When your sources give you nothing, DoD Manual 5200.01 gives you this default. The governmentwide rule counts differently, from the date of the source document, or from the current date if the source has no date. Follow the manual if you're in DoW.
Source
DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, Enclosure 3, para 8.c(6)(a)6, p. 31; student guide, p. 7; governmentwide rule at 32 CFR 2001.22(e)(1).
What Declassify On date must a derivative classifier apply to a new document?
Answer
The one your source gives you. With more than one source, use the one that keeps the information classified longest.
Why
The longest date protects everything in the document. If your sources say 20400530, 20420627, and 20260202, you use 20420627.
Authorized sources
What is the primary authorized source for derivative classification guidance?
Answer
A security classification guide (SCG).
Why
An SCG lists each piece of information with its level, the reason, and when it can be downgraded or declassified. If an SCG and a source document conflict on a specific item, the SCG wins.
What are the authorized sources of derivative classification?
Answer
An SCG, or a properly marked classified document. Interim guidance from an original classification authority (OCA) also counts when an SCG hasn't been written or updated yet.
Why
These carry the OCA's decision. Your memory, something someone told you, your opinion, and the media or internet don't. Volume 1 specifically bans using memory alone.
A security classification guide (SCG) is what?
Answer
A detailed guide to what is classified about a specific program, system, operation, or weapon system.
Why
It gives you the level, the reason, and the downgrade or declassification instructions for each piece of information, so you don't have to guess.
Source
Derivative classifiers should cite which of the following as their authority to classify: one of the reasons listed in Executive Order 13526, the Department of State classification guide, an already classified source document, or an explanation of the sensitivity of the information?
Answer
An already classified source document. If the question says "choose all that apply," a classification guide also counts as long as it covers your information.
Why
The Derived From line names the source document or classification guide you used. The reason for the original decision doesn't carry over to a derivative document, and your own explanation isn't an authorized source. We don't have CDSE's key for this question, so this answer comes from the rule.
Source
Contained in, revealed by, and compilation
A source document contains: "(S) The unit's final objective is hill 450." A classifier creates a new presentation and writes, "(?) The final objective for the unit is hill 450." Why must the derivative classifier mark this new statement (S) for Secret?
Answer
The new statement has the same Secret information in different words. This is the "contained in" concept.
Why
Rewording doesn't change what the information is. Still be careful when you paraphrase, because new wording can change the meaning, and that can change the classification.
When can a derivative classifier determine that combining two unclassified facts results in a classified fact?
Answer
Only when an SCG says so.
Why
Only an OCA can decide that. The OCA puts the decision in the SCG, and you follow it.
Source
A derivative classifier aggregates several pieces of unclassified data into a single paragraph. According to the security classification guide (SCG), this aggregation reveals a sensitive association that must be protected. This classification concept is known as what?
Answer
Classification by compilation.
Why
Each piece is fine alone, but together they show something that needs protection. Mark each portion at its own level, put the overall level of the compilation in the banner, and explain why it's a compilation.
What is the act of taking information from a classified report and converting it into another form or medium?
Answer
Generating.
Why
Generating means converting information into a new format or medium, such as turning a document into a video. Extracting means copying it word for word into a new document. Paraphrasing or restating means rewording it. All three are derivative classification.
Source
Training
How often must derivative classifiers receive training at a minimum?
Answer
At least once every 2 years.
Why
That's the rule in federal regulation and DoD Manual 5200.01. The CDSE student guide calls the training "a mandatory annual requirement," and DoW also requires annual refresher training for people with access to classified information. A component can include derivative classification training in that refresher. For a CDSE quiz, expect the course's wording. For your own compliance, ask your unit.
Source
32 CFR 2001.71(d)(2); 32 CFR 117.13(c)(4) for contractors; Volume 3, Enclosure 5, para 7.a and 7.c, p. 82-83; student guide, p. 5.
How long is derivative classification training good for?
Answer
Up to 2 years under the regulation. Your unit may require it every year.
Why
If you go past the deadline, your authority to apply derivative markings is suspended until you're trained again.
Source
What specific training must personnel complete before performing derivative classification duties?
Answer
Derivative classification training.
Why
You have to complete it before you first derivatively classify anything. It covers the principles, levels, duration, markings, prohibitions and limitations, sanctions, challenges, SCGs, and information sharing.
CDSE derivative classification, certificate, JKO, Army, and Air Force versions
Answer
CDSE's course is IF103.16. The course takes about 1.5 hours online, with no clearance requirement or prerequisite. Score 75 percent or higher on the final exam and you can print a certificate.
Why
Those are CDSE's stated course requirements. This guide doesn't cover JKO, Army, or Air Force versions, so ask your security manager which course your unit accepts.
Source
Sanctions
What are the derivative classification administrative sanctions?
Answer
Warnings or reprimands, suspension without pay or loss of pay, denial of access to classified information, termination of employment, and loss of DoW contracts.
Why
Sanctions apply to anyone who improperly classifies, including derivative classifiers. Criminal sanctions can include incarceration, and military members can face action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. For DoW military and civilian personnel, Volume 1 also lists removal of classification authority.
CDSE's own practice questions
CDSE prints these answers in the student guide's answer key, p. 28-33. The questions themselves are on p. 8, 15-17, 19, and 21-26.
| Lesson | Question | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Which is NOT a function of derivative classification? | Making an initial determination that information needs protection | That's original classification. |
| 2 | Which are authorized sources? | SCG and a properly marked source document | Your expertise and the NISPOM aren't sources. |
| 2 | Which statement is true? | Derivative classifiers mark new materials to match their authorized sources | Photocopying doesn't count, and contractors classify derivatively too. |
| 3 | Test firings will occur from 3 October through 24 November. What level? | Secret | It rewords the Secret dates. |
| 3 | Test firings plus unit member names. What concept? | Classification by compilation | The SCG makes the combination Secret. |
| 3 | Attend training before 3 October or after 24 November. What level? | Secret | A reader can work out the dates. |
| 4 | Which statement is false? | Only OCAs, not derivative classifiers, are subject to sanctions | Both are. |
Scenario 1: Meeting minutes for exercise OBSCURE NIMBUS
| Activity | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Paragraph with the exercise name and planning meeting | Secret | The source and the SCG both mark it Secret. |
| 2. Paragraph with the point of contact | Unclassified | The SCG says so and beats the Secret paragraph in the source. |
| 3. Paragraph with the next meeting's location | Confidential | It restates Confidential information. |
| 4. LT Lukowicz says the exercise name was declassified | Use the SCG and source document | A person isn't an authorized source. |
Scenario 2: Transportation letter for exercise EVERLASTING HEADACHE
| Activity | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Concept for the departure and arrival paragraphs | Compilation | The SCG says the two bases together are Confidential. |
| 2. Marking for those two paragraphs | Confidential | That's the key's answer. See the note below. |
| 3. Unit arrives in theater on 16 October | Secret | Arrival dates are Secret. |
| 4. Unit arrives on a C-337 | Confidential | It identifies exercise participants. |
| 5. Exercise begins 17 October and runs 24 days | Secret | It reveals the Secret exercise dates. |
| 6. How to mark a new paragraph | Use the SCG | After that, ask your Security Manager, OCA, FSO, or GCA. |
| 7. Same paragraph with no SCG available | Use the properly marked source document | Nothing is in dispute, so you don't need a challenge. |
Two errors to watch for in the key. In Lesson 3, Review Activity 2, the key marks compilation as correct, but its explanation describes "revealed by" (p. 29). In Scenario 2, Activity 2, the key says Confidential (p. 31), but the next activity shows those paragraphs marked (U) (p. 24). Under Volume 2, each portion gets its own level and the banner gets the compilation's level (para 12, p. 41).
If you think something is marked wrong
Ask your Security Manager, FSO, or GCA first. If that doesn't fix it, you can file a formal challenge. The agency has 60 days to respond in writing. With no response in 120 days, you can take it to the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel. The information stays classified in the meantime, and no one can retaliate against you (student guide, p. 19; 32 CFR 2001.14).
What to check
- Does every classified statement trace to an SCG or a properly marked document?
- Did you check what a reader could work out, not only what you wrote?
- Does your SCG have a compilation row that your document triggers?
- With more than one source, did you use the longest declassification instruction?
- Is your training current for your unit?
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Sources
- 1Derivative Classification Student Guide, September 2026 · Center for Development of Security Excellence, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
- 2Derivative Classification IF103.16 · Center for Development of Security Excellence
- 3DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 1, DoD Information Security Program: Overview, Classification, and Declassification, Change 3, January 17, 2025 · Department of Defense
- 4DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, DoD Information Security Program: Marking of Information, Change 4, July 28, 2020 · Department of Defense
- 5DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 3, DoD Information Security Program: Protection of Classified Information, Change 3, July 28, 2020 · Department of Defense
- 632 CFR 2001.22 Derivative classification · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 732 CFR 2001.71 Coverage · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 832 CFR 2001.14 Classification challenges · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 932 CFR 117.13 Classification · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 10Marking Classified National Security Information, Revision 4, January 2018 · Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO Handbook 2018-01)
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