Free Practice Questions for SOCRA CCRP Exam

The investigator/institution bears responsibility for site conduct, oversight of delegated tasks, and ensuring qualified, trained staff—regardless of employment source. Exact extracts:

ICH E6(R2) 4.1.1: “The investigator should bequalified… and haveadequate resourcesto properly conduct the trial.”

ICH E6(R2) 4.1.5: “The investigatorshould ensure that all persons assistingwith the trial areadequately informedabout the protocol, the investigational product(s), and their trial-related duties and functions.”

ICH E6(R2) 4.2.5: “The investigatormay delegate… butretains responsibilityfor the conduct of the trial at the site.”Therefore, the investigator/institution (B) must implement procedures and oversight to maintain integrity of trial duties.

Audits are part of sponsor quality assurance to ensure trial compliance.

ICH E6(R2) 5.19.3:“The sponsor’s auditing procedures should include the provision of anaudit certificatewhere required.”

ICH E6(R2) 8.2.20:Audit certificates are essential documents generated and retained by the sponsor.

IRBs (A), regulators (B), and DSMBs (C) are not responsible for audit documentation. Therefore, only thesponsorissues and maintains audit certificates, providing them to sites when appropriate.

Correct answer:D.

AnInvestigational Device Exemption (IDE)allows an unapproved medical device to be used in aclinical investigation.

21 CFR 812.1(a):“An approved IDE permits a device to be shipped lawfully for the purpose of conducting investigations of the device without complying with other requirements of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that would otherwise apply.”

It does not allow commercial sale (B), non-study clinical use (C), or marketing as a humanitarian device (D).

Thus, the correct answer isA (Shipped lawfully for clinical study).

TheBelmont Report (1979)establishedthree key ethical principles:

Respect for Persons:Requires informed consent, recognition of autonomy, and protection of vulnerable individuals.

Beneficence:Obligation to maximize benefits and minimize harm.

Justice:Ensuring fairness in subject selection and distribution of research burdens/benefits.

Voluntary informed consent embodiesRespect for Persons, as subjects are given adequate information and freedom of choice. “Do no harm” (A) is a Hippocratic principle but not Belmont terminology.

Thus, the correct answer isB (Respect for persons).

Belmont Report:“Respect for Persons” incorporates two ethical convictions: treating individuals as autonomous agents and protecting those with diminished autonomy (e.g., prisoners).

Prisoners require special safeguards because of restricted liberty and potential coercion.

Phase IV studies (post-marketing) examine real-world safety and effectiveness.

ICH E8(R1):Describes Phase IV as “studies performed after drug approval to delineate additional information including the drug’s risks, benefits, and optimal use.”

They often test drugs innew or broader populationsbeyond original approval.

While dosing and schedules are Phase I–III, Phase IV focuses onnew patient populationsor long-term outcomes.

Sponsors must reportserious, unexpected, and suspected adverse reactions (SUSARs)to the FDA.

21 CFR 312.32(c)(2):“Any adverse experience associated with the use of the drug that is bothserious and unexpectedshall be reported…as soon as possible but no later than 7 calendar daysafter the sponsor’s initial receipt of the information, if it is fatal or life-threatening.”

ICH E2A 4.2:Requires expedited reporting oflife-threatening or fatal SUSARswithin 7 days.

Among the options, only (C) —death from arrhythmias not previously identified in the Investigator’s Brochure and suspected to be drug-related— meets the definition of a SUSAR requiring7-day expedited reporting. Events already listed in the IB (A, D) or unrelated to the drug (B) do not trigger expedited reporting.

Thus, the correct answer isC.

Upon study closure, investigators must maintain documentation that allows subject data to be linked back if necessary. TheSubject Identification Code Listis a key essential document for ensuring traceability while maintaining confidentiality.

ICH E6(R2) 8.3.21:“Subject Identification Code List — A list of all subjects randomized to trial numbers, allowing investigator to identify each subject in case follow-up is required. This list should be kept in a confidential manner and retained for the maximum retention period.”

ICH E6(R2) 8.4:Essential documents for investigators include items needed for subject identification, protocol compliance, and trial closure.

Other listed documents (randomization list, monitoring report, audit certificate) are maintained by the sponsor, not the investigator. Thesubject code listensures that in the event of a safety issue, regulatory authority queries, or subject withdrawal, the investigator can trace back records.

Thus, the correct answer isB (Completed Subject Identification Code List).

Therisk-benefit ratiois a core responsibility of the IRB/IEC.

21 CFR 56.111(a)(2):“Risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits, if any, to subjects, and the importance of the knowledge that may reasonably be expected to result.”

ICH E6(R2) 3.1.2:IRB/IEC must safeguard rights, safety, and well-being of subjects, with special attention to risk-benefit evaluation.

Investigators (A) provide medical judgment but do not formally approve the risk-benefit balance. Sponsors (D) design studies but must submit to IRB for independent review. Legal counsel (C) is not part of the scientific/ethical evaluation.

Thus,IRB/IEC is directly responsible for approving the risk-benefit ratio.