When giving testimony in court, you should:

• A. Only state information you know is factual
• B. Provide opinions to help the case
• C. Explain all assumptions
• D. Repeat statements from witnesses

Answer: (A)

Testimony should present only information you know to be factual and supported by evidence. This keeps your statements objective, verifiable, and within the realm of what you can substantiate with records, measurements, observations, and documents you personally reviewed. By sticking to facts, you avoid guessing or injecting personal opinions that could mislead the court or undermine the credibility of your testimony.

Providing opinions to help the case isn’t appropriate unless you are permitted to give expert opinion within your credential and you have a basis for it. Explaining all assumptions you might be making isn’t necessary or helpful if those assumptions aren’t supported by evidence. Repeating statements from other witnesses isn’t your own testimony and can confuse the record or appear duplicative. Focus on what you observed, what you measured, what documents you verified, and what you can directly support with evidence.