Deep dive — methodology

How the Category A / B / C determination is derived

Every $499 Snapshot lands on exactly one overall determination. Not a color code, not a health score — an A/B/C determination tied to attestation stance. Here is exactly how it is derived.

The three categories

Category	Meaning	Attestation stance
A	No high-severity drift events. No segment-differential signal. Baseline vs recent distributions match within threshold.	Sufficient for attestation. Signed evidence available on file.
B	Medium-severity drift or single-event high-severity without segment-differential signal. Aggregate metrics stable.	Conditional. Named remediation + re-audit within defined window supports attestation.
C	Multiple high-severity drift events or a fired segment-differential signal.	Insufficient. Firm should not represent the AI as FRCP 37(e)-defensible or bar-ethics-compliant until remediation completes.

The evidence chain

Sensor thresholds active during the audit:
- Mean-shift threshold: 1.5 standard deviations from baseline
- Variance-ratio threshold: 1.5x baseline
- KL-divergence threshold: 0.2
- Client-segment adverse-impact differential threshold: 12% shift across segments
Event classification:
- Any single-threshold cross → medium-severity event
- KL-divergence > 0.5 or segment-differential signal → high-severity event
Category assignment:
- 0 high-severity + 0 segment-differential → A
- 1-2 high-severity, no segment-differential signal → B
- ≥ 3 high-severity or any segment-differential signal fired → C

Why this sample lands on C

7 high-severity distributional-drift events across the 90-day audit period, on multiple client segments. The high-severity count alone (7 ≥ 3) is sufficient for C. The C3 SIU/fraud-review lane-shift (18% to 71%) exceeds any reasonable four-fifths test as well. The determination is not marginal.

Why the A/B/C structure matters

Continuous-scale scores (0-100 dashboard, red/yellow/green tri-lights, "health-score" percentages) push operators toward "just above the threshold" gaming behavior. A/B/C determinations force a single stance question:

Would you sign the attestation as-is today? A/B/C answers the question that state bar disciplinary counsel, defense counsel, plaintiff-class counsel, and malpractice carriers actually ask — instead of the question the vendor's dashboard prefers.

How does this help me?

Knowing your category BEFORE the carrier questionnaire, bar inquiry, or defense-counsel discovery motion lands is the whole value of the $499 discipline.

Read: The value of knowing your category first →

$499 Snapshot. 3 business days.

Get your firm's Category A / B / C determination on your actual AI surface — before someone else's question forces the answer.

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