The invention discloses methods and systems of using application-specific and application-type-specific models for the efficient classification of mobile device behaviors. Methods, and mobile devices implementing the methods, use application-specific and/or application-type specific classifier to improve the efficiency and performance of a comprehensive behavioral monitoring and analysis system predicting whether a software application is causing undesirable or performance depredating behavior. The application-specific and application-type specific classifier models may include a reduced and more focused subset of the decision nodes that are included in a full or more complete classifier model that may be received or generated in the mobile device. The locally generated application-specific and/or application-type specific classifier models may be used to perform real-time behavior monitoring and analysis operations by applying the application-based classifier models to a behavior/feature vector generated by monitoring mobile device behavior. The various aspects focus monitoring and analysis operations on a small number of features that are most important for determining whether operations of a software application are contributing to undesirable or performance depredating behavior.