Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)

CIA Review professional course

For more than 30 years, The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) has provided the leading international certification in the field of internal auditing, the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). The CIA Exam has reflected competence in the principles and practices of internal auditing and has served as the only internationally accepted designation for internal auditors. The CIA examination was first given in August 1974 to 654 candidates. It's now more than 30 years old, and there have been over 52,000 CIAs awarded. Currently, the examination is given twice a year to more than 6,000 candidates per sitting at over 250 sites throughout the world.

The IIA is the world’s largest professional organization for internal auditors with over 115,000 members around the world. More iinformation about the IIA and its programs are available on the IIA website.

Parts of the CIA exam

We are currently using the HOCK CIA Preparatory Program.

When Will The exams be offered

The exams will be offered five or six days a week, based on local conditions. The CIA exams will be offered two out of every three months of each quarter. The months when testing is available are called "testing windows." Candidates can sit for the exams even when the institute office is closed, as long as the Pearson VUE site is available. The testing schedule is as follows:

Eligibility for the CIA exams

In order to be eligible to take the CIA Exams, a candidate must have a bachelors degree and a letter of recommendation from either a manager, or a licensed Certified Internal Auditor, or a supervisor or educator. In order to obtain their license, CIA candidates are required to complete 24 months of internal auditing experience or its equivalent. Equivalent experience means experience in audit/assessment disciplines, including external auditing, quality assurance, compliance, and internal control. Either a master's degree or work experience in related business professions (such as accounting, law, or finance) can be substituted for one year of experience. Candidates may sit for the CIA exam prior to satisfying their experience requirement, but they will not be certified until the experience requirement has been met.

How much time do I need to study?

There isn't one "right" answer to this question. Our Study Plans provide guidelines for how much to study in terms of weeks, assuming that you study 8-10 hours per week and have a basic background in Accounting. Depending on your personal and professional obligations, and your previous experience with the exam topics, you can easily adjust these plans to be shorter or longer. For example, if you are highly motivated, have a lot of free time, and have previous exposure to the exam topics, you may be able to pass one exam every 4 weeks. If you have limited study time, and are not familiar with many of the exam topics, you may need to study 3-6 months per Part.