The CIA certification is a professional credential offered by The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) that verifies a person’s knowledge in assessing a variety of business functions and corporate governance.

Internal Auditors are relied upon for assessments of an organization’s business processes. Their independent and objective evaluations of financial operations, business activities, and corporate governance are crucial in assessing efficiency, adhering to procedure, and assuring compliance with legal requirements. Additionally, their post-audit recommendations to management help set the course for legal and ethical compliance with both the governing laws and outside regulations.

The CIA Challenge Exam is an expedited path to becoming a CIA, with just one exam instead of three.

CIA Challenge Exam Candidates must be an active CPA, CA, or CISA holder from one of the following qualified accounting bodies:

• CPA license from any US State Board
• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
• Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)
• Chartered Accountants Ireland Institute
• Chartered Professional Accountants Canada (CPA Canada)
• CPA Australia
• Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA)
• Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA Ireland)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)
• Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU)
• Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA)
• Koninklijke Nederlandse Beroepsorganisatie van Accountants (NBA)
• Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA)
• Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)
• Registro Oficial de Auditores de Cuentas (ROAC)
• Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA)
• South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)
• State of Israel Ministry of Justice-Board of Accountants

For more information about the CIA Challenge Exam, please see our CIA Challenge Guide.

The total cost to become a CIA includes both 1) exam registration fees and 2) exam prep materials.

1) Exam Registration Fees

The costs to become a Certified CIA professional depends on your membership status or if you are a full-time University student.

2) Exam Prep Materials

While our competitors’ materials can cost $1,000 - $2,000 or more, HOCK offers a CIA subscription for only $59 per month.

Because most students study for about about a year, this means you can prepare for your exams with HOCK’s all-inclusive and comprehensive CIA Exam Review for under $750.

In order to become certified, individuals must meet one of the following combinations of education and experience.

1. A Master’s degree and one year of professional experience as an internal auditor.
2. A Bachelor’s degree and two years of professional experience as an internal auditor.
3. No degree and five years of professional experience as an internal auditor.

The CIA exam has 3 Parts each covering topics relevant to Internal Auditing:

• CIA Part 1
  1. Foundations of Internal Auditing – 35%
  2. Ethics and Professionalism – 20%
  3. Governance, Risk Management, and Control – 30%
  4. Fraud Risks – 15%

• CIA Part 2
  1. Engagement Planning – 50%
  2. Information Gathering, Analysis, and Evaluation – 40%
  3. Engagement Supervision and Communication – 10%

• CIA Part 3
  1. Internal Audit Operations – 25%
  2. Internal Audit Plan – 15%
  3. Quality of the Internal Audit Function – 15%
  4. Engagement Results and Monitoring – 45%

• CIA Part 1 - Essentials of Internal Auditing | 125 multiple-choice questions | 150 minutes
• CIA Part 2 - Practice of Internal Auditing | 100 multiple-choice questions | 120 minutes
• CIA Part 3 - Business Knowledge for Internal Auditing | 100 multiple-choice questions | 120 minutes

Exam registration is done through the IIA and exams are taken in-person at Pearson Vue Testing Centers located in major cities worldwide.

We have a dedicated How do I Register for the CIA Exam? page with step by step details how to pay the exam fees, locate a testing center, and schedule your exam.

Based on the difficulty of the questions randomly selected for your exam and the number of questions that you got correct you are given a “scaled score” between 250 and 750. A 600 score is required to pass the exam.

Note: 600 does NOT translate to 70%. It is simply a score and not a percentage of anything.

More details about how the CIA exam is graded are available on our How is My CIA Exam Score Determined? page.

Once you have your CIA certification, you must earn the required CPE every year. You can earn CPE by attending webinars, many of which are free. Failure to maintain CPE will result in your removal from The IIA's records of certified members.

While every student will study at a different pace, it usually takes about 2-3 months of study per Part. Our PassMap Learning Management System lets you customize your learning experience. By simply entering your target exam date into PassMap, you will have a weekly study schedule to stay on track for your target exam date.

For even more in-depth articles about choosing a certification, preparing for exams, and professional development, visit the free HOCK Resource Library. If you have any other questions about the exam or study for the exam, please get in touch and we will be glad to help.