Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)

A certified Internal Auditor (CIA) is a certification offered to accountants who are

performing internal audit services, the CIA nomination is appointed by the Institute of
Internal Auditors (IIA) and it is the only credential that is accepted worldwide.
The Certified Internal Auditor usually work in the audit department of the government
agencies, financial institutions or corporations, they review financial records and look for
deficiencies in internal controls.
Certified Internal Auditors play an important role in maintaining the control
environments within entities and managing risks that some companies might face for the
achievement of their objectives by providing assurance and consultancy services on
governance, risk management and control activities of an entity.
To become a CIA, the IIA requires a few steps to be taking into consideration:
1. Fulfill the Educational Requirements

The candidates must meet the minimum educational requirements, they must have
graduate with a 3 or 4-year degree or higher, or they should have an associate’s degree
that meet the IIA’s requirements. There are no requirements about a specific degree field.
Candidates that have seven years of experience of internal auditing or its equivalent can
also be eligible for the CIA exam.

2. Register for the CIA exam

After submitting the documents, required forms and the completion of experience
verification the IIA will issue access to schedule and register for the CIA exam.

3. Pass the CIA exam

The CIA exam consists into 3 sections of Multiple Choice Questions, the first section is
Internal Audit Basics ( Internal Control/ Risk, Mandatory Guidance, Audit Tools and
Techniques), the second section consists of Internal Audit Practice (Managing Individual
Engagements, Managing the Internal Audit Function, Fraud Risks and Control), and the last
section is represented by the IA Knowledge Elements (Business Process/ Organizational
Structure, Governance/ Business Ethics, Communication, Risk Management, IT/ Business
Continuity, Leadership/ Management Principles, Global Business Environment, Financial
Management). Each exam parts take around 2 hours and contain around 100 questions.

4. Upload the Required Documents

5. Pay the CIA exam fees

6. Schedule your exam

 7. Sit for the exam parts

CIA course benefits

1. Higher income
The salary is one of the most appealing aspects of a CIA, it can round up around 38.000$
yearly, with 50% more than the non certificated CIAs. The CIA certification qualifies for
higher positions such as Internal Audit Director or Chief Audit Executive after years of
experience.
2. More Job opportunities
Besides the attractive salary the CIA certification bring more benefits such as job variety,
where internal auditors can reach the top of the corporate ladder. Also the entry level auditors
can get different jobs such as: Compliance auditor, Information system auditor, Lead internal
auditor, Auditing specialist, Financial analyst, Internal controls auditor, Risk assessment
specialist.
3. Job security
IA are valued in the accounting and finance hiring market, organizations are improving their
transparency and internal controls which leads to higher demand for the internal auditing
professionals.