CIA Exam Guide

What are the CIA Exams,

and How to Pass Them

www.hockinternational.com 2023 edition

CIA Exam Guide

2 What is a CIA?

3 Why should I become a CIA?

5 Is CIA the right certification for me?

6 Am I eligible for the CIA

certification?

8 How much does it cost to become a CIA?

9 What is the CIA exam structure and

syllabus?

10 Is the CIA exam difficult to pass?

11 How do I prepare for the CIA exams?

13 How long does it take to prepare for

the CIA exams?

14 How do I start?
 What is a CIA
and who
is it for?

The CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) certification offered by The Institute of

Internal Auditors (IIA) is the only internal auditor certification recognized around
the world.

Professionals with the CIA certification have an advantage compared to non-

certified individuals in the job market, and usually have higher pay and
increased job security. According to IIA reports, a CIA in the United States earns
approximately $38,000 more per year than auditors who do not have the
certification. The demand for internal auditors is also growing due to many
organizations placing a higher emphasis on controls and needing experts in
corporate governance, risk management, and internal control. An increase in
governmental regulations and reporting requirements and shareholders’
concern over corporate governance are also fueling an increased demand for
internal auditors.

Over the course of their career, a CIA is also more likely to get promoted to
positions such as audit manager, risk manager, and senior internal auditor than
non-certified colleagues. Individuals with the CIA certification can even move up
to executive roles such as chief financial officer, finance director, chief audit
executive, or vice president of internal audit.

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 Why should you
become a CIA?
There are four main reasons for
an internal auditor to consider
becoming a CIA.

The CIA Syllabus is practical and relevant to your job

Everything in the CIA syllabus is something that an internal auditor does or

should do. Such a practical syllabus provides a lot of benefits to you:

It makes studying easier

The content you learn is useful for your current and future jobs
The knowledge does not limit you to a specific department or career path

You only need to pass three exams

While it may seem at first that only three exams are not enough for professional
certification, the three CIA exams cover a wide range of topics that are all
tested in-depth. This means that you get a rigorous exam that covers
everything it needs to cover but without a multi-year time commitment. The fact
that there are only three exams greatly increases the chances that you will
complete the Exams.

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 You only need a Bachelor’s degree and two years of relevant
work experience to get your certificate

For the CIA exam, as long as you have a 3 or 4-year Bachelor’s degree in any
subject, you meet the education requirement. The experience requirement to
get your certificate requires only two years of internal audit work experience.
Your experience can be obtained before, during, or after you study for your
Exams.

Your CIA certification is internationally recognized

In all likelihood, you will have a number of different jobs during your career,
which may include working for a multinational corporation, or in another
country. Because the CIA certification is internationally recognized, it will help
you get a job anywhere in the world. Being a CIA will also show others in your
organization that you are committed to your profession, and this will help you
reach higher levels in your organization.

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Is the CIA right certification for me?

While the CIA is an excellent certification, the most important

factor in choosing your professional certification is which
certification will help YOU accomplish YOUR career goals.

To get the right certification, you need to ask yourself:

What do you want to be doing in the future?

If you are an internal auditor now, do you want to be the chief audit
executive in 10 years?

If you want to continue to work

as an internal auditor, you
absolutely should become a CIA.
Internal auditing is a rewarding
career, but by earning the
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
certification, you can expand
your knowledge and skills and
take your career to the next
level.

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 Am I eligible
to get the CIA
Certification?

When applying for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam, candidates have to
prove that they meet the requirements and provide the necessary
documentation to The IIA.

Education Requirement
Candidates for the CIA Certification must have an Associate’s degree or higher.
The degree has to be obtained at one of the universities approved by The IIA.

What if I don’t have an associate’s degree?

The IIA can accept a Foundation Degree, Diploma of Higher Education, Higher
National Diploma, or three A-level certificates with a grade of C or higher.

What if I don’t meet the education requirement?

The IIA may approve candidates who do not meet the minimum education
requirements if they have at least 7 years of verified experience in internal audit
or its equivalent. For the details check The IIA’s Certification Education
Requirement Exceptions FAQ and Application.

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Experience Requirement
CIA candidates do not need to have any work experience prior to registering
and taking the CIA exams. However, candidates will not be certified until they
meet the following work experience requirements:

Candidates with a Master’s degree – 12 months of internal auditing

experience
​Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree​– 24 months of internal auditing
experience
Candidates with an Associate’s degree, three A-Level Certificates, grade C
.or higher – 60 months of internal auditing experience

The IIA will also consider the equivalents of the degree levels and internal
auditing experience.

Character Reference
CIA candidates are required to submit a character reference form signed by a
CIA, CGAP, CCSA, CFSA, CRMA, or the candidate’s supervisor. This form is
proof of your compliance with the IIA’s Code of Ethics, your moral principals,
and your professionalism.
Proof of Identification
CIA candidates have to provide identification, which can be a copy of your
passport or another valid ID with a clearly legible photo. The IIA will not accept
expired documents.

Requirement Exemptions
You do not have to provide proof of education and work experience if you are:

A qualified member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

(ACCA)
An active and licensed U.S. Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

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How much does it cost to become a CIA?

The total cost to become a CIA is made up of two components:

Exam Registration Fees

Exam Prep Materials

The CIA Exam Registration Fees (paid to The IIA) depends on whether or not
you are a member of The IIA.

Note: while you do not need to be a member to register for and pass the
exams, the total registration fees are $200 less for IIA Members.

The cost of the Hock CIA Exam Prep materials depends on the package you
select and any current discounts that are being offered. The most current
prices are available on our site.

Click here to see the details

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 What is the CIA Exam
structure and syllabus?

The CMA Exam has 3 Parts and covers 14 competencies:

Part 1: Essentials of Internal Auditing

15% Foundations of Internal Auditing

15% Independence and Objectivity
18% Proficiency and Due Professional Care
07% Quality Assurance and Improvement Program
35% Governance, Risk Management,.and Control
10% Fraud Risks

Part 2: Practice of Internal Auditing

20% Managing the Internal Audit Activity

20% Planning the Engagement
40% Performing the Engagement
20% Communicating Engagement Results and Monitoring Progress

Part 3: Business Knowledge for Internal Auditing

35% Business Acumen

25% Information Security
20% Information Technology
20% Financial Management

Click here to see the detailed syllabus of the CIA Exam.

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Is the CIA exam
difficult to pass?

No, the exam is not difficult to pass. In fact, it should be easy for you to pass
when you go to take your exam.

If you are properly prepared, the exam should be easy to pass. In other words,
if you know the material tested on the exam, then taking the exam is just the
process of answering questions you are prepared to answer. Of course, there
may be a few questions that you are uncertain about, but if you are properly
prepared, you should know that you passed when you leave the exam.

A better question to ask is,

“Is it is difficult to prepare properly for the exam?”

While this question is a bit different, the answer is similar. While not every topic
will be easy to learn because some concepts are difficult to learn and take time,
overall you should feel confident as you prepare to prepare to pass the exam if:

1. You have decided that you want to pass the exam (this means that you are
properly motivated and will actually study), and
2. You have the right exam prep materials for your learning style, background,
and experience.

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 How do I
prepare for
the CIA
exams?

Understand the goal, and stay focused on that goal only

Remember that your main goal is to pass the exam. To achieve that goal, there
is a syllabus of material that you need to learn. The syllabus tells you what you
need to study, and by process of elimination, what you do not need to study.
You should not get distracted by reading outside of the textbook or searching for
other sources that are not written specifically for the exam you are studying.

Overall studying strategy

The first tip that we offer for preparing for the exams is to remember that
preparing to pass the exam is a marathon, not a sprint. This means that you
need to have a long-term plan when you start studying. You should plan on
studying 1-2 hours at a time, three to five times a week, for several months. It is
OK if you miss one session occasionally.
And to make this as effective and efficient as possible, you should make a
specific study schedule of when during the week you will study. This study
schedule will help reduce the stress of the study process. Without a schedule,
you always have studying hanging over your head.

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If you know that you will study Tuesday evening, Thursday evening, Friday
morning and Sunday afternoon, it makes it a lot easier for you the rest of the
time because you know that it is OK to not be studying. Having a schedule will
prepare you for the entire process and prepare you to pass your exam when you
take it.

You must actually study

The most important thing you can do to prepare for the exam is to actually
study! Having a schedule will, by itself, not help you pass the exam. Reading
motivational quotes and books will not help you pass the exam. You must
actually have productive and quality study time (reading the textbook while you
are also watching TV at the same time does not count as study time).
Here is how you can study with HOCK CIA Exam Prep materials:

1. Skim through the textbook for a topic and look at the main points and
examples.
2. Watch the video(s) about this topic.
3. Do the practice questions in ExamSuccess for this topic.
4. If you are uncertain about any particular concept within this topic, read the
detail that is in the textbook to help you understand the topic and/or re-watch
the video(s).
5. Ask us questions! If there is something that you do not understand, ask us.
We are here to help you and we can almost always help you more quickly
than you can figure out an answer yourself.
6. After you understand the topic and can answer the questions, you should
start using the flash cards. This will put that topic’s cards into rotation so that
you can review the topic on an ongoing basis as you continue into the next
topics.

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 How many hours do I need to
study for the CIA exams?

The not very helpful answer to how many hours you need to study is that you
need to study “enough.” How many hours is enough is determined by several
factors:

Your experience in the areas that are being tested.

Your education in the areas being tested.
How well you study when you study.
What preparation materials you use.

As a general starting point, most people need to study about 80 hours per Part
for Parts 1 and 2, and 150 hours for Part 3. If you study 8-10 hours a week, it
will take you, on average, about two months to study for the first two exams
and four months for the third exam. It is very doable to pass both Exams in an
8-12 month period.

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 What do I do
to start?

The best way to start studying for the CIA exams is to sign up for
HOCK’s free trial. Using the materials in the free trial an excellent way to
start studying and see if CIA is the right certification for you before you
make any financial investments.

The HOCK trial includes these study materials for CIA Part 1 Section I & II and
CIA Part 3 Section III:

Full Textbook
All MCQs (Test Bank)
All Flash Cards
All Videos

Sign up for the free trial now and get an exclusive discount code
for HOCK CIA Exam prep materials.

REGISTER NOW

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