Common Mistakes to Avoid When Taking the CIA Exam

Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) is a difficult exam that demands diligence during preparation and presence of mind while taking the exam. Alongside, it also requires an in-depth knowledge of business, compliance, and auditing procedures. Therefore, a candidate must be thorough in these domains while also ensuring they have enough practice through practice papers and mock exams to understand the structure of the CIA exam. However, many candidates who take the CIA exam make mistakes that can be avoided if they realize the potential ways of scoring less than desired marks.

This blog explores the common mistakes that you can avoid when taking the CIA exam.

Insufficient CIA Exam Preparation

Some candidates, however interested in scoring high in the CIA exam tend to be inadequately prepared for the exam. This can be owed to various factors such as lack of time, professional or personal commitments, or simply not enough resources at hand. This ignorance in understanding the vitality of a stringent, diligent, and thorough CIA examination can cost you your attempt and might lower your motivation for further attempts.

Neglecting the Exam Blueprint

The CIA exam blueprint constitutes three sections-

• Section 1: Fundamentals of Internal Auditing which covers six domains: governance, risk management and control, fraud risk, proficiency and due professional care, independence and objectivity, quality assurance, and improvement programs.
• Section 2: Internal Auditing Practices which covers planning the engagement, executing the engagement, communicating the engagement’s progress and results, and managing internal audit activity.
• Section 3: Knowledge Elements of Internal Auditing which covers financial management, information security, information technology, and business acumen.

Neglecting the content outline of these sections can prove to be a big mistake and can derail you from your goal of obtaining the CIA certification on your first attempt.

Underestimating Exam’s Time Constraints

Time management is the cornerstone of the CIA exam. However, if you fail to practice answering the questions by allocating specific time blocks for each section, considering your strong and weak points during your mock test sessions, you are making the mistake of exceeding your time limit during the actual CIA exam. 

Ignoring CIA Exam Logistics

Before you leave for your CIA exam, you need to be aware of the exam location, specific requirements, documents to carry along, and how to reach the venue. This will help you avoid unnecessary stress or any potential traffic issues.

Going Through CIA Exam Questions Too Quickly

Exam time for CIAs is 2.5 hours for Part 1 (125 questions) and 3 hours for Parts 2 and 3 (100 questions). To finish the CIA exam on time, you often have to respond to questions in between thirty seconds and one minute. However, keeping the time on the second clock will leave you some time to review each question thoroughly.

Not Reviewing Key Concepts

While preparing for the CIA exam, you might find some areas that are difficult for you. The difficulty section is subjective for each candidate and therefore you should allocate some time, resources, and expert help or an instructor-led course to review the key concepts.

Skipping Breaks during Study Schedule

Overloading yourself with your CIA exam study schedule will only cause you burnout and reduce your efficiency during the actual exam date. So, make sure that you take breaks between study schedules to recharge and ensure effective stress management.