How difficult is a CIA, Certified internal auditor?

Certified Internal Auditor | CIA Audit Certification

Before you appear for your Certified Internal Auditor exam, you need to undergo thorough CIA exam preparation and understand the difficulty level of the exam. Understanding all the elements of the Certified Internal Auditor course, the syllabus, pass percentage, scoring process, and difficulty level helps with your CIA exam preparation. Also, it ensures that you attain the credential on your first attempt.Read more.

To gauge the answer to how difficult CIA is, let us address several relevant factors encompassing the question-

Factors involved in accessing the difficulty level of a Certified Internal Auditor

• • Certified Internal Auditor Course Format: The certified internal auditor exam comprises three parts-

• • Part 1: Essentials of Internal Auditing

• • Part 2: Practice of Internal Auditing

• • Part 3: Business Knowledge for Internal Auditing

The CIA examination requires an aspirant to pass all three sections within 3 years. While the time duration to pass these parts is significant for a candidate, it does draw out the difficult level of the overall exam and makes the CIA exam preparation process comprehensive. This can turn overwhelming for some candidates. 

• • CIA Certification Pass Rates: While the pass rate has no effect on a candidate’s ability to clear the CIA examination, going through it does affect how the aspirant gauges overall difficulty level. The current overall CIA certification exam pass percentage is 43%. This rate qualifies that the exam difficulty level was not quite easy and requires much effort and CIA exam preparation from aspirants who are serious about clearing it on their first attempt. 

• • CIA Certification Exam Content: Understanding the content of a CIA certification exam is crucial to gauging and dialing down its difficulty level. The certified internal auditor exam content comprises-

1: Essentials of Internal Auditing

• • Foundations of Internal Auditing (15%)

• • Independence and Objectivity (15%)

• • Proficiency and Due Professional Care (18%)

• • Quality Assurance and Improvement Program (7%)

• • Governance, Risk Management, and Control (35%)

• • Fraud Risks (10%)

2. Practice of Internal Auditing

• • Managing the Internal Audit Activity (20%)

• • Planning the Engagement (20%)

• • Performing the Engagement (40%)

• • Communicating Engagement Results and Monitoring Progress (20%)

3. Business Knowledge for Internal Internal Auditing

• • Business Acumen (35%)

• • Informational Security (25%)

• • Information Security (20%)

• • Financial Management (20%)

As the examination covers an in-depth approach to internal auditing, it requires an aspirant to be comprehensive with their CIA preparation. To cover all the elements of the CIA exam, aspirants can consider applying for instructor-led CIA exam review courses.

• • CIA Certification Intellectual Level: To further gauge the difficulty level of the CIA exam, an aspirant must understand the CIA exam’s cognitive level and then proceed with gaining proficiency in all the topics. 

• • Basic Level: Applicants must be able to recall pertinent information from memory and/or have a basic understanding of ideas or procedures.

• • Proficient Level: Applicants utilize ideas, methods, or processes; assess, evaluate, and draw findings based on standards; and/or combine components or information to create suggestions.

Moreover, you also must be aware of the number of questions each section entails. The CIA exam has three parts, the first section comprises 125 sections to be completed in 2.5 hours, the second part encompasses 100 questions to be completed in 2 hours, and the third part also has 100 questions to be completed in 2 hours. 

The vast majority of questions in the 1 and 2 sections include theoretical questions, which demand a candidate to dig in deep with their CIA exam preparation.

Certified Internal Auditor Exam

Netrika takes pride in its dedication to providing professionals with specific training courses that provide important insights into the industry. Our seasoned staff members have twenty years of experience and hold elite certifications. They have gone above and beyond to provide applicants with theoretical and practical abilities that define their careers and enable them to succeed in reaching the pinnacle of their respective fields. 
Our specially created CIA certification courses provide practical knowledge adapted to the ever-changing field of internal auditing. The certified internal auditor training ensures that you are well-prepared for the CIA exam and may earn the certification by keeping you abreast of current developments in the sector.