CIA Exam Requirements



CIA Exam Requirements: Quick Check on Your Eligibility

Last updated: by 45 Comments
cia exam requirements
In order to become a Certified Internal Auditor, you must fulfill the exam and experience requirements.

CIA Exam Requirements

It is important to note that IIA membership is NOT an exam requirement (unlike other accounting certifications such as CMA). However, you get discounts on the exam application fee together with other benefits.

1. Educational Requirements

  • 3 or 4-year post-secondary degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university*.
  • Candidates can take the exam before graduation, in their senior year. In order to get certified, one needs to graduate and meet the experience requirements.
  • If you are currently living or working in another country, please check with your local IIA representative as the eligibility requirement could be different. I have a list of the countries here at the bottom of this page.
Candidates can also fully or partially waive the educational requirements with work experience:
  • 2 years of post-secondary education AND 5 years of verified experience in internal audit of equivalent; or
  • 7 years of verified experience in internal audit or equivalent (see below for definition).
* The IIA follows the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) guidelines on defining accredited universities.
How to Submit the Documents
Applicants must indicate their highest level of education on the exam application. You can scan the original documents (transcripts, marksheets etc) and upload to IIA website via the Certification Document Upload Portal.

2. Working Experience Requirements

  • Minimum of 2 years internal audit experience or equivalent.
  • Equivalent experience including external auditing, quality assurance, compliance and internal control.
  • The experience must be verified by former or current manager, or someone holding an active IIA Global Certification (CIA, CGAP, CFSA, CCSA, CRMA).
  • Either a master’s degree or work experience in related business professions (such as accounting, law, or finance) can be substituted for 12 months of experience.

3. Other Requirements

(a) Character Reference
You can submit the character reference form. This is a simple one-page with your name, candidate ID, as well as name, contact details and signature of your recommender. This person can be a CIA, CGAP, CCSA, CFSA, CRMA, your professor, or your current or former supervisor.
(b) Proof of Identification
You need either a valid official passport or national identity card. This ID needs to be scanned and uploaded to the Document Upload Portal in the IIA website.

Specialty Exams Requirement

 

For those who are not eligible for the CIA exam, you can consider the specialty exams which has a slightly lower educational requirement. Please refer to this page for more information.



Further Reading

You are also welcome to sign up to our mini-course which is completely free. You can learn more about this mini e-course here.



Comments

You may want to check out my FAQ page for the most common questions from readers.
  1. I’m a chartered accountant and a certified tax practitioner with diversified experience,spanning over 20 years,a chunk of which has been at the headship level of internal audit and external audit practice.
    However, your eligibility criteria for exam application appears too narrow to accommodate my kind of profile .
    Do you have some other considerations in my favour OR is what you’ve published here exactly what is required?
    Thanks.
    Reply
  3. Hi Stephanie,
    Farhan is here again. I wanted to know how to verify whether I’m eligible or not for CIA. I tried to apply for the enrollment but they are asking for 200 USD before any further processing. Does that mean if my application is rejected then I would lose 200?
    Regards,
    Farhan.
    Reply
    • Hi Farhan,
      I would send an email to IIA and see if they can give you an indication. Yes, normally, the application fee is non-refundable. Regards, Stephanie
      Reply
  4. Hi
    I dont have the professional experience of any kind as I am a fresh graduate in Accounting & Finance. So, can I take the CIA exams now and get the professional experience later?
    Reply
  5. Hi, I am an Accountancy graduate and currently working as an accountant. I want to take the CIA exam but unfortunately I have no experience directly related to internal AUDIT. But I am currently working for a company which has no existing internal audit department and our department serves us the control department of the company. Would it be counted in as a qualified experience. Thank you
    Reply
  6. I am currently a graduate MS. Accounting student in U.S. My university require all of us to complete 45 credits to get the degree. However, I have got my bachelor degree in China, and my previous major is not accounting-related. In order to meet the 150 credits minimum requirement, I would like to know what do I do to get credit of my bachelor degree in U.S? THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
    Reply
    • Hi Xuan, I am not sure if I understand your question, but I assume that you are asking about the requirement for the CPA exam (instead of the CIA exam)? If so, your china degree should give you 120 non-accounting credits. If your 45 credit from your master’s is all accounting related, you are more than ok to fulfill the CPA educational requirements. So not sure where the issue is…
      If you are simply asking how to have your China credit hours required by the state board, the evaluation report is your answer. More info here: http://ipassthecpaexam.com/foreign-credential-evaluation/
      Reply
  7. Hi,
    I am Chartered Accountant in Practice (India) having two years experience of External Auditing. Whether i am eligible for CIA Exams?
    Reply
    • Hi YSIL, it depends on your education level. If you have what’s listed above, you are fine.
      As for external audit, it is likely to be counted as relevant experience. Besides passing the exam, you need the experience to get the certification. Regards, Stephanie
      Reply
  8. im fresh graduate of BSA. wat if i dont have yet experience. and i want to take this exam. if i pass for exmple… u can immediately give me my certificate or i need to work as a IA to get that certificate?
    Reply
    • Hi Mae, you can take the exam but IIA won’t grant you the CIA certification until you fulfill the experience requirements. Regards, Stephanie
      Reply
  9. Hello,
    I have a query.
    My graduation degree (B.COM) is a 3 year degree to be completed in a minimum of 3 years and maximum of 6 years. However, since I also pursued chartered accountancy after my higher secondary (i.e. 10+2) I got credit for a few subjects transferred from chartered accountancy to B.COM. Due to this I’ll be completing my B.COM in roughly 1.5-2 years of time. Will I be eligible for taking the CIA exam considering the fact that credits were transferred.
    Reply
  10. I have National diplomain internal auditing and 4 years expirience in internal auditing do i qualify to sit for exams
    Reply
    • Hello, it’s hard for me to tell because different country has a different definition of diploma. I would try emailing IIA and see if they can give you a direct answer. Good luck! Stephanie
      Reply
  11. I have recently enrolled onto the CIA (I have a degree too). I now have 2 years internal audit experience with my current employer but have not passed any CIA exams yet. Can I get my experience signed off by my current employer and move to a new employer and do the exams with them?
    I am from the UK
    Reply
    • Sure Gabrielle. You can get the experience verified by a previous employer as long as you want to count the years you worked with them. Cheers, Stephanie
      Reply
      • Thanks for the response. As I have 2 years audit experience already, does my next job have to be in internal audit whilst I study and take the CIA exams?
        Reply
  12. Hello!
    I’ve passed all three parts and I have uploaded all the documents required in the documents upload system before my application’s expiration date.
    However, only my experience verification form was approved and received no feedback regarding the other two (and this is why I reupload them today).
    I was so anxious and confused when I saw in the certification progress part that there is no reference of my passing the 3 parts successfully…
    Do you know whether I will be able to order my CIA certificate once the two documents are successfully approved although my application expiration date has passed ?
    Thank you very much in advance.
    My best regards,
    Fenia
    Reply
    • Hi Fenia, since we can’t actually access to your profile, it’s hard to give suggestions. But I am quite sure IIA will be able to help you out. Doesn’t sound to be a big issue but it is best to get this sorted out before your application expiry date. Regards, Stephanie
      Reply
  13. Hi ,I have created account at IIA CCMS and tried to apply for the enrollment but they are asking for 200 USD .So, before payment how could I confirm my eligibility requirement? I have six years internal and external audit experience and completed bachelors degree (three years course) from Nepal.So, how could I verify my eligibility requirement before payment?
    Reply
  14. I am getting ready to apply and submit the required documents to sit for the CIA exam. I noticed on the IIA website that there is an Internal Audit Practitioner designation that can be obtained through taking part one of the exam. I would like some clarification to make sure I understand the process and take advantage of the opportunity. From what I understand on the IIA’s website is I will need to complete an application for the Internal Audit Practitioner and pay a fee (of course, complete the full application process), then take part one and upon completion of part one I will have this designation. Is this correct?
    Reply
    • Hi Brandee,
      Basically yes, although I have to say, in my opinion, most employers don’t know what that is, so not sure how well it is recognized. It is the same as if you indicate on your resume that you pass Part 1.
      In addition to what you mentioned, I believe you also need 6 months of experience:
      https://na.theiia.org/certification/cia-certification/Pages/Internal-Audit-Practitioner.aspx
      Also, one doesn’t receive a paper certificate and that this designation expires after 3 years, because it is only meant to be a temporary recognition for you to transit to the full status as CIA.
      Regards, Stephanie
      Reply
  15. Hi,
    I am an ACCA member and have completed Bsc Hons in accountancy from Oxford Brookes and have 5 years of experience. So can you please tell me the eligibility for CIA and submitting my application for CIA thereafter?.
    Thanks and Regards,
    MS
    Reply
    • Hi MS, you should be qualified based on your Bachelor degree. For the experience, it depends if it is relevant. You can check from Point 2 above.
      Reply
  16. Hello Stephanie,
    I had a question in regards to the experience criteria. Do you have any idea if the IIA counts intern/co-op experience in internal audit towards the two two years? I have spent the equivalent of 1 full year interning with a large sized company and was curious if this might be relevant experience.
    Reply
    • Hi Jason, I am not sure. At least the IIA doesn’t exclude internships so it is possible. I suggest to send an email to IIA, and when you describe your work try to package it as something equivalent to a full-time experience. Good luck! Stephanie
      Reply
    • Hi Naser, I am not sure what you mean by deferent, but the requirements are the same for IIA members and non-membrs. The difference is on the price (as in members get quite a bit of discounts).
      Reply
  18. * I am in possession of national diploma in internal auditing,now is it possible for me to do CIA?
    * If so how much is it and for how long?
    Reply
    • Hi Boitumelo, is your diploma equivalent to a degree? Because it may not be so in the US. Anyway, you can go to through the alternative route but it isn’t the case. You may want to double check with IIA before applying.
      Reply
  19. I have a question. Why China has 4 parts of the exam instead of 3 parts? Can I finish the first 3 parts of the exam in US and take the part 4 exam in China?
    Reply
    • Hi Haocheng, my understanding from this page:
      http://www.ciia.com.cn/docs//2016-01-01/1450146635572.html
      …is that there are 3 parts in the exam in China as well (it is simply translating the English version to Chinese). The only difference is that instead of able to take the exam all year round in most countries, in China there are 4 testing windows.
      You can probably take the exam parts in different countries but please check with the IIA to confirm.
      Reply
  20. Hi Stephanie
    I have a 3 year full-time bachelors in commerce, intermediate levels of Chartered Accountancy & a Masters in Commerce (distance)…my query pertains to validity in terms of time for the above as an eligibility to CIA.
    Thanks a zil in advance.
    Reply
  21. Hi Stephanie
    I am about to finish my Btech Internal Auditing, can i do articles towards being a chartered accountant and still write the CIA exam?
    Reply
    • Hi Phiwa, you can take the CIA exam regardless on your decision on the CA. The only thing to worry is whether you have time to study for it 😉 Good luck! Stephanie
      Reply



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