r/InternalAudit

Hi all, can I take the part even though I have not yet taken up the part 2 exam?

Already passed the part 1 so i’m taking my time.

Thank you.

I have almost 9 years of internal audit experience, so with the new 10-year experience requirement for the CIA Challenge Exam, I’m trying to decide on the best approach.
Should I start studying now and take Part 1 (and maybe Part 2), or would it be better to wait until next year, reach the 10-year mark, and take the Challenge Exam instead?
My concern is that I’ll likely have much less time to study next year once I’m back to work full-time. On the other hand, I don’t want to spend time on individual CIA parts if waiting for the Challenge Exam is the smarter option.
I’d love to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation or has advice on which path makes more sense.
Ps: company is paying my exams

We're currently trying to grow our IT audit team with experienced hires, and I'm genuinely wondering whether this is a market issue or whether our expectations are off.

The role includes a mix of SOX ITGC work and broader operational IT audits, so we're looking for people who understand both audit methodology and the technology they're auditing.

What we've been seeing is that candidates often fall into one of two camps:

• Traditional IT audit backgrounds with solid audit methodology but fairly limited technical depth.

• Cybersecurity/GRC backgrounds with good knowledge of frameworks and compliance, but less understanding of the underlying infrastructure and technical controls.

To be clear, I'm not expecting systems administrators or network engineers. I don't expect someone to configure a firewall or administer Linux servers.

What I do expect is that an experienced IT auditor can have a meaningful discussion with infrastructure teams and understand concepts like networking, identity, operating systems, and common technical controls. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to move beyond checking documentation and confirming that policies exist.

We don't believe compensation is the limiting factor, so I'm trying to understand whether:

• This is simply what the European market looks like today.

• Our sourcing strategy needs work.

• Our expectations are unrealistic.

One concern I keep coming back to is how much value an IT audit function can provide if the team doesn't have enough technical depth to challenge IT teams beyond reviewing documentation and evidence. For operational IT audits especially, I struggle to see how we can provide meaningful assurance if we don't understand the environments we're auditing.

For those hiring or leading IT audit teams, has this been your experience as well? Have you changed where you source candidates, lowered your expectations, or is this just the reality of the market today?

I finally got my CIA CERTIFICATION!!! this week. A huge thanks to this community; the posts and comments from the community helped me a lot in my journey. As a result, I want to give back and will be willing to answer any questions related to my experience on this thread.

CIA Part 1 - Dec 2025

CIA Part 2- Apr 2026

CIA Part 3 - June 2026

I utilized Surgent as my study materials and also AI to generate more questions along with the posts and comments from this community. That was all.

Thank you, everyone, and good luck to everyone still on their journey. You got this!!! I will be in the comments

Hello
I had my exam on 21 June and still waiting for the results. Please share here once you get it

Is the CIA certification still worth pursuing in 2026, or will AI replace internal auditors? Need advice from experienced professionals.

Hi everyone,

I'm a B.Com graduate and was recently placed through campus recruitment as an Associate in Core Audit Assurance. While I'm grateful for the opportunity, I've become increasingly interested in building a career in Internal Audit.

After comparing different professional qualifications, the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certification seems to stand out to me because it appears more affordable, has fewer papers than many other qualifications, and seems achievable while working full-time.

However, I have a few concerns before investing my time and money:

Is the CIA certification still worth pursuing in 2026?

With AI advancing so quickly, is internal auditing at risk of being heavily automated?

What do you think the future of the Internal Audit profession looks like over the next 10–20 years?

Is the demand for CIA-certified professionals still growing?

If you were starting your career today, would you still choose the CIA certification?

I'd really appreciate hearing from current internal auditors, CIA holders, hiring managers, or anyone working in risk, compliance, or internal audit. Your real-world experiences and advice would mean a lot to me.

If it's easier, feel free to DM me as well. Any guidance, career tips, or honest opinions are welcome.

Thank you in advance!

I kindly request all the internal auditors to dm me or pls give a reply under my post

Thank You

Im an internal auditor whos been working in the industry for 2 years and the company is offering to pay for my CIA certificate. What they dont know is im planning to take a break and go back to school next year. My question is: is it worth studying for it during my weekends for a possibility of getting CIA cert, just to not use it nor renew it? The reason id go for it is if i end up not liking my new degree/industry, i would look for an IA job again. Would having an “expired” CIA certification years down the line help with the job search? Thanks!

Hey everyone, I will take my exam on the 27th of this month, which is a Monday. Does anyone have an idea of when the official results will be typically released? Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone,
I'm a risk management professional based in Canada with 8+ years of experience across banking, insurance, and Big 4 consulting. My background is primarily in enterprise risk management, operational risk, SOX/ICFR, governance, controls testing, risk assessments, and data analytics.

I'm looking to upskill and would love get some recommendations on AI certifications that are actually valuable for risk professionals.

I'm looking for recommendations based on the following criteria:

Affordability (ideally under CAD 1,000)
Credibility (recognized by employers and the risk industry)
Duration (preferably something that can be completed within 1–6 months while working full-time)

I do not have AI related work experience required, except for basic co-pilot/chat GPT commands.

Bonus if the certification covers AI governance, AI risk management, model risk, or practical AI applications for GRC, audit, compliance, or internal controls.

I'd really appreciate hearing about certifications you've completed (or decided against), whether they helped your career, and any recommendations or advice. Thanks in advance!

As I await my results of my second sitting of Part 3, wanted to dispel the rumors that results are posted on Fridays. I sat the first time April 29th, after the new rules went live, and did not receive my results in pearsonvue until May 12th, a Tuesday, around 6PM EST. I wish that it was a set day for results so we didn’t check everyday. Then again I wish they never changed the results in the first place. Sorry to be a Debby downer for those waiting but I had held out hope for each Friday following as well and was very disappointed. Best of luck to all those waiting results!

I originally applied for BS A, but sadly wala ko naka pass, and I got redirected to BS IA, and now medj ge kulbaan ko basig ako ra diay isa na padpad (chr fantasy pero legit) since isa ra ka block ang BS IA😭. Everytime mo post ko sa college admission page, walay mo comment☹️😞. IS IT POSSIBLE NA AKO RA ISA? Like fr guys huhu, I feel ko obobs😕

My department was recently split in half so the company could bring in consultants to perform much of our audit work. Since they arrived, everything has become confusing. They are difficult to reach, but they also send a lot of follow-up questions and requests.
My role now seems to be supporting the consultants and acting as the middle person between them and the auditees. The problem is that the consultants are the ones making the decisions, so when the auditees ask me questions, I am often unable to give them a clear answer. All I can do is reach out to the consultants and wait for a response.
At the same time, I am somehow still considered responsible when tasks are delayed or not completed, even though I have very little authority or control over the process. I do not understand the purpose of my role anymore. I feel like I am being held accountable for work that depends on people I cannot manage and who are often difficult to contact.
This has caused me a lot of stress because my responsibilities and expectations are completely unclear. Everyone in my department seems to be in the same situation. Has anyone experienced something similar after consultants took over part of their department?

Based on our team's size (5–10 internal auditors) and the nature of our audit activities, we are looking for an internal audit software solution that can support the following requirements:

• Annual audit planning
• Standardized audit templates and checklists
• Fieldwork documentation (e.g., inventory counts, cash counts, vouching, and branch audits)
• Head office process audits (e.g., accounting, purchasing, and other support functions)
• Findings management
• Management responses with assigned due dates
• Automated reminders and escalation for overdue action plans
• Follow-up audits and issue closure
• Dashboards for monitoring audit progress and the status of findings
• The ability to support the growth and maturity of our internal audit methodology over time

Scored 594🥲🥲😭..This is second attempt...in first attempt my score 574.. unlucky

I got a questions I live in Las Vegas. What is the best time to apply for internal audit and get hired in Las Vegas? I heard in the first half of the year when budgets are fresh and I also heard in the second half of the year that there is more turn over and more positions open up in goverment and corporate positions to apply for. I am just confused about when the best time to apply and get hired actural is.

Thank you for everybody who answers my question.😁

I took my exam on the 15th and still no results to date.

Please let me know if anyone in the same period took the exam and if they got their results

If you took your CIA exam between June 22 and June 30, let’s gather here and keep each other updated on the results.

How likely is it for people who are reasonably well prepared to fail 8 times and ultimately fail the CIA?

Hi everyone, I work as an internal auditor in a department of 25 people. Many of my colleagues are CIA-certified, and our team also includes people who achieved top scores in the CIA exam.
We are currently studying together, and I have access to a question pool containing Gleim questions, Backer questions, and questions that have actually appeared in previous CIA exams for all three parts.
Based on our team’s experience, repeatedly solving these questions significantly increases the likelihood of passing. This gave me the idea of developing a CIA exam preparation app that would be more affordable than existing platforms.
The app would provide access to more than 4,000 questions covering CIA Parts 1, 2, and 3. It could also include explanations, mock exams, progress tracking, and performance analysis.
Would you be interested in using such an app? How much would you be willing to pay for it? I would appreciate your honest feedback.

Hello everyone,

Could you please provide the best material to study for cia challenge exam? (i.e. hock, becker, iia questions)

Thank you ☺️