Certified Internal Auditor Certification

The certified internal auditor (CIA) designation is the world’s only universally recognized internal auditing credential. Available through the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), CIA certification signals your advanced mastery of internal auditing, risk management, and quality assurance best practices.

Internal auditors examine their employer’s financial records to ensure complete accuracy and compliance with applicable reporting requirements and regulations. While you do not necessarily require a CIA credential to work as an internal auditor, certification may enhance your appeal to employers.

According to the IIA, there are about 173,000 credentialed CIAs working globally. Read on to learn how to join their ranks.

The IIA separates CIA certification requirements into two categories: entry requirements and exit requirements. The entry requirements specify the qualifications you must have to enroll in the IIA’s CIA program, and the exit requirements cover the standards you must meet to finalize your credentialing process.

Notably, the IIA offers multiple entry and exit pathways, and the details broadly depend on your education level and professional experience. The subsections below explain the IIA’s candidate guidelines for education and professional experience.

You meet the IIA’s educational requirements if you hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. An accounting degree is ideal but not strictly necessary.

As an alternative to the degree requirement, you can also qualify with IIA certification or five years of professional internal auditing experience.

An additional pathway allows you to enter the CIA program without a degree, Internal Audit Practitioner (IAP) certification, or experience. You meet these standards if you are in your final year of a bachelor’s program or enrolled in a relevant degree program at a school that participates in the IIA’s Internal Audit Education Partnership program.

You may need professional experience to satisfy entry and exit requirements, depending on how you qualify to join the CIA program.

Experience-based entry requirements apply if you do not have a bachelor’s degree or IAP certification. In this case, you need at least five years of professional auditing experience.

Exit requirements, which you must satisfy to obtain the credential, include variable experience requirements as shown in the table below:

If you need five years of experience as your exit requirement, you must accumulate at least two years in the three years preceding your credentialing completion date.

The IIA updated its CIA examination in Jan. 2025 to better reflect modern internal auditing practices. The exam retains its previous three-part structure but with revised content topic areas. You can take the closed-book exam at a Pearson VUE testing center or online with an approved proctoring service.

Part 1 covers foundational concepts in internal auditing. Questions are weighted in topic areas as follows:

Part 2 explores internal auditing engagement with the following distributions:

Part 3 examines your knowledge of internal auditing functions. Topics receive the following proportions:

You can take each part individually and in any order if you complete them within your specified testing window. If you hold a certified public accountant (CPA) license or an acceptable international equivalent, you can take the one-part CIA Challenge exam instead.

The following table offers additional insights into the standard CIA exam format:

To pass the standard CIA exam, you must earn a passing score on each part. The IIA uses a scaled system to score the exam, requiring you to earn at least 600 to pass each section.

The IIA describes its scaled scoring methodology as a standard-setting system. Professional internal auditing experts review exam content and collectively decide on the acceptable minimum level of examinee performance.

That accepted minimum performance level translates to a set number of questions you must answer correctly to pass a section. The number varies from section to section, and the scaled scoring system adjusts to allow for content and question difficulty. As a result, you may need fewer correct answers to pass a certain section and more correct responses to pass another.

You can typically obtain your official results 2-3 weeks after your testing window closes. The following table specifies the most recent available figures for global CIA exam pass rates, which the IIA updates annually:

The streamlined CIA Challenge exam has a 47% global pass rate.

The IIA outlines the CIA exam registration procedure on its Steps to Certification page. To register, you first apply for the exam before completing the registration and scheduling processes.

To apply for the exam, you must:

Upon receiving approval, you can then register for and schedule your exam:

You can sit for the CIA exam at your closest Pearson VUE testing center or take the exam online under the supervision of a Pearson proctor.

If you fail an exam section, you can retake it an unlimited number of times. However, you must wait at least 30 days between attempts.

The cost of your CIA exam depends on your IIA membership status. Membership is free for students, but non-student individuals pay $290 per year.

Consult the following table for the current fee schedule:

The CIA exam is challenging, with pass rates for most sections falling below 50%. Proper preparation can mean the difference between earning and missing out on a passing score — use the tips and resources outlined below to help you succeed.

You must renew CIA credentials annually. The renewal window opens on Oct. 1 and closes on Dec. 31.

Your annual renewal process requires you to complete continuing professional education (CPE). Actively practicing CIAs must normally complete 40 CPE hours each year, or 20 if you hold an additional qualifying IIA certification. The IIA enforces its continuing education policy by randomly selecting credentialed CIAs for CPE audits.

If you do not renew on time, you will lapse into the IIA’s grace period. This phase can last for up to two years. You can reactivate your certification at any time in the grace period, but you cannot present yourself professionally as a CIA in the meantime.

You can integrate CIA certification with other professional credentials from the IIA or other organizations to enhance your professional profile. For example, the CIA credential pairs very well with CPA licensure. You will also qualify for the expedited one-part certification exam if you are a CPA.

You can also combine your CIA certification with a certified management accountant (CMA) designation or the IIA’s certification in risk management assurance (CRMA) credentialing program. Notably, the CRMA pathway once required candidates to hold CIA certification, but it is now available as a standalone credential.