CIA Certifications Guide: Eligibility, Exam Cost, Syllabus, and Training

CIA Certifications usually refers to the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) credential issued by The Institute of Internal Auditors. The standard pathway requires passing three computer-based exam parts covering internal audit fundamentals, engagement work, and management of the internal audit function. Eligibility depends on education and relevant experience, although candidates may sit for exams before completing experience. Current listed fees total $990 for IIA members or $1,515 for non-members, excluding training, taxes, membership, and rescheduling charges. Most candidates have three years.

What Are CIA Certifications?

The official credential is the Certified Internal Auditor® (CIA®), not a collection of separate CIA certifications. It is the flagship Institute of Internal Auditors certification for professionals who assess governance, risk management, controls, fraud exposure, audit engagements, and the performance of an internal audit function.

The phrase “CIA certified internal auditor” is redundant because CIA already means Certified Internal Auditor. The clearest professional format is Name, CIA. An IIA Certified Internal Auditor has completed the applicable education, examination, experience, and certification requirements established by The IIA.

The current CIA internal audit syllabus is aligned with the Global Internal Audit Standards. It places less emphasis on memorizing isolated accounting or IT facts and more emphasis on applying those concepts while planning engagements, evaluating evidence, communicating results, and managing the internal audit function.

CIA Certification Requirements and Eligibility

Whether you search for CIA certification requirements, Certified Internal Auditor requirements, or requirements for CIA certification, the central rule is that education determines the amount of relevant work experience required. Candidates with a qualifying degree may sit for the CIA exam before completing that experience, but the credential is not awarded until their experience is verified.

Candidate profile

Exam pathway

Relevant experience required

Master’s degree or equivalent

Three-part CIA certification exam

1 year

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Three-part CIA exam

2 years

Active IAP holder without a degree

Part 1 waived; complete Parts 2 and 3

5 years, including 2 years within the previous 3 years

Student or candidate without a degree

Earn the IAP first, then enter the CIA pathway

Based on later education status

Eligible CPA/CA, CISA holder, or experienced auditor

One-part CIA Challenge Exam

Pathway-specific

Accepted experience may come from internal audit, quality assurance, risk management, compliance, external audit, internal control, or related audit and assessment disciplines. This makes Certified Internal Auditor eligibility broader than a specific job title; the substance of the candidate’s work matters.

Applicants generally need proof of education, when applicable, and a valid government-issued photo ID. Once accepted, candidates have three years to complete the CIA program. Each purchased exam registration is normally valid for 180 days or until the program expires, whichever occurs first.

CIA Exam Structure and Current Syllabus

The standard CIA certification exam contains three multiple-choice parts. Part 1 includes 125 questions in 150 minutes. Parts 2 and 3 each include 100 questions in 120 minutes. The IIA does not require candidates to complete the parts in numerical order.

Exam part

Main domains and weights

Questions

Time

Part 1: Internal Audit Fundamentals

Foundations of Internal Auditing 35%; Ethics and Professionalism 20%; Governance, Risk Management, and Control 30%; Fraud Risks 15%

125

150 minutes

Part 2: Internal Audit Engagement

Engagement Planning 50%; Information Gathering, Analysis, and Evaluation 40%; Engagement Supervision and Communication 10%

100

120 minutes

Part 3: Internal Audit Function

Internal Audit Operations 25%; Internal Audit Plan 15%; Quality of the Internal Audit Function 15%; Engagement Results and Monitoring 45%

100

120 minutes

These weights show where candidates should concentrate their study time. Engagement planning accounts for half of Part 2, while engagement results and monitoring account for nearly half of Part 3.

A scaled score of 600 is required to pass each part. Because the syllabus repeatedly uses verbs such as assess, evaluate, determine, and analyze, effective Certified Internal Auditor exam preparation must go beyond memorizing definitions. Candidates need to identify the best professional response when several answers appear technically possible.

The exam is non-disclosed, meaning current questions and answers are not published. Legitimate CIA exam preparation should use the official syllabus, retired practice questions, answer explanations, and scenario-based exercises—not materials claiming to contain live exam questions.

CIA Exam Cost and Total Certification Budget

When candidates compare CIA exam cost, CIA certification cost, or the cost of CIA certification, they sometimes overlook the separate application fee.

Fee

IIA member

Non-member

CIA application

$120

$240

Part 1 exam

$310

$445

Part 2 exam

$280

$415

Part 3 exam

$280

$415

Total official fees

$990

$1,515

The Certified Internal Auditor certification cost does not include IIA membership, a CIA certification course, local taxes, study materials, mock exams, travel, or possible retakes. Pricing may also vary outside North America through local IIA institutes.

A Pearson VUE cancellation or rescheduling action currently costs $75, while a 75-day exam-registration extension costs $100. Candidates may also purchase a one-time 12-month program extension for the listed fee if they meet the applicable conditions.

For a realistic estimate of the Certified Internal Auditor cost, calculate four separate amounts:

1. Official application and examination fees

2. Training and study materials

3. Retake or rescheduling contingency

4. Annual renewal and continuing education

The Certified Internal Auditor exam cost is only one part of the full certification investment.

How the IIA CIA Certification Process Works

1. Confirm CIA certification eligibility. Match your education, IAP status, professional credential, or experience to the appropriate pathway.

2. Create or access your CCMS account. Submit the application, identification, and proof of education where required.

3. Wait for application approval. You cannot register for the Certified Internal Auditor exam until your documents have been approved.

4. Purchase and schedule each part. The exams are delivered through Pearson VUE’s computer-based testing network.

5. Pass the required examinations. Candidates who fail an exam part may generally retake it after waiting at least 30 days.

6. Complete experience verification. Passing the examinations alone does not produce the credential.

7. Maintain the designation. Active, practicing CIA holders generally complete 40 CPE hours annually, including required ethics education, and renew by December 31.

Choosing CIA Certification Training

A strong CIA certification training program should map every lesson to the current official syllabus and explain why one answer is more appropriate than the alternatives.

A useful Certified Internal Auditor course should include:

• Diagnostic testing before formal study begins

• Part-specific plans based on domain weight

• Explanations for correct and incorrect options

• Timed mock examinations

• Progress tracking and performance analysis

• Practice with evidence, risk assessments, findings, action plans and reporting

• Content aligned with the Global Internal Audit Standards

A Certified Internal Auditor online course is valuable when it provides structure, instructor access, updated content, and detailed question rationales. However, the phrase CIA certification online normally refers to online preparation—not an automatically awarded online credential. Certification is granted only after the official application, examination, and experience-verification requirements have been completed.

Avoid choosing a course solely because it advertises thousands of questions. Quality of reasoning matters more than repetition. For example, Part 2 covers engagement execution, but 50% of the part is engagement planning. Candidates who begin with testing techniques before mastering objectives, scope, criteria, risks, and controls are studying the audit workflow backward.

Traditional CIA or CIA Challenge Exam?

The traditional three-part pathway remains the standard route for most candidates. The one-part CIA Challenge Exam is available to approved CPA or CA holders, active CISA holders, and—through a 2026 pilot—professionals with at least 10 years of relevant experience. It contains 150 multiple-choice questions and allows 180 minutes.

Do not choose the Challenge pathway merely because it has one examination. It compresses profession-wide knowledge and judgment into one sitting and follows separate eligibility, testing-window, extension, and fee rules. Candidates should confirm their exact category before paying because official application and examination fees are generally non-refundable and non-transferable.

Build a Practical Study Plan, Not a Reading List

Start with the official syllabus, verify your pathway, and calculate your complete budget before purchasing training. Then organize your studies by professional decision type: independence, risk response, evidence reliability, root-cause analysis, reporting, quality, follow-up, and escalation.

That approach turns the IIA CIA certification from a memorization exercise into a practical framework that supports real audit engagements.

Your next step is to verify your eligibility in CCMS, select your first exam part, and build a weekly study plan around its highest-weighted domains.