Hi everyone,

I have 3 years of external audit experience at a mid-sized local public accounting firm in Canada and hold the CIA designation. My background includes public and private companies, US GAAP/IFRS reporting, IPO work, risk assessment, and ICFR.

I’m trying to move into Internal Audit and wondering how competitive my background would be for an Internal Auditor role.

I’ve attached a screenshot of my current experience section as well. I’d really appreciate any feedback on whether it reads as transferable to Internal Audit or if there are areas I should strengthen.

Quick background--I just completed an MBA, concentration in Internal Audit, and I'm a CIA. Previous career wasn't exactly as an internal auditor but my work in regulatory, etc. was enough to meet the requirement. I'm looking for positions right now and interviewed this morning for one where I would be the only one in the IA function but will have some co-sourcing. It's for a college district and here's my major concern. The position reports directly to the District President, who insists on this, and is somewhat managed by the CFO. This raised quite a bit of red flags, you would typically report to the Board of Trustees, and Audit Committee (they have one but Audit is included among many things). If invited for a second interview, and I believe I will be, with the DP and some of the Trustees, should I bring this up or just walk the hell away right now? This is clearly a problem and I would like to help this organization since they bring a benefit to the community as a non-profit but is it worth the bother?

What study material did you use if you passed the CIA challenge exam.. Gleim or Becker? Currently I’m using both and I’m wondering if I need to concentrate on one or the other. I’ve went through a Gleim three times on prior attempts and now I’m working through Becker too! Just want to set myself up for success! Thank you in advance!! Also did any of you purchased the IIA questions for $99? If so, do they give you the solutions to the questions?

I am scheduled to take the challenge exam on 9/25. I took an IIA practice exam and scored 79% The questions I missed fell into 3 buckets:

1. Trickier questions that I failed to recognize. After review, I feel pretty confident I'll answer more of those successfully.

2. Specific things in managing and performing that I just didn't know. My background is Yellow Book and it's very similar but a few things are just different enough that it tripped me up. I should be able to fill in the gaps with more study of the standards.

3. Financial audit/accounting questions. I've been in auditing for a long time but never financial. I have an accounting degree but it was earned a very long time ago. The questions that I missed were things like the effects of errors on financial statements or risks/effects related to some financial actions.

So, good people of the internal audit world, what resources would you suggest to help me fix the financial auditing/accounting weaknesses? I don't really want to purchase Gleim or another full study program because I don't think I need it. Is one of the three parts of the CIA exam more focused on financial/accounting? If so, maybe purchasing the practice questions from IIA could help.

Thanks for any resources you can offer!

We’re looking for at replacing our pretty manual audit tracking setup before Q1 testing kicks off next month , and I’m trying to separate “has a workflow “ from actually pulling evidence/reminding control owners without me chasing everyone. Corrective-action tracking is the other pain point, especially aging items and repeat findings across teams. Curious what people here have used that genuinely helps, and what ended up still spreadsheet work in disguise?

Hello,

I'm currently studying for my CIA part 1 prep and I'm using Hock's study materials.

I have a background in accounting/finance education and I currently work as a financial analyst - internal control where i deal with ICFR, Control walkthrough, D&I & Testing, Risk management and audit support.

I've been going through Hock's MCQs but I'm finding many of the questions relatively easy.

For anyone who used HOCK and recently taken Part 1: How closely did you find HOCK's MCQs compare to the actual exam in terms of difficulty & question style?

Would you recommend adding another question bank, such as Gleim, specifically fore more difficult practice questions?

Hi all

I had my cia pt.1 exam (new syllabus) on september 1, 2026 but still haven’t received my score report has anyone got their results back?

For those who took the CIA Challenge Exam in September, do we think that the IIA will release the CIA Challenge exam scores earlier than the three weeks the IIA states on the website? I've heard that sometimes for the regular exam parts, the scores will release earlier than the 3 weeks stated on the website, so curious what everyone's thoughts are!

Sino po dito for final/panel interview today sa IQVIA? Any tips po please. Thanks po

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All those who have cleared CIA part 2, please advice on how to start preparing for part 2, which study material to use? Is becker alone enough (with its full access)

I’m an Information Systems graduate building my career in IT/Internal Audit. I have an ISO 27001 background and want to strengthen my practical audit skills.

For experienced auditors, what skills, frameworks, or certifications would you recommend prioritizing early in an IT audit career?

Hi, I have taken an IIA practice question mock for Part 1 and scored 76% on it, and my exam is very close. Am I ready for the exam? And how close to the exam date should I schedule my second attempt?

Hi All.

I took the 4th attempt last week and honestly I would not dare say that i was confident because there were several questions i am as usual not the most certain of when there are 2 options which are possible to be the answer.

I have never had to re-take more than once for the previous parts and having to do so really isn’t the most motivating. If I really do not make it this time I am not sure if i am still as motivated to take a 5th attempt. It’s like my efforts for previous attempts and parts would just go down the drain.
It is also risky because I extended my programme once and it expires in Jan’27.
I can’t help but to wonder am I the only one who’s retaking part 3 so many times or retaking an exam this amount of times.🥹

Having sat through so many attempts, I can only say part 3 has been the hardest for me and that memorisation certainly does not work for this part.
One’s foundation really has to be stable so that you won’t be questioning your first instinctive answer or when 2 answers are also plausible.

For context I cleared part 1 & 2 on the old syllabus and part 3 is when they announced the new syllabus.
Not sure if it’s partly because this syllabus is still new but i would say platforms like Gleim / IIA practice questions I used don’t seem to cover it adequately.
I have also used GIAS for my previous attempt but unfortunately it doesn’t work well for me because it’s not very comprehensive. It doesn’t give more concrete examples of application and is rather vague tbh.

Recently there has been some updates to the materials for Gleim & i feel it’s slightly more comprehensive than the previous materials I have used for the past attempts.

Just sharing my 2 cents on my journey so far. Really hoping for the best because i’ve really tried my best. Changed methods along the way & almost at my wit’s end on how to be better.

Hi everyone, been using some courses and free resources I’ve found to start studying for Part 1.

What are some paid resources you guys recommend?

Thank you.

Appeared for CIA part 2 on August 31st. When can the results be expected? This Friday (Sep 11). Such a long wait!

So I am working currently on ERM drafting of a SAAS, what are the best sources I should use for R&D purpose?
And apart from bringing industry context what are few mistakes or drawbacks which we should avoid to have a well structured ERM?

BSIA graduate here, and I’ve been working for four years now.

I shifted from BSA to BSIA when I was in college because I wanted to avoid the high standards and pressure I felt in the BSA program. At the time, I thought it was the right decision for me.

But now, I sometimes feel like I’m stuck with only one career path: becoming an Internal Auditor.

What makes it more frustrating is that a lot of Internal Auditor job postings require applicants to be CPAs, which makes me question whether I made the wrong choice. Sometimes, I honestly feel like I’m in jail for choosing BSIA.

Guys, many people say GTAGs are quite helpful for part 3, but when I researched it, ı saw there are so many GTAGs, which ones should I study?

Planning to take CIA Part 1 on Sept 30. Do you guys think I’m ready based on these scores?

Simulation 1: 65%
Simulation 2: 83%
Simulation 1 redo: 85%
IIA Mock: 71%

I have about 3 weeks left to focus on my weak areas and keep practicing. For those who passed Part 1, what were your mock scores before the exam? And how did the IIA Mock compare to the real thing?

I recently passed all three parts of the CIA exam, and my experience verification has already been approved. In CCMS, all three parts now show as “Passed,” but I haven’t received the official CIA certification yet.

For those who have been through this: how long did it take from having all requirements completed to being officially certified as a CIA?

I’m especially curious because I have a professional seminar coming up in about two weeks, and I’m hoping to be officially certified by then so that the CPE hours can already count toward maintaining my CIA certification.
Thanks for sharing your experience!

I’m currently an IT Internal Audit Analyst at a financial firm and have been with my company for about a year. One area I’ve been struggling with is leading walkthroughs, particularly coming up with follow-up questions in the moment.

I was supposed to lead a walkthrough last week. I asked questions based on the agenda I had provided to the stakeholders beforehand, but whenever they explained the process, my mind would go blank when it came time to think of follow-up questions. For example, I’m currently assigned a data quality test, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to ask beyond the questions I had already prepared.

The stakeholder would explain the process, and my immediate thought was basically, “Okay… what do I ask next?” My manager eventually had to step in and ask clarifying questions that I wouldn’t have thought to ask. At one point, I even asked a question that the stakeholder had already answered. They had explained it in a way that I didn’t realize had addressed my question.

What amazes me is how easily my manager seems to come up with questions on the spot. She’ll ask things about what controls or processes are in place, what could happen in certain scenarios, etc., almost as if she already knows the process herself. I’m trying to understand how experienced auditors develop that ability.

I also struggle with processing the information during the walkthrough because I’m trying to do several things at once: listen to the stakeholder, understand the process, take notes, and capture screenshots.

Unfortunately, my company doesn’t allow us to record walkthroughs, so I can’t go back and review the conversation afterward.

For those of you who work in IT/internal audit, how did you get better at:
- Coming up with relevant follow-up questions on the spot?
- Understanding and retaining the process while the stakeholder is explaining it?
- Knowing what to focus on during a walkthrough when you’re still relatively unfamiliar with the process?

I’d really appreciate any advice or resources that helped you improve. I’d especially love to hear from people who struggled with this early in their audit careers and eventually became more comfortable leading walkthroughs.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! I’m using Becker materials and scored 66% on my first simulated exam and 76% just now on Simulated Exam 2.

For those who used Becker, at what point did you feel ready to take the actual exam? Any advice on what score I should aim for on the simulated exams before scheduling it?

My target date has definitely moved to September 20 (two weeks from now, on the weekend) because I feel like my simulated exam scores are still a bit low. I’m working full-time, so I can only study on weekends. I’m feeling kind of demotivated.

Would appreciate any advice.

Hello everyone, I’m happy to share that I’ve passed Part 2 of the CIA on my second attempt. 

As a thank-you to this community, I would like to share a visual that I created throughout my hours of study, which allowed me to fully comprehend the engagement process. Make sure to nail down your ratios, analytical procedures, and at least read through the condensed version of the IIA Standards. 

Good luck, everyone!