How hard is Part 1?

Part 1 has 125 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes, a little over a minute each, across four sections led by the foundations of internal auditing. Most questions are short workplace scenarios that ask for the best action, so knowing the principles is not enough: you have to apply them quickly.

Questions	125, multiple choice
Time	150 minutes (2.5 hours)
Where	Pearson VUE test centers
Passing score	600 on a 250 to 750 scale

What makes it hard

Pace: 125 questions in 150 minutes is 72 seconds a question, including reading the scenario.
Judgment: many questions offer several reasonable actions and ask for the best one, such as what the chief audit executive should do when independence is threatened.
Breadth: the foundations, ethics and professionalism, governance, risk management and control, and fraud risks, with foundations alone 35% of the exam.
No published pass rate: the CIA page and candidate handbook give none, so the only way to gauge your readiness is to test it.

What makes it easier

Part 1 tests the fundamentals that every internal auditor uses: the mandate and charter, independence and objectivity, the Three Lines Model, internal control and the fraud triangle. Candidates with audit experience will recognize many of the scenarios, and the parts may be taken in any order.

How to find out where you stand

Take the free diagnostic: 12 questions, 3 from each section, scored by section.
Fix the weakest section with its lesson, then practice fresh questions on it.
Sit a full 125-question mock in 150 minutes before you book.

Try 4 questions

Question 1Assurance and advisory services, and limited and reasonable assurance

The board of a payroll services company asks whether the access controls in the new payroll system are working as designed. Which service best meets this request?

Question 2Impairments to individual objectivity: self-review, familiarity and conflicts

At a retail group, internal auditors' annual bonuses are partly based on the sales growth of the business units they audit. What is the main problem with this arrangement?

Question 3Internal control concepts and control types

A distribution company's controls were well designed, yet a warehouse supervisor and a delivery driver worked together to steal goods and hide the theft. Which inherent limitation of internal control does this show?

Question 4Red flags and how the organization detects and manages fraud

An accounts receivable clerk at a wholesaler has not taken leave in three years, comes in when ill, and refuses offers from colleagues to post receipts while she is busy. Why should an internal auditor treat this as a red flag?

Next step

Take the free diagnostic Try the free lesson on the purpose and mandate of internal audit

The IIA's CIA certification page

Questions people ask

What is the Part 1 pass rate?

The CIA page and the certification candidate handbook do not publish one, so we do not estimate it. Our diagnostic and mocks score you by section instead.

Which part should I take first?

The parts may be taken in any order. Part 1 covers the fundamentals that Parts 2 and 3 build on, which is why many candidates start with it.

Do I need audit experience before I sit Part 1?

The CIA page says the exam can be sat before the experience requirement is complete. The certification itself needs a bachelor's degree with two years of internal audit experience, or a master's degree with one year.