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The Institute of Internal Auditors® (IIA®) recently updated the CIA Challenge Exam® syllabus to align with the latest Global Internal Audit Standards. The new syllabus is effective beginning June 1, 2026.
How is the new exam different from the old exam, and what changed in the exam syllabus? Keep reading to get our breakdown of the CIA Challenge Exam changes and what you need to know about the new exam.
Right now, there are two versions of the CIA Challenge Exam available, each with its own syllabus:
Going forward, there will be one syllabus for both exams, meaning all qualified candidates will be tested on the same content.
These syllabi list how much content from each of the three CIA exam parts makes up the content tested on the current Challenge Exams. Please note that these are the 2019 CIA exam part names from the previous version of the exam that was aligned with the 2017 International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing before the CIA exam changed in 2025.
| CIA Exam Part (2019 Version) | Weight on QAB Challenge Exam |
Weight on QISA Challenge Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Essentials of Internal Auditing | 35% | 50% |
| Part 2: Practice of Internal Auditing | 43% | 30% |
| Part 3: Business Knowledge for Internal Auditing | 22% | 20% |
The new consolidated syllabus has five topic sections. The table below breaks down the topics, their weight on the exam, and which part of the current CIA exam the content is pulled from.
| Topics | Weight | CIA Exam Part (2025 version) |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Audit Professionalism and Quality | 20% | Parts 1 & 3 |
| Internal Audit Operations and Audit Plan | 15% | Part 3 |
| Engagement Planning | 20% | Part 2 |
| Engagement Performance | 25% | Part 2 |
| Engagement Results and Monitoring | 20% | Part 3 |
Current Syllabi: Indicates for each subtopic whether you’ll be tested at the basic or proficient level.
New Syllabus: The IIA has retired the basic/proficient indication in the new syllabus, and the new exam will test your knowledge and skills at the application level.
You may have noticed that most of the new syllabus content is pulled from Parts 2 and 3 of the three-part CIA exam. This is because The IIA expects Challenge Exam candidates to already have prerequisite knowledge of these foundational internal audit concepts:
These include topics from the CIA Part 1 exam, which tests the foundational topics at the recall level. Because the Challenge Exam is for qualified candidates who have already demonstrated proficiency in fundamental concepts, the new Challenge Exam assesses candidates at the application level for these topics rather than testing them directly at the recall level.
Current Exam: The application window for the current exam closed on October 15, 2025. If you applied before the deadline, February 2026 is the final testing window to take the current exam.
New Exam: The application window for the new exam opens on April 1, 2026, and the new exam is testable starting June 1, 2026.
See what the exam questions will be like with our free practice questions.
If you’ve already applied for the CIA Challenge Program, you can still take the current exam in the February 2026 testing window and pass before the exam changes. Our current CIA Challenge Exam Review Course is aligned with the current syllabus and has everything you need to pass by February.
If you’ll be taking the new exam beginning on June 1, be sure you study with review materials tailored to the new exam syllabus. The good news is you can start studying beginning in January! Our new course will be released in January 2026, and it’s updated with everything you need to pass the new exam. We’ve also upgraded it to our Premium tier, which includes several additional tools to support you in your studies.
