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The CIA Challenge Exam is an opportunity for members of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and other qualifying accounting bodies to earn their CIA certification through an expedited process.
Normally, CIA candidates must pass three exam parts to prove their understanding of the content. However, members of qualifying accounting bodies can take the CIA Challenge Exam, which contains only the CIA exam content that isn’t on their accounting body’s certification exam.
Each year we receive questions from candidates asking about the CIA Challenge Exam, as it is a unique opportunity to earn the CIA designation faster. We’ve answered some of the most common questions to help you decide if this opportunity is right for you!
Candidates must be a current member of one (or more) of the below organizations and be in good standing to qualify. You will need to contact your local accounting body to obtain a letter of good standing prior to submitting a CIA Challenge Exam application to The IIA. This document must be provided to complete the application process.
Even if you have already registered for the normal CIA program, you should be able to register for this special exam. However, if you have already passed a part or two, you will still need to pass the full Challenge Exam, so it’s often better to continue with the CIA program.
Once you have been approved for the CIA Challenge Exam, you will be able to register and schedule your exam through your CCMS account.
The CIA Challenge Exam is offered a few times each year, but candidates will usually only have one chance to pass the exam before having to pay another set of program fees. Candidates must apply in advance for the CIA Challenge Exam, which can be done through The IIA’s CCMS.
The application window for the program is usually in the fall and, once accepted, candidates are then able to schedule their exam for one of the testing windows open throughout the year. For 2021 applicants, these windows are
The exam is offered at Pearson VUE testing centers around the world, and candidates are expected to spend three hours completing the exam.
When signing up for the Challenge Exam, candidates will be expected to pay all relevant fees upfront. The cost of the CIA Challenge Exam is $1,195 USD for IIA members and $1,545 USD for non-IIA members. The CIA Challenge Exam fees include the application and registration fees, the CIA Challenge Exam Study Guide for qualified CAs and CPAs, and access to the International Professional Practices Framework and the Standards to help you prepare for the exam.
Compared to the normal cost of $2,074 USD for IIA members and $2,264 for non-IIA members, the CIA Challenge Exam can save you a significant amount of money. These totals do not include any potential travel expenses, additional review courses, or other miscellaneous costs. If you only need to take one CIA Challenge Exam instead of the normal three parts of the CIA exam, you could save more!
The CIA Challenge Exam is designed for members who already hold a professional accounting certificate or license and want to earn their CIA certification. The exam combines CIA Parts 1, 2 and 3 and removes all of the information tested on the exam for the certificate or license members already hold.
The IIA provides a syllabus for candidates looking to see what topics they need to study. It shows what topics come from which CIA exam part, the proficiency needed in each tested topic, and the approximate number of questions from each section.
However, even with knowing what will be on the exam, serious CIA Challenge Exam candidates would be wise to enlist the help of a thorough review provider. Because of the difficulty of the CIA Challenge Exam and the limited opportunities to take the exam, candidates should work to master all testable topics to the best of their ability. Gleim examines the CIA Challenge Exam and puts out a helpful cross-reference showing candidates where to study in our materials.
The CIA Challenge Exam is only offered in English. To best prepare, study and practice questions in English to make sure there are no translation issues on exam day. You can try our free CIA exam questions to get an idea of the type of questions you will see.
The CIA Challenge Exam has 150 questions based on the exam syllabus. Questions are divided into two categories based on proficiency:
The syllabus lists all three exam parts, their domains, and the topics within those domains that are testable. For example, CIA Part 1 – Essentials of Internal Auditing, Domain 5 – Governance, Risk Management, and Control, includes 6 testable topics (instead of the normal 11 for CIA Part 1).
The CIA Challenge Exam syllabus also lists the percentage of questions pulled from each part, listed below.
The CIA Challenge Exam still has scaled scoring, and candidates must earn 600 points out of a possible 750 to pass.
For more detailed information, check out the CIA Challenge Exam syllabus or the Gleim cross-reference.
While not required, we do recommend CIA Challenge Exam candidates get review materials for their exam preparation. Having help from an experienced review provider can make the difference!
Additionally, CIA Challenge Exam candidates should plan their studies on a calendar or scheduler to help them stay on track. The Challenge Exam covers a wide array of topics, and you need to be sure you are meeting your goals in order to pass.
It also helps to understand the interface and format of the exam. The CIA Challenge Exam features the same software as the traditional CIA exam. You can try our free CIA exam demo and practice using the software as you prepare for your Challenge Exam!
