There's only one. Earn your Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) with a one-part CIA Challenge Exam for accountants.

You must be an active CPA or CA from one of the approved qualified accounting bodies below. Students are ineligible.

Once you have submitted your application in CCMS with payment, your application will be reviewed. Once your application is approved, you will receive notification via email. After you are approved into your program, you will be able to register for your exam(s). Once you have completed your program (by passing your exam(s) and completing any additional program requirements) your designation will be displayed on your account within 7-14 business days.

Upon certification, you will be able to print a digital certificate or order a physical certificate in the CCMS.

For a step-by-step guide, please review The IIA Certification Candidate Handbook.

The CIA Challenge Exam was developed to provide an opportunity for qualified individuals who hold Chartered Accountant (CA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credentials that meet criteria set by The IIA’s Professional Certifications Board.

The analysis compares the selected accounting credentials under the IFAC educational standards to the CIA exam syllabi and eligibility requirements.

We will continue to engage accounting bodies around the world to determine if the CIA Challenge Exam can be offered to their members.

We appreciate your dedication to the internal audit profession and will provide updates of any newly approved organizations on the IIA website.

Since there are no refunds or transfers between certification programs, you would need to deactivate your traditional CIA program before you can enroll in the CIA Challenge Exam pathway.

If you wish to deactivate your current program, select "Help" in CCMS and open a case to confirm your desire to deactivate your current program.

Once approved into the program, you will receive the email invitation to access the online Challenge Exam Study Guide within 7 days from The IIA’s CIA Distribution Center with the subject line, “Action Required - Your IIA Online Access.”

Candidates will need to activate the online access to the Study Guide separately.

For questions or assistance with the Study Guide, please reach out to CustomerCare@learncia.com.

Access to the materials is valid for 12 months from the date of invitation.

You must be a current member of a listed qualified accounting body in order to be eligible for the CIA Challenge Exam.

Please verify your membership prior to applying since there are no refunds, full or partial, once the application is submitted.

Once you have registered for the exam, it will authorize an exam window of 180 days (or until your certification program expiration date, whichever is sooner), in which you will need to schedule and sit for the exam.

As a friendly reminder, the CIA Challenge Exam is only delivered during certain test delivery windows (February, June, August, November). You will need to schedule to sit for your exam within one of these test delivery windows that fall within your authorized exam window.

Since exam extensions are not available for the CIA Challenge Exam, we encourage you to review the upcoming testing windows for the best time to register.

1. Once approved into the program, access your CCMS account and select “Manage My Program” to register for your exam with Pearson VUE. Upon completing the registration process, select “Access Pearson VUE” from the main menu bar and follow the onscreen instructions for scheduling your appointment.
2. Schedule your examination for the testing window. To find the nearest testing center, visit the Pearson VUE page and select “Find a test center.”

There are no provisions for program or exam extensions for the Challenge Exam. You must complete the exam within the 180-day period granted. 

2025 program timeline for Mainland China

Registration: 1 April – 30 September

• Schedule exam: 1 February – 8 February
  • Test or retake exam: 2 March at 9am CST only

• Schedule exam: 1 May – 8 May
  • Test or retake exam: 8 June at 9am CST only

• Schedule exam: 1 August – 8 August
  • Test or retake exam: 7 September at 9am CST only

• Schedule exam: 1 November – 8 November
  • Test or retake exam: 7 December at 9am CST only

Approximately 24 hours after you have completed your exam, you will receive a system-generated email notifying you that your exam score is available.

You may also check your score online by logging into your CCMS profile and selecting “Access Pearson VUE,” then selecting “View Score Reports.”

The CIA exam is based on scaled scoring and a passing score of 600 is required out of 750 points.

Your first exam registration is included in the application bundled price.

Retake examinations are available for an additional fee.

Retake registration & scheduling: All year

Retake test windows: February, June, August, November

The IIA’s Retake Policy limits the number of times you may take the exam to eight (8) during your program eligibility window.