Earn your Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) with a one-part CIA Challenge Exam for experienced internal auditors

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.

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.

To qualify for the Professional CIA Challenge Exam you will need to account for at least 7 years of internal auditing experience and document this experience using the Professional Certification Experience Verification Form. Approval of your application depends on accurately and thoroughly completing the form.

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, September, 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.

2026 program timeline for Mainland China

March Test Window

• Registration: 01 January -20 January
• Schedule exam: 1 February – 8 February
• Test or retake exam: 8 March at 9am CST only

June Test Window

• Registration: 01 April -20 April
• Schedule exam: 1 May – 8 May
• Test or retake exam: 7 June at 9am CST only

September Test Window

• Registration: 01 July - 20 July
• Schedule exam: 1 August – 8 August
• Test or retake exam: 6 September at 9am CST only

December Test Window

• Registration: 01 October -20 October
• Schedule exam: 1 November – 8 November
• Test or retake exam: 6 December at 9am CST only

You will receive an official exam result within three weeks of your exam date.

You will receive a system-generated email notifying you that your exam score is available. At this time, 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.