CIA Exam Part 1 is known as Essentials of Internal Auditing. There are six sections in CIA Part 1.

1. Section A – Foundations of Internal Auditing – 15% weightage 
2. Section B – Independence and Objectivity – 15% weightage
3. Section C – Proficiency and Due Professional Care – 18% weightage
4. Section D – Quality Assurance and Improvement Program – 7% weightage
5. Section E – Governance, Risk Management and Control – 35%
6. Section F – Fraud Risks – 10% weightage

The exam is of 2.5 hours (150 minutes) and contains 125 multiple-choice questions. Each MCQ has to be attempted in 1 minute to have ample time for revision in the end before submitting the exam to the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) for grading.  

The CIA candidates have to pay a one-time application fee to the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) which is $115 for members, $230 for non-members, and $65 for students. CIA Exam Part 1 fee is $280 for members, $395 for non-members, and $230 for students. 

CIA Parts Selection Order

I recommend the candidates to begin their preparation with Part 1 first and then moving to Part 2 and Part 3. The candidates can pass all three parts easily in seven months by using the study books and test bank questions created by Muhammad Zain.

Difficulty Level of CIA Part 1 Essentials of Internal Auditing

CIA Part 1 is the foundation of all three parts. CIA Part 1 exam can be passed quickly if the candidates can exhibit the traits of Excellency, Creativity, Passionate, and Patience in their preparation and, in particular, on exam day. 

The Candidates must have a clear vision of their future. They must be able to define their purpose in life. The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach full potential – these are the keys that will unlock the door of CIA certification. 

The reason that many candidates find it difficult to achieve the CIA is that they are not able to define their goals or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Champions can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and with whom they will be sharing their adventure.

Keep looking for creativity, and don’t settle for the less. You have that potential. It is just a matter of time that you explore and discover yourself. Once you find yourself and your capability, you will never be the same again.

CIA Exam Part 1 Preparation Time

It is generally observed that many of the CIA candidates are working executives. They have to allocate time for work, family, studies, and personal leisure. The candidates are ready for the Part 1 exam if they can give at least 3 hours on weekdays and at least 6 hours on weekends for two months continuously. 

Video Lectures are of great aid. They increase the retention power of the candidates by at least 25%. These learning videos can also increase the odds in your favor exponentially. Subscribe to the Zain Academy YouTube channel for CIA learning videos.

CIA Exam Part 1 Scoring

The CIA Exam Part 1 is computer-graded. The candidate will receive the result within five minutes of finishing the exam. Scores are determined by the difficulty level of questions asked and converting the value of questions answered correctly to a scale between 250 to 750. A score of at least 600 is required to pass the exam, i.e., 80%. If the questions are of higher IQ level, the passing score can go below 600, but if the items tested are easy, then passing criteria can go up from 600.

Whether the questions being asked are easy or difficult, I suggest you target achieving an overall 85% in exams by accurately attempting the 107 correct questions out of 125 questions in CIA Part 1. 

The trend analysis for several years of CIA exam passing ratio is between 40% to 44%. However, the results of candidates preparing from Muhammad Zain’s study books and test bank questions are at least 90%.

CIA Part 1 Exam Dates

CIA Part 1 exam can be taken at any day and time of your choice subject to two conditions:

• The day must be a normal working day except for weekends and public holidays; and
• The time of the exam must be within regular working hours.

It is highly recommended to select your exam date and time as early as possible to get the preferred appointment.

CIA Exam Part 1 Study Book

CIA Exam Part 1 Study Book is presented with the questioning mind approach. Furthermore, there are true-false questions to check the knowledge learned. The study book is brief, concise and to the point for working executive’s effective learning. It can also be used as review notes or flashcards or summaries.

CIA Exam Part 1 Test Bank Questions

CIA Exam Part 1 Test Bank Questions by Zain Academy contains multiple-choice questions explaining the correct and incorrect choices so that candidates can learn from their own mistakes and take the necessary course of action. 

CIA Part 1 exam is passed by maximizing your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses. The CIA Exam Part 1 Test Bank Questions will help you in achieving this objective. 

Subscribe to the CIA Part 1 Test Bank Questions of only one publisher. Subscribing for more than one will not help as 75% of the questions are the same with every publisher being the retired questions by IIA. The rest, 25% are their individual creativity. 

Remember that actual CIA exam questions are non-disclosed and are not available to anyone.

Yearly Updates

Muhammad Zain, Founder of Zain Academy, tries to release yearly updates to the study books and test bank questions. The current release versions are 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019.