CIA Certification Work Experience requirement 2026
Step-by-Step Guide to Submitting the CIA Work Experience Requirement
The CIA Certification work experience requirement is a critical part of the journey to becoming a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Whether from an internal auditing background or a related field like risk management or compliance, submitting the proper documentation is essential to advancing your CIA application.
This guide walks you through the CIA work experience submission process, ensuring you meet all requirements and successfully submit your verification through the IIA’s Certification Candidate Management System (CCMS).
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Step 1. Confirm the Required Work Experience
Before starting your submission, ensure you understand the CIA work experience requirement based on your educational background:
- With a Bachelor’s Degree (or higher): You need two years of relevant work experience in internal auditing or a related field such as risk management, compliance, external auditing, or quality assurance.
- With an Associate’s Degree, You must submit five years of work experience.
- No Formal Degree: If you don’t have a degree, you need seven years of relevant experience.
Once you've decided to pursue the CIA, follow our complete step-by-step guide to register for the CIA exam covering CCMS setup, document submission, and Pearson VUE scheduling.
Related Fields
Work experience in fields such as risk management, external auditing, or compliance can count toward the requirement as long as your role involves tasks similar to internal audit functions, such as:
- Performing risk assessments
- Testing internal controls
- Conducting audits or process evaluations
- Writing and presenting audit reports
For detailed insights on meeting the CIA work experience requirement, visit our CIA Certification Eligibility Guide.
Step 2. Gather Documentation
Before submitting your work experience, make sure you’ve gathered all necessary documents and information. Here’s what you’ll need:
Job Details
- Title of Your Role: Your official job title (e.g., Internal Auditor, Risk Manager, Compliance Officer).
- Employer’s Name: The name of the company or organization where you gained the relevant experience.
- Dates of Employment: Exact start and end dates of your position(s).
Work Verification
You’ll need to provide the details of a supervisor or certified professional (such as a CIA, CRMA, or other IIA designation holder) who can verify your work experience.
- Verifier’s Name: The name of the supervisor or professional who will confirm your experience.
- Verifier’s Contact Information: Their email and phone number, as the IIA may reach out to verify the information.
New to internal audit? The Internal Audit Practitioner (IAP) designation offers an accessible entry point—no degree or experience required—while earning credit toward CIA Part 1.
Description of Job Responsibilities
Be prepared to describe your job duties in terms that align with internal audit functions. Some qualifying tasks include:
- Conducting risk assessments
- Developing or testing internal controls
- Performing audits of business processes
- Writing audit reports or presenting findings
Documents to Have on Hand (Optional)
Although the IIA typically doesn't request physical documents unless needed, it’s good practice to have the following ready:
- Job Description: A copy of your official job description.
- Employment Verification Letter: A letter confirming your employment dates and job responsibilities.
Step 3: Access the IIA’s Certification Candidate Management System (CCMS)
The entire work experience submission process is handled through the IIA’s CCMS portal.
- Login to CCMS: Visit the IIA’s CCMS portal and log in using your credentials. If you don’t have an account yet, you must create one.
- Navigate to Work Experience Submission: Once logged in, navigate to the CIA application dashboard. Look for the "Work Experience Verification" section or "Experience Requirement."
Step 4: Complete the Work Experience Form
The CCMS work experience form will prompt you to fill in several fields. Follow these steps carefully:
Enter Your Employment Details
Provide the following for each job that counts toward your experience:
- Employer’s Name and Address: Include the name and location of the organization where you worked.
- Position Title: Your job title at the organization.
- Dates of Employment: Input the start and end dates of your position.
- Description of Duties: Write a detailed summary of your responsibilities, ensuring they align with internal auditing tasks (e.g., risk assessments auditing processes).
Enter Verifier’s Information
You’ll also need to provide details about your verifier:
- Verifier’s Name: Enter their full name.
- Job Title: Provide the verifier’s position (e.g., Director of Internal Audit).
- Email Address and Phone Number: Make sure contact details are accurate in case the IIA reaches out for confirmation.
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Step 5: Submit the Work Experience Form
Once all information has been entered:
- Review the Submission: Double-check that all the details you’ve entered are accurate. Ensure your work descriptions match internal audit functions.
- Submit the Form: Once you know everything is correct, submit the form through the CCMS portal.
Step 6. Work Experience Verification
After submission, your selected verifier will need to confirm your work experience.
- Automated Email to Verifier: The CCMS system will automatically email your verifier with instructions on verifying your experience. It’s a good idea to notify your verifier beforehand so they know to expect the email.
- Verifier’s Responsibility: Your verifier will review the details of your work experience and confirm whether your job responsibilities meet the IIA’s requirements for the CIA certification.
Step 7: Monitor Your Application Status
Once your verifier has submitted their confirmation, you can monitor the status of your work experience verification through the CCMS portal.
- Approval Timeline: The IIA typically takes a few days to a few weeks to process and approve work experience submissions, depending on how quickly your verifier responds and the IIA’s review schedule.
- Notification of Approval: You’ll receive an email or CCMS notification once your work experience has been verified and approved, signaling that you've completed an essential eligibility requirement for the CIA certification.
For more insights on what happens next, visit our CIA Certification Timeline Guide.
Step 8: Final Steps: Schedule Your CIA Exam
Once your work experience is approved, you’re ready to schedule your CIA exam:
- Log in to CCMS and select an exam part.
- Choose a Pearson VUE test center or schedule an online proctored exam.
- Confirm your exam registration.
For tips on exam prep, check out our CIA Study Plan to create an effective study schedule and ace the exam.
Conclusion: Streamlining Your CIA Work Experience Submission
Submitting your CIA work experience is straightforward if you follow these steps. By ensuring that your documentation is accurate, preparing your verifier, and monitoring the process, you can meet this requirement efficiently and move closer to earning your CIA certification.
For more resources on the CIA certification process, check out our CIA Certification Application Guide and CIA Exam Structure Overview.
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Questions? Answers.
What is the CIA certification and who awards it?
The Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) is the only globally recognized certification for internal auditors, awarded by The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
What is the passing score for each CIA exam part?
Each CIA exam part is scored on a scale from 250 to 750 points, and you must achieve a scaled score of 600 or higher to pass.
Should I accelerate my CIA attempts now or wait and prepare directly for the 2025 syllabus?
The decision depends on how soon you can realistically prepare and your comfort with change: if you can sit quickly, you may prefer the familiar 2019 content, but if your timeline already extends into late 2025, it is often more efficient to study once for the revised syllabus that will remain in place for several years.
I’ve already passed some CIA parts under the 2019 syllabus. How do the 2025 changes affect my remaining parts?
Any CIA part you have already passed will continue to count as long as your overall CIA program window is still active; you only need to adapt your study plan for the parts you have not yet passed, which may now test updated content aligned to the new Global Internal Audit Standards.
How will the CIA 2025 update change the way higher‑order skills like critical thinking are tested?
The 2025 revision is informed by a global job analysis and explicitly emphasizes scenario‑based and judgment‑heavy questions, so candidates should expect more items that require evaluating risk, controls, and stakeholder expectations in realistic internal audit situations rather than just recalling definitions.
If my exam language transitions mid‑year, how do I avoid getting ‘stuck’ between the old and new exams?
You need to monitor the language‑specific release schedule and plan your registrations within 180‑day windows so each attempt clearly falls either fully before or fully after the go‑live date for your language, avoiding split preparation across two syllabi.
How will the passing score be set for the revised CIA exams, and should I expect the exam to feel harder?
The IIA will run a standard‑setting study using psychometric methods to map raw scores to the same 250–750 scale, and while the required scaled score (600) is unchanged, the mix of questions and emphasis on applied skills may make the exam feel more challenging for candidates who rely heavily on memorization.
Can older internal audit experience (10–15 years ago) still help me meet the CIA work experience requirement?
Yes, prior internal audit or equivalent experience can count as long as it is properly documented and attested by a manager or certified professional, but you should also be ready to demonstrate that your current knowledge keeps pace with modern practices the updated exam now reflects.
I’m an external auditor / finance professional moving into internal audit. Is it smarter to pursue the CIA Challenge Exam or the full three‑part route?
If your existing credential qualifies, the Challenge Exam can be a faster path because it consolidates CIA content into a single rigorous exam, but you sacrifice the part‑by‑part learning curve and must be comfortable mastering the entire body of knowledge for one high‑stakes sitting.
What CIA timing strategy works best if I’m also juggling other certifications (e.g., CPA, CISA, ACCA)?
Many candidates front‑load CIA Part 1 soon after internal audit or controls‑heavy study, then align Parts 2 and 3 with periods when they have more bandwidth to absorb governance and strategy content, using the three‑year CIA program window to sequence attempts around other exam cycles
How do the 2025 CIA Parts 1, 2, and 3 divide responsibilities across the internal audit lifecycle?
The updated structure concentrates foundational principles, risk and control concepts, and Standards in Part 1; engagement planning, fieldwork, and communication in Part 2; and governance of the internal audit function, audit strategy, and portfolio‑level oversight in Part 3, mirroring how responsibilities scale as auditors become managers and heads of internal audit
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