CIA® Exam Part 3 — Internal Audit Function
Part 3 of the CIA — leading the internal audit function, the risk-based plan, quality, and communicating and monitoring results.
About the exam
The Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) is the global credential for internal auditors. Part 3, Internal Audit Function, was rebuilt for 2025 around the Global Internal Audit Standards: managing internal audit operations and resources, building the risk-based audit plan, the quality assurance and improvement program, and communicating engagement results, residual risk and the follow-up of action plans.
Part 3 has 100 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, following the 2025 syllabus: Internal Audit Operations (25%), Internal Audit Plan (15%), Quality of the Internal Audit Function (15%) and Engagement Results and Monitoring (45%). The old business-knowledge topics are no longer stand-alone domains.
Our practice covers every domain with scenario questions from the chief audit executive's seat — what to report, what to escalate, how to staff and plan — plus flashcards for key requirements, case simulations where you lead the function decision by decision, and illustrated guides to the QAIP, the audit plan and the results cycle.
How we track your progress
Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:
- Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
- Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
- DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
- ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
- Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.
The exam blueprint
2025 CIA exam syllabus aligned to the Global Internal Audit Standards (published January 2024, effective January 9, 2025); English exams on the new syllabus since May 2025 — 4 domains, each a set percentage of the exam. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Internal Audit Operations 25% of the exam
112 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Internal Audit Plan 15% of the exam
68 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Quality of the Internal Audit Function 15% of the exam
68 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Engagement Results and Monitoring 45% of the exam
202 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Questions built on the 2025 syllabus
Every question is tagged to one of the 4 Part 3 domains and its topics — the plan, the QAIP, the report, the escalation.
Hints that teach the rule
Reveal the Standard or requirement behind the question when you're stuck. Every answer comes with the full rationale.
Adaptive practice
Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted like the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.
Timed practice exams
Syllabus-weighted exams at the real pace — 100 questions in 2 hours — with a pacing indicator and full review.
Flashcards, case simulations and guides
120 flashcards, 8 unfolding cases from the chief audit executive's seat where every decision shows its consequence, and interactive illustrated guides you explore hotspot by hotspot.
Progress in every domain
Each domain moves from Not started to Exam ready, so you know exactly what to study next.
Test at home or at a center
Apply to the CIA program through the IIA's certification portal; once approved, register for each part and schedule with Pearson VUE. You have 3 years from program acceptance to pass all three parts.
At a Pearson VUE test center
- Computer-based testing by appointment at Pearson VUE centers worldwide.
- Arrive about 30 minutes early with current government-issued photo ID that matches your IIA profile.
- Phones, bags, watches and notes go in a locker.
- Check the IIA site for current delivery options before you book.
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours.
Pacing checkpoints
Hit these and you finish with time to revisit your flagged questions. Our timed practice exams run at this same pace.
The week before
- Take one full-length timed practice exam 3–5 days out, then rest.
- Spend your last sessions on Engagement Results and Monitoring — it's 45% of the exam.
- Study from the 2025 syllabus only — the 2019 Part 3 business-knowledge topics are no longer tested as their own domains.
- Confirm your Pearson VUE appointment, ID and route.
During the exam
- Read the whole stem and find the cue: best, first, most appropriate, most likely.
- Ask who owns the decision: management accepts risk, the CAE communicates it, the board oversees.
- Pick your best answer, flag it and move on; revisit flags at the end.
- Answer every question — there's no penalty for guessing.
Keep your head
- A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the stem.
- Your score is scaled against a fixed standard — 600 passes — not other test-takers.
- Change an answer only when you find a real reason in the question.
After you pass
- You have 3 years from program acceptance to pass all three parts.
- Once certified, keep the CIA active with 40 CPE hours a year, reported to the IIA each year.
- Passing all three parts, with your experience verified, earns the CIA — keep it current with annual CPE.
Official sources and further reading
- The IIA — CIA exam syllabus (2025) ↗Official syllabus and test specifications for all three parts.
- The IIA — Certified Internal Auditor ↗Eligibility, fees and how to apply.
- The IIA — Certification Candidate Handbook ↗Scheduling, scoring and retake policies.
Ready to start?
450 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.
CIA® is a registered trademark of The Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc. QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by The IIA or Pearson VUE. Details are summarized from The IIA's 2025 CIA exam syllabus and certification pages; fees and policies change — always confirm at theiia.org. Our Exam ready level asks for 80% or better.