As an accounting professional, expanding your potential career-wise can be done through certifications and additional credentials, such as passing the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam.
Like taking an ACCA course, the CIA certification exam helps you:
- Increase your earning potential.
- Open more opportunities for career growth.
- Improve your security of tenure.
- Boost your skills and abilities as an accounting professional.
Getting ready to take the test? Below is a list of nine best practices you can use to ace the CIA exam:
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Have a plan.
Like everything else, studying for the CIA test is easier and more efficient when you have a plan — a study plan to be exact.
This can help you organize your materials to coincide with the scope of the exam. It also allows you to categorize learning materials according to the areas you need to improve on and strategize how you can insert study time into your day-to-day activities.
Pro Tip: If you’re not sure how to build your own study plan, you can always take review classes of the CIA course.
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Familiarize yourself with the test.
Familiarizing yourself with the test allows you to customize your study plan accordingly. For this, you need to consider:
- The length of the test
- The type of questions
- Time constraints
The CIA exam has three parts, each with around 100 to 125 questions. The test must be completed in no more than two and a half hours.
Note that all questions are multiple choice, which means even guesses can give you a chance to score higher. This is why you must never leave any item blank.
In most cases, multiple-choice questions also have one obviously incorrect answer and another that may be factual but irrelevant. By learning the process of elimination, you increase your likelihood to answer correctly.
The third part of the test is considered the most difficult, historically speaking. This is because the questions in this section are more likely to be conceptual and, therefore, more challenging to figure out.
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Prepare and follow a study schedule.
Studies show that early morning reviews are more effective than those done any other time of the day. However, what is more important is that you remain consistent in your study schedule.
Whether it’s early morning or at night, make sure you stick to the study schedule you set for yourself. This means you’ll have to figure out what time of day you’ll be able to concentrate on learning based on your circumstances.
Also, remember to be realistic when setting a schedule. Some people can’t do mornings and afternoons because of other responsibilities like family and work.
Experts also recommend that you space out your study time in a longer span rather than cramming it all within a short period. In other words, studying 10 hours a week for two months is much better than eight hours daily for two consecutive weeks.
Create a timeline before you start your studies. This will serve as your guide and help determine whether you’re on schedule in your preparations for the CIA exam.
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Get creative in your studying strategies.
Creativity is never lost, even in technical learning areas like internal auditing. In fact, you can apply it when studying for the CIA exam by incorporating various resources available to keep you ahead in your learning.
To begin, learn how to read strategically. According to former testers, it would be better to read the question first before the introduction, as you may already know the answer without the need to read the entire exposition.
Of course, there are times when you cannot use this shortcut to understand what the question is all about. Consider how you would answer, and then you can look at the options presented.
It is also essential that you maximize your idle time. Whether you’re traveling or waiting for something, you can use this period to catch up on your reading.
To do so, you must make sure that learning materials are readily available on your phone, computer, or pieces of paper. You can also listen to audio lectures while you wait.
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Pinpoint pain points during your study.
Review materials also include a practice exam to test your knowledge before studying. This serves as your diagnostic test to help pinpoint any possible pain points for you in the exam.
As you move along in your studies, you should be able to improve on some of this. Don’t worry if a couple of issues remain unsolved. So long as you spread out your study time, you’ll be able to figure out what you can do about the areas you struggle with way before the day of the test.
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Simulate the testing environment.
Besides taking a practice exam pre- and post-review, you can also simulate the testing environment. Doing so allows you to acclimate to the CIA exam using an exam-emulating online course, which looks a lot like the real exam, down to the button sizes and screen colors.
You can do this several times during the review period. You can even take the test in isolation in an air-conditioned room in your subsequent tries to mimic the test conditions as accurately as possible.
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Focus.
How much you can focus on your studies can make or break your chances of acing the CIA exam. This means you’ll have to eliminate all potential excuses and reduce the chances of procrastinating.
Procrastination is about finding other things that preoccupy you instead of the more pressing matter currently at hand. As you prepare your study schedule, clear out any additional tasks that may hinder you from concentrating on what you’re learning about.
Avoid distractions as much as possible. Besides staying in a quiet, clutter-free environment, you should also keep your phone out of reach until you’re done studying.
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Get enough sleep, exercise, and eat healthy food.
Sleep rejuvenates the body and mind to function optimally for the following day. Make sure you adhere to a consistent sleeping schedule as religiously as you follow your study plan.
Exercise is also crucial, especially if you’re having difficulty falling asleep at night or feeling lethargic from oversleeping.
And don’t forget to eat healthy food. While it may be tempting to skip meals because you’re “in the zone” in your CIA test review, you must never proceed on an empty stomach.
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Ask for help.
Learning something as complex as internal auditing can be quite challenging without support from the people around you. Your family, friends, and even colleagues can help you study properly and ensure that you don’t get distracted.
Of course, help can also come from professionals and educators involved in CIA courses. They provide insight and information that would be invaluable to you during your test.
Ace the CIA Test
You can get good scores for the CIA exam with the right review strategy and proper preparation. Use all your available resources, including this article, to help improve your chances of acing the test.
