CIA Certification: When is The Right Time To Pursue It?

03 March, 2025
by Ansa Antony

Apparently, the phrase ‘right time’ can differ from person to person.

The CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) certification is indeed a one-way ticket to senior internal auditing roles.

You need to determine the right time to pursue it. It all depends on your career goals, objectives, and aspirations. If you are sure about a career in internal auditing, there’s nothing stopping you from pursuing the certification early on in your career.

On the contrary, if you want to give yourself time to consider the possibility of a career solely in Internal Auditing, you can do it midway down the lane.

This blog will walk you through the ideal career stages for obtaining the CIA certification and the factors that will help you determine the right time.

Three Stages in Your Career To Pursue the CIA Certification

1. Early Career (0-2 Years of Experience) – Is It Too Soon?

Almost always, it’s difficult to understand what specific career path to take when you’re just starting. This stage is the early career stage or the time when you finish your bachelor's degree and roll out of college.

With some brainstorming, you might conclude to pursue a career in auditing. Well, some of you might be so sure that you are made for the world of internal audit and you’ve got what it takes to go down the road.

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) requires candidates to have at least two years of relevant work experience (or one year with a master's degree) on top of a bachelor’s degree to be lauded for the CIA certificate.

Why Consider CIA Early On?

If you’re dead sure about a long-term career in Internal Auditing, pursue the CIA batch early on.
Clearing one or more parts of the CIA exam gives you proficiency in various matters of internal auditing relevant to workspaces.
Gives you the edge in interviews for internal audit roles.

2. Mid-Career (2-5 Years of Experience) – The Ideal Stage

When you’ve got hands-on experience in the playing field, and traveled the road of internal audit for 2-5 years, you’ll have gained an understanding of whether or not you’re interested in the field.

This stage in your career is the ideal stage when you must decide to pursue the CIA. If you’ve enjoyed the process of audit, risk assessment, compliance, and internal controls, this is the profile for you.

Why Consider CIA Mid-Stage?

Helps you transition to senior auditing roles and managerial positions.
Become a global representative of the IIA body and Internal Audit institution
Since you’ve met the work experience requirement, you can get hold of the certification upon cracking the exam.

3. Late Career (5+ Years of Experience) – Is It Too Late?

It is important to understand that it’s never too late to upgrade yourself. If you’ve been in the field of Internal Audit for 5+ years, that shows your merit and dedication to the field and that you’re hungry for more success.

Why Consider CIA Later in Your Career?

If you want to get promoted to the role of Audit Manager or a Director role.
If you’re planning on becoming an independent Audit Consultant.
If you want to add prestige and symbol to your resume and career profile.

Decide for Yourself The Best Time to Pursue The CIA Certification

Based on these variables, you can decide for yourself when to pursue the Certified Internal Auditor certification. If you want a rapid-fire start in the field of internal audit, it would be best to start preparing for the exam early on.

If you’re someone who wants to see for yourself whether or not the designation best interests you, pursue it mid-stage. If you’ve already gone down the long road and worked 5+ years, take the CIA certification asap as it adds weight to your profile.

At My Logic, our expert faculty will ensure that you crack the CIA exam and guarantee interviews in top tier companies.

Check out our course details here - https://www.mylogic.ac/cia.aspx

My Logic is a pioneer in catering world-class training in financial professional courses like CMA (USA), CPA (USA), ACCA, CIA, CFP, etc to students across the globe. We offer top-class online training videos along with online interactive classrooms that help you crack competitive finance and accounting exams.