What to Do After You Pass the CIA Exam

There are several steps you’ll need to take to make sure you’re putting all of your hard work to work. After you pass your CIA exam, you’ll need to get your CIA certificate, get listed on The IIA’s Certification Registry, meet your annual CIA CPE requirements, and more! We’ll break it down and walk you through it so you’re ready to leverage your new certification as you take the next steps in your career.

When you leave your testing center or finish your remote exam, you’ll know with some certainty how you did because you’ll receive an unofficial score report. If you passed, you can’t do much (besides celebrate!) until you receive your official score report from The IIA. So the first thing you need to do after you pass all three parts of the CIA exam is be patient and sit tight. The same is true if you took the CIA Challenge exam instead—you’ll be able to get your certificate after passing that one-part exam and waiting for your official score report.

Once your official score report is available, you’ll receive an email letting you know to check your score in the CCMS. You should receive your official report in about 1-2 days, and once you get it you’re eligible to receive your CIA certificate (provided you’ve met the other CIA certification requirements).

Once you’re eligible, you’ll receive an email telling you to log into the CCMS, where you can either download a PDF of your certificate or order a printed one. Getting your printed certificate takes a bit longer, but we think it’s worth it. Earning your CIA is a big accomplishment—you should display your certificate proudly!

The IIA Certification Registry Opens in new window is a list of people with active IIA certifications. It’s routinely updated and serves as evidence of your certification, which potential employers and the public can refer to.

You’ll have multiple opportunities to opt in to the registry. The easiest way is to opt in when you complete the certification program or when you’re reporting your annual CPE, but you can also ask to be listed by submitting a case from your CCMS account.

You’ve got a new credential to list after your name! That’s an exciting accomplishment to celebrate, and you should prominently display it. Widely promoting your CIA will ensure you gain all the benefits of your new certification.

Here are some ways you can promote yourself and your new credential:

Your peers will be excited to cheer you on, and this gives you a chance to extend your network further and interact with more CIAs.

Now’s a good time to update your resumé and look for new jobs that you qualify for now that you have your CIA! Your certification signals your expertise and your commitment to growing professionally. Companies are motivated to hire certified employees, so your certification can help you get a bigger bonus, higher salary, and other benefits!

If you like where you are and want to stay, your certification should open up the opportunity for advancement (and a higher salary), so you should begin that conversation if you haven’t already.

Along with all the benefits that come with holding the CIA certification, you also need to maintain it by meeting The IIA’s CIA CPE requirements. As a practicing CIA, to keep your certification active you must complete 40 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) every year and complete the certification renewal process attesting that you’ve completed your hours. Two of these hours must be in ethics each year.

Keep reading to learn more about the CIA CPE requirements and how to complete annual certification renewal. You’ve already put in all the hours to earn your certification, don’t let it expire! 

The amount of CPE hours you’re required to complete depends on if you’re practicing (40 hours) or nonpracticing (20 hours). Each year, you’ll need to complete the required amount of hours and then complete the Annual Certification Renewal process within the CCMS to renew your certification and attest that you’ve completed your hours.

Certification renewal opens on October 1 each year, so you don’t have to wait until December 31 to complete your renewal. Once you’ve completed the CIA CPE requirements hours, you can renew your certification through the CCMS.

You’ll follow different certification renewal steps depending on whether your certification status is Active, Grace, or Revoked. You can check your certification status in the CCMS.

It sounds confusing, but don’t worry! We’ve broken down what each certification status means and the steps for each status.

Start working on your CPE hours! We recommend chipping away at your CIA CPE requirements as early as you can so that the December 31 deadline doesn’t sneak up on you. Check out the CIA CPE courses in our course catalog to help you fulfil your requirements.