Certifications Program Changes FAQ

To align with the three-part CIA exam, the CIA program eligibility window has been adjusted from 4 years to 3 years. This reflects the amount of time typically required to complete the certification process. Candidates who are already approved into the program prior to 1 September 2019 will maintain a 4-year program window. Candidates approved into the program on or after 1 September 2019 will have 3 years to complete the program. Candidates can still request a one-year extension. In addition, the waiting period to retake an exam has been shortened from 90 to 30 days. As long as it is still within the program eligibility window, you may retake an exam after waiting 30 days.

​To align with the three-part CIA exam, the CIA program eligibility window has been adjusted from 4 years to 3 years. This reflects the amount of time typically required to complete the certification process. Candidates who are already approved into the program prior to 1 September 2019 will maintain a 4-year program window. Candidates approved into the program on or after 1 September 2019 will have 3 years to complete the program. Candidates can still request a one-year extension.

The waiting period to retake an exam has been shortened from 90 to 60 days. As long as it is still within the program eligibility window, you may retake an exam after waiting 60 days.

Candidates approved into the CIA program PRIOR to 1 September have 4 years from application approval to complete the CIA program. Candidates approved into the CIA program AFTER 1 September have 3 years from application approval to complete the CIA program.

Candidates who expired out of the CIA program PRIOR to 1 September, but who reapplied and were approved PRIOR to 1 September, have 4 years to complete the CIA program. Candidate who expired out of the CIA program PRIOR to 1 September, but who reapplied and was approved AFTER 1, have 3 years to complete the CIA program. Candidates who expire out of the CIA program AFTER 1 September (and who reapply and are approved) have 3 years to complete the CIA program.

Candidates that fail an exam have a 30-day waiting period to retake the exam.

Applied means that you have created a profile in the Certification Candidate Management System (CCMS), completed the application, and paid the application fee. Approved into a program means that all your required documents (to verify eligibility) have been submitted and accepted. Once approved into a program, you can register for an exam.