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CIA Exam Part 2 Difficulty vs Part 1 (and Tips to Best Prepare for Both)
Lynnel is our CIA exam blogger from the Philippines. She writes every Friday.
I just passed Parts 1 and 2 last month, and I got suggestion from Stephanie to write this blog post.
The following are questions that I would like to answer for the readers.
(Disclaimer: Answers listed below are based on personal experience and it may vary depending on candidates’ background)
1. Does it help to pass Part 1 if I study Part 2 together (and vice versa)?
Yes, it really helps a lot and I recommend it to study both before taking the exam. One reason is because the basic concepts of internal auditing are within those situational questions.
Another reason is the coverage you could get in studying Part 1 and Part 2. Since it is a lot wider, you will encounter minimal surprise in the actual exam for both parts.
2. How much overlap does Part 1 have on Part 2?
I do not have the precise measure on the overlap between Part 1 and 2. On the other hand, the questions may vary on the real exam and in my case there are only few overlaps on both parts.
3. Is it ok to take Part 2 first? (especially for those who failed Part 1 and don’t want to be idle for 90 days)
Yes, but I do not recommend it. Even though there are a few overlaps on both parts, I believe the chance of passing Part 2 is much higher subjectively after passing Part 1.
But, if you think you are already prepared (mentally and emotionally) to take both exams and you’re just waiting for 90 days to retake Part 1, then I might say that you can take Part 2.
4. Is part 2 exam content more advanced but the exam itself is easier?
I agree that Part 2 is a lot more advanced but it is not a lot easier. I think it may look “easy” because the length of the questions in my case is much shorter than those in Part 1.
To be honest, there may be questions that look short and easy but were a lot trickier than the longer ones, and I encountered a lot of these in the Part 2 exam. It is true that Part 1 questions tend to be longer than those in Part two.
5. What are the differences and similarities between Part 1 and Part 2?
Besides the length of the question which I stated above, I could only think of two differences: the content and level of difficulty.
The content of both parts is aligned to the CIA Exam Syllabus, which you can find on IIA’s website. I just encountered a few questions that I am not familiar with. In my experience, Part 2 is more difficult than Part 1.
With regards to similarities, both parts test basic concepts of internal auditing.
I hope my answers are helpful in your preparation for Part 1 and Part 2. Best of luck to all!
Note from Stephanie
Thanks a lot for spending the time analyzing the two parts for us. Glad to have you share when the experience is still fresh.
Your comment is very similar to what I have heard from different readers. It is nice to have all the points summed up in one nice blog post. Thank you!
About the Author Lynnel
Lynnel is a recent graduate, with a BSBA Major in Internal Auditing in the Philippines. Lynnel passed Part 1 and 2 on the same day, and Part 3 on her first attempt.
