Hi all, i just want to know if some of you already got the cia and if it changed anything about their job(salary/promotion...)

I do not have and certifications- but my boss does. I believe that many organizations prefer you to have the certification. I will be looking into getting a CFSA certification in the future.

I have only be a teller rep for not about a year but was once interest in CIA to. But I only have GED right now. The web site is cia.gov. Good luck.

I think the original poster was referring to the Certified Internal Auditor certification rather than the Central Intelligence Agency of the US government. The website is www.theiia.org.

I've found that it doesn't make much if any financial difference immediately. You could point out at your annual review, "I went above and beyond." It is, however, very useful in getting your resume short-listed for positions requiring CIA/CISA/CPA.

I've been a CIA for years. Becoming a CIA didn't get me an immediate pay increase, but it allowed me to apply for higher level jobs. As you progress to higher level audit jobs, they usually require a certification like the CIA, CPA or CISA. The CBA and CFSA are also good certifications, but are more industry specific.

As with any other designation, it is only as valuable to your institution as they consider it to be. Meaning, if they don't think they need it, they won't pay you more because you have it.

So true Jokerman, so true. And some of us have made the move for such things when we realize that what we value doesn't mesh with what our employer values.

I am thinking about taking the exam in November. Has anyone taken it recently? How difficult was it? Any advice would be helpful (study guides to use, how much study time needed, test tips, etc.) Thanks!

If you're taking the exam in November - start studying now! Seriously! There is a lot of material to cover and there isn't much time (3-4 months) to go. I used the Gliem materials (books, tapes, and computer disks). It worked really well for me as it fit my study style.

I think there is an old post or two (1-2 years old) on the board that go into more detail about what people have done to prepare.

Good luck and study hard!

try www.gleim.com lots of books about the cia there

you won't be disapointed

Oh, yeah. As for tips:

I studied one section a month for four months, then one month to review it all. With less time, you would have to compress it. Block out time every day (1-2 hours) and more on the weekends if you can. The test is quite difficult and having just a cursory knowledge can actually hurt your chances of scoring high due to how the questions are designed.

At the test, I used the first few minutes of the exam to write down anything I had just memorized before walking in the door. This came in handy on several questions.

Also, treat it like a job interview – locate the testing center before you head out the door, arrive early in case of bad traffic, get a good night’s sleep, etc.

And study hard!

Thanks for the tips, but now I'm nervous. I may push it back to the spring. Not because of what you said, but I have other more pressing issues. I may not be able to devote the time needed to study.

You can also get demo questions from both Gliem and another source that I can't remember the name of. I think I located those through the IIA site. That might give you a better idea of what you would be up against. I took the exam last fall. I only had to study 3 sections (the financial section was waived as I'm also a CPA). I started about this time and easily spent an average of 2 hours a day studying. What worked for me was to review the reading for a section, take the test, and then make flash cards for the questions I missed. Later I would go back and redo all the questions for a section to see if I was retaining anything. I passed, so it worked. Good luck!

If you are in an area with an IIA chapter (chapter details are available on the IIA web site), check with it. Often chapters sponsor study groups or classes to prepare for the examination. Chapters also typically have someone who coordinates the IIA Exam process for another possible resource.

I became a CIA two years a go and a CISA last year. It did not really add any value. In fact my boss does not care about those titles, he only cares about the quality of output. He prefer to hire someone without those titles as long as he can provide quality output. These titles will provide you with an interview but not necessary a job.