CIA (Part 1 & 2)Exam -Tips & Techniques

For all candidates who are planning to sit for the CIA exam, herein some tips you should consider very well.

1.    It is recommended you study both parts as if they are one part or at least don’t make a gap between both exams although in 2019 the topics of both parts got well aligned with minor overlapping.

2.    Yes, you can sit for CIA Part 2 before part 1 if you feel Part 2 will be easier for you.

3.    Don’t book your exam unless you have solved all Gleim questions at least three times and your scores across all units are not less than 95%.

4.    If two answers are addressing the same area, then probably both are not correct.

5.    Stay away from the harsh, confronting, blunt, extreme answers. Reason the choice before you click it (ONLY, All, Discharge, Dismiss, Confront, Reprehend).

6.    During studying, read all the wrong answers even for the easy questions because it is the potential source for other exam questions.

7.    Budget your time properly and run Gleim exam practice while monitoring your time.

8.    Seek other sources of questions (HOCK, CIA Excel, IIA) if you have time and try to solve them at least twice.

9.    Book your exam ahead – 4 - 6 weeks at least to guarantee the desired day (Monday or Sunday) – no later than 10am (energetic time).

10. Take enough sleep the night before the exam – at least 7 hours.

11. Avoid heavy food, a simple breakfast around 7.30 am on exam day will be fine, ensure that you eat enough sugar to stay alert. A strong coffee can do as well. Nuts will be great for mind squeezing.

12. If you feel during the exam that you need a break or your concentration start to decline, take 5 minutes break, it will be counted from your exam time. You will be back fresh (especially for smoker and diabetic persons).

13. Don’t hesitate to “mark for review” as many questions as possible but never ever leave any question blank.

14. Apply the elimination technique, look for the common words in more than one choice to exclude all.

15. Read the question twice before you attempt to solve it, sometimes the answer to the questions lie on the question itself.

16. Please pay attention to works like Only, Best describe, least likely, most likely, except, Must and Limited to.

17. Get the rehearsal/mock exam and run it before the exam by 5 days and don’t think of your grade as an indicator to what you will do in the real exam. Just get the exam atmosphere.

18. Don’t drive on the exam day, go fresh, relaxed and have confidence in your preparation and skills.

19. If the question is long, jump into the last line of the requirements and see if you can apply the short cut techniques.

20. Don’t be afraid from the exam, it is just an exam, not all the questions have the same weight in terms of grading.

21. Keep low profile and don’t create an unneeded pressure on you by informing everyone about your intention to sit for the exam or your exam date.

22. Never let one day pass without practicing at least 50 MCQ to stay warmed up. Train yourself to sit for 4 hours practicing without interruption.

23. Don’t challenge yourself by solving MCQ on exam night. Just read your summaries and flash cards or the summary of the core concepts (SCC).

24. It is recommended that you sit for the exam after 2 to 3 weeks of the end of the course (if you are ready).

25. Arrive the exam site at least 25 minutes earlier than your exam time to finalize the registration process.

26. If the question is too long, just mark it for review and come back for it later.

27. Always change the sequence of units while you are solving to avoid memorizing the questions, if you feel you memorize them, seek immediately another source.

28. Never leave any MCQ unanswered, guess it, just put an answer, you never know!!

29. Dont let just one MCQ drag your energy down or consume your time, mark it for review and carry on.

30. When you pass inshallah, read the tips for Part 3

Good luck for all.