IIA CFSA Exam (Certified Financial Services Auditor (IIA-CFSA)) Detailed Information
Certified Financial Services Auditor (
CFSA)
CFSA: Provide Focus on Your Journey
As the demand for top talent and acumen in the financial services industry rises, there is no better way to establish your credibility than with the Certified Financial Services Auditor (
CFSA) designation. Earning your
CFSA from The IIA can set you apart from peers.
Earning a professional credential from The IIA is the best way to demonstrate your commitment to advancing in this competitive niche and communicating your breadth of knowledge.
The
CFSA is a valued specialty certification for audit professionals working in banking institutions, thrift/savings and loan organizations, credit unions, insurance companies, security and commodity services, holding and investment companies, credit agencies, financial services regulatory agencies, and other financial services organizations.
Six Steps to Certification
If you need help getting started, refer to the six steps to certification an internal auditor should review when making the decision to become certified in the profession.
Certified Financial Services Auditor® (
CFSA®) Eligibility Requirements
By applying to become a
CFSA candidate, an individual agrees to accept all conditions of the program including eligibility, exam confidentiality, ethics, and continuing professional education requirements, along with other conditions enacted by The IIA's Professional Certification Board (PCB).
Requirements
A
CFSA candidate must meet the following eligibility requirements. Before a candidate application can be approved, ALL documentation (proof of education, character reference, and identification) must be received and approved by The IIA’s Certification staff.
Education
CFSA candidates must hold a 3- or 4-year post-secondary degree (or higher). For further details please, refer to the Certification Candidate Handbook.
Important change to the Education Requirement for the
CFSA: The Global Board of Directors has approved an alternate path to eligibility for the
CFSA for those candidates who do not possess a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.
Candidates may now become eligible for the
CFSA, subject to approval, who possess:
Two years post-secondary education and five years verified experience in internal audit or its equivalent, OR
Seven years verified experience in internal audit or its equivalent.
Download the Certification Education Requirement Exceptions FAQ and Application.
Once you have completed the form, please access the Certification Document Upload Portal and upload your form(s) there. (Submit the document type as Educational)
Character Reference
CFSA candidates must exhibit high moral and professional character and must submit a Character Reference Form signed by a CIA, CGAP, CCSA,
CFSA, CRMA, or the candidate's supervisor.
Character Reference Form
Once you have completed the form, please access the Certification Document Upload Portal and upload your form(s) there. (Submit the document type as Character Reference.)
Work Experience
A
CFSA candidate must obtain two years of auditing experience in a financial services environment. A completed Experience Verification Form is required. Candidates may apply to the program and sit for the exam prior to satisfying the professional experience requirement, but will not be certified until all program requirements have been met.
Experience Verification Form
Once you have completed the form, please access the Certification Document Upload Portal and upload your form(s) there. (Submit the document type as Professional Experience.)
Proof of Identification
Candidates must provide proof of identification in the form of a copy of the candidate’s official passport or national identity card. These must indicate current status; expired documents will not be accepted. All documents must be scanned and uploaded through the Document Upload Portal in a manner that ensures the photo is clearly legible.
Once you have completed the form, please access the Certification Document Upload Portal and upload your form(s) there. (Submit the document type as Other.)
Eligibility Period
Effective November 2010, the certification program’s eligibility requires candidates to complete the program certification process within four years of application approval. If a candidate has not completed the certification process within four years, all fees and exam parts will be forfeited.
Confidentiality
The
CFSA certification exam is a non-disclosed exam. Candidates in the
CFSA program agree to keep the contents of the exam confidential and therefore may not discuss the specific exam content with anyone except The IIA's Certification Department. Unauthorized disclosure of exam material will be considered a breach of the Code of Ethics and may result in disqualification of the candidate or other appropriate censure.
Code of Ethics
CFSA candidates agree to abide by the Code of Ethics established by The IIA.
Continuing Professional Education (CPE)
Upon certification,
CFSAs are required to maintain their knowledge and skills and stay abreast of improvements and current developments in the financial services auditing environment by satisfying CPE requirements.
IIA Membership
In most cases, you do not have to be a member of The IIA to take the
CFSA exam or become a
CFSA but we encourage you to consider its advantages. There are some countries, however, that do require candidates to be IIA members to take the
CFSA exam. Candidates in any of the countries listed on the map located at the top right of this page should contact their local institute to verify this requirement.
IIA members receive discounts on
CFSA review materials and courses and have access to the latest exam preparation resources, networking opportunities, and current
CFSA news and information.
Certified Financial Services Auditor® (
CFSA®) Exam Syllabus
The
CFSA exam tests a candidate's knowledge of current auditing practices and understanding of internal audit issues, risks, and remedies in the financial services industry.
The exam consists of 115 multiple-choice questions.
The testing period is two hours and fifty-five minutes.
Exam questions are all multiple-choice (objective) with four answer choices.
80% of the exam covers four domains: Financial Services Auditing, Auditing Financial Services Products, Auditing Financial Service Processes, and The Regulatory Environment.
The remaining 20% relate to the candidates' chosen discipline and will be at the proficiency level.
CFSA candidates may choose any one of the three disciplines as part of their
CFSA exam test.
Candidates may not choose to be tested on more than one discipline.
The
CFSA designation does not distinguish one chosen discipline from another.
Exam Non-disclosure
The
CFSA exam is a non-disclosed examination, which means that current exam questions and answers will not be published or divulged.
NOTE: Exam topics and/or format are subject to change as approved by The IIA's Professional Certification Board (PCB).
CFSA Exam Domains
The
CFSA exam core content covers four domains:
Domain I: Financial Services Auditing (25-35%)
Domain II: Auditing Financial Services Products (25-35%)
Domain III: Auditing Financial Service Processes (25-35%)
Domain IV: The Regulatory Environment (10-20%)
CFSA Exam Individual Disciplines
Banking: Products, Processes, and the Regulatory Environment
(20% — Proficiency Level)
Insurance: Products, Processes, and the Regulatory Environment
(20% — Proficiency Level)
Securities: Products, Processes, and the Regulatory Environment
(20% — Proficiency Level)
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Requirements for Certified Financial Services Auditors® (
CFSA®s)
Each year,
CFSA certificate holders are required to self-certify as to the completion of the required continuing education hours. The number of CPE hours to be reported is based on certification statuses of practicing, non-practicing, retired, inactive (grace period), or inactive. It is the
CFSA’s responsibility to assure that the CPE hours claimed conform to the guidelines established by The IIA’s Professional Certification Board (PCB). CPE reporting forms are submitted by
CFSAs on an annual basis (no later than December 31 each year) and serve as signed statements that all applicable CPE requirements have been met.
For complete information regarding the CPE requirements for
CFSA certificate holders, please review Administrative Directive No. 4.
Get more information on CPE reporting steps for current and inactive
CFSAs.
CPE Requirement Regarding IIA International Standards
In order to encourage understanding of and compliance with The IIA's International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (Standards), The IIA's Professional Certification Board (PCB) has instated a requirement that
CFSAs stay abreast of the Standards as part of their CPE.
CFSAs must review or receive training on the Standards at some point during their CPE reporting period.
If you are completing your CPE reporting form and have not already met this requirement, please take a moment to review the Standards before submitting your form.
While there, we also encourage you to review the Practice Advisories (accessible with an IIA member password) and other sections of The IIA's International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF).
Newly Certified?
New
CFSAs are awarded 40 CPE hours. Half of the awarded CPE hours (20) are for the year in which the exam is passed, and the other half are for the subsequent year.
Also a CIA® ?
For the 2015 reporting year, if you are a Certified Internal Auditor® (CIA®), the CPE reporting that you complete for the CIA program satisfies the CPE reporting requirements for the
CFSA. CPE reporting for the
CFSA requires that 25% of the hours earned must be in the specialty area of expertise.
CPE Opportunities
Need to earn CPE for your
CFSA certification? View a listing of The IIA’s Recognized CPE Providers and learn more about this new program, or check out these other CPE opportunities.
