CIA Exam Part 3 Advice?

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  • #185094
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I am now studying for the 3rd CIA exam.

    Any tips or advice out there from people who have taken and passed it?

    It’s kind of an overload of information about a lot of topics, so just wanted to see if anyone had any good advice on how to wade through it and remember it all come test day!

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  • #576864
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    Hey burd.. do u prepare for incoming test by learncia lecture?
    based on combination of lecture slides and online quiz contents, principles(not quiz question itself), sum up part3
    Learncia textboot is elaborate enough to study, but inefficient to prepare exams practically.
    I am also toward part3.

    #576865
    wichaff
    Member

    I just took and passed CIA Part 3 this past weekend (6/7/14). I wouldn't say it's so much difficult as it is what you mentioned, information overload, especially since Parts 1 and 2 combined have less information.

    I personally used Gleim. I had access to Learn CIA from the IIA, but I'm not a fan of how their books outline the information. I understand that they have it set up in sections like the exam itself, but I like how Gleim breaks it up a little bit more.

    Anyway, this was my 2nd time taking the exam. I passed parts 1 and 2 within 2 weeks of each other, and studied for part 3 for about 3 weeks. I wasn't doing that great on the practice tests, but still took Part 3 back in February and got a 586, which is basically me getting 1 or 2 questions wrong from passing. I waited the 90 days and took it again immediately, studying again for about 3 weeks total, but you'd be amazed at how much you pick up again from what you understood, and how much you had no idea you missed completely when reading the books. Those were the intangibles right there. There weren't too many practice questions that were identical to the actual exam, so just like everyone says, make sure you understand the concepts. Obviously every exam is different, but despite me trying to memorize every accounting/finance equation, I found that on both exams that there were very few accounting and finance questions. The equations they did have were actually very simple, which made it easier and quicker to move on. I'd say that the topics to focus on would be Organizations Structure/Business Processes and Risks, Management/Leadership Principles, and IT/Business Continuity. I wouldn't discount any of the other sections, but these are just the one's I feel like they focused on when I took the exam each time.

    #576866
    memmy29
    Participant

    I took Part 3 and failed a few weeks back. It was the first part I took. I only skimmed the Gleim book and went through a couple dozen questions online. Definitely study more than that. I find it tough to focus on each question since there are 100 (even after passing the entire CPA exam). I'd say study Gleim material for about three weeks, an hour or so a day, and you should be good.

    AUD - 84
    BEC - 84
    FAR - 77
    REG - 75
    So glad to be done!

    "If you're going through hell, keep going." - Sir Winston Churchill

    AUD-84, REG-75, BEC-84, FAR-77

    Licensed CPA

    CIA Exam
    Part 1 - Passed
    Part 2 - Passed
    Part 3 - Passed

    #1834205
    SSpeed
    Participant

    Hello all,

    I have my CIA exam scheduled, another month out. I've felt pretty confident on my study preparation and results up to this point. I've still got one more month to really nail it all. I've printed out all the guides on IT, CSR and Risk Management. My question though is on the Accounting chapters. I saved those for last as I've read multiple places to study those the lightest as they are not tested highly on the exam.

    I am really struggling understanding the material though, its so complex and I feel like I am wasting so much time just trying to understand the concepts of accounting. Unless I study my normal way which is very time consuming I dont feel like I truly understand the basic concepts.

    Any feedback on those of you who did take and pass Part 3 on your guess of amount of accounting questions asked? And any advice for me on my study and preparation. Some of the questions and concepts I understand but then some are like trying to understand a foreign language. I dont want to waste valuable time trying to force myself to understand this all if its not tested very much.

    Sspeed
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