Free CIA Practice Questions (2026): The Full Three-Part Bank, and the Paid Alternatives Compared

Try 3 free CIA Part I questions

Pulled from the free bank of 498 CIA Part I practice questions, each with a worked solution. Pick a choice, then check the answer.

Question 1 Easy

According to IIA guidance, which statement best describes residual risk?

Solution

D is correct. Residual risk is the exposure that persists after management has designed and operated its risk responses, including internal controls. Internal auditors evaluate residual risk when concluding on the adequacy of risk management and control processes, because it is the residual level, not the gross level, that must fall within the board-approved risk appetite. Standard 9.1 requires the internal audit function to understand the organization's governance, risk management, and control processes, which includes distinguishing inherent from residual exposure.

Question 2 Medium

Which of the following is most likely to impair the independence of the internal audit function?

Solution

D is correct. Under the Global Internal Audit Standards the board reviews and approves the internal audit function's resources, including the budget, and the chief audit executive reports to the board when resources are insufficient (Standards 8.2 and 10.1). When senior management alone determines the budget, the areas subject to audit gain indirect control over how much work the function can perform, which is a resource-based limitation on scope and therefore an impairment of organizational independence that the chief audit executive must communicate to the board.

Question 3 Hard

A chief audit executive concludes that repeated executive interference has created a perceived, though not actual, independence impairment. What is required?

Solution

B is correct. Standard 7.1 obliges the chief audit executive to protect the internal audit function's independence and to disclose impairments to independence, including perceived impairments, to the board. Perception is treated on the same footing as actuality because stakeholder confidence in the function's conclusions depends on how the function is seen, and only the board can address executive interference at its source.

FreeFellow has 1,374 free, original CIA practice questions: 498 for Part 1, 433 for Part 2, and 443 for Part 3, weighted to the official section percentages, each with a worked solution and a note explaining the wrong answer choices. They are written to the current syllabus (the one aligned with the 2024 Global Internal Audit Standards), they require no signup, and they are not a trial.

Go straight to them: Part 1 (Internal Audit Fundamentals), Part 2 (Internal Audit Engagement), Part 3 (Internal Audit Function), plus the CIA exam hub.

What good CIA practice looks like

CIA questions have a distinctive construct. Stems are short, most items ask for the single best answer ("most appropriate", "best describes"), and the wrong choices are rarely false statements. They are defensible-sounding actions that misassign a responsibility: management's job dressed as the auditor's, the board's decision offered as the chief audit executive's, an objectivity impairment presented as good practice.

That has a direct implication for how you practice. A bank that only tells you the correct answer teaches you facts. A bank that explains why each wrong choice is wrong teaches you the role map, and the role map is what the exam tests. That is why every FreeFellow question carries per-choice notes, and why the official IIA sample questions are worth working too: the IIA publishes a small set on its website, with rationales on every option, and they show exactly this pattern.

One note that applies to every provider: no legitimate prep source sells actual CIA exam questions. IIA exam content is confidential, and candidates sign a nondisclosure agreement at the test center. Anyone claiming to offer real exam questions is selling something you do not want to be associated with. Everything on FreeFellow is original, written to the publicly published syllabus.

The paid alternatives

Gleim is the established CIA prep leader, with the largest test bank in the category and full review courses. Its full three-part review courses list at $1,099 to $1,249 (2026 list prices, Traditional to Premium), with cheaper bank-only options, and it is a reasonable buy if you want video lectures, a structured course calendar, and access support.

UWorld and Becker both entered CIA prep with strong explanation quality, typically at higher price points than Gleim's bank-only options.

The IIA's own learning system is the official course line; it is comprehensive and priced accordingly, and buying it is in no way required to pass.

Whether to pay comes down to what your gap is. If you need a full guided course, the paid options earn their price. If your gap is practice volume with real explanations, work the free material first: the entire three-part bank with per-choice notes is free here, which is more than enough to diagnose where you stand on each part before you spend anything. The exam itself already costs about $990 in member fees ($120 application, $310 Part 1, $280 each for Parts 2 and 3), so a dollar not spent on prep is a dollar off the real total, which the credential ROI map puts in context against the CPA, CMA, and the rest of the field.

What else is free, and what is not

Beyond the question bank, every CIA learning objective has a free written lesson, 62 in all, and each part has a glossary. Timed full-length mock exams (two per part at the real 125- and 100-question lengths), flashcards, and analytics are part of the paid Fellow tier. The complete banks for the other finance credentials FreeFellow covers (CPA, CFA, CMA, EA, FRM, actuarial, and more) are free at freefellow.org/free, with the same worked-solution treatment on every question.

"CIA" and "Certified Internal Auditor" are registered trademarks of The Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc. FreeFellow is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by The IIA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there free CIA practice questions?

Yes. FreeFellow has 75 free original CIA questions, 25 per part, each with a worked solution and per-choice notes, plus a 30-term glossary, with no signup required. The IIA also publishes a small set of official sample questions on its website.

How many practice questions do I need to pass the CIA exam?

Most successful candidates work several hundred per part alongside 40 to 60 study hours. But quality matters more than raw count: questions that explain why each wrong choice is wrong train the judgment the exam actually tests.

Is Gleim worth it for the CIA exam?

Gleim is the long-standing category leader, with the largest CIA test bank and full review courses at roughly $500 to $850 for three-part sets (2026 pricing). It is worth considering if you want video lectures and a structured course. If your gap is practice volume and explanations, start free and see how far that carries you.

Are these actual CIA exam questions?

No, and no legitimate provider offers actual exam questions. IIA exam content is confidential and protected; using real exam questions would violate the IIA's policies. Everything here is FreeFellow-original, written to the publicly published syllabus.

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Try 3 free CIA Part I questions

What good CIA practice looks like

The paid alternatives

What else is free, and what is not

Frequently Asked Questions

What Accounting & Tax candidates are saying

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