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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 all three disciplines — banking, insurance, and securities.
  • 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The CFSA exam is a non-disclosed examination, which means that current exam questions and answers will not be published or divulged.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:

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)

Sample CFSA Exam Questions

The IIA provides a limited number of sample CFSA exam questions (with answers) to give candidates an understanding of the types of questions that typically appear on the CFSA exam.