Eligibility Requirements
By applying to become a Certified Financial Services Auditor^® (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 Certification Department. 

Requirements
A CFSA candidate must meet the following eligibility requirements: 

Education: A CFSA candidate must have a bachelor's (four-year) degree or educational equivalent. Two years of post-secondary schooling with an accredited organization plus three years of financial services experience may be substituted for a bachelor's degree. For further details, please see page 21 of the Certifications Candidate Handbook.

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 or the candidate's supervisor.

Character Reference Form (PDF 88kb)

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 (PDF 99kb)

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. Candidates enrolled in the certification program, as of the effective policy date, will have four years from their last exam date.

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 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. For details, refer to CFSA Continuing Professional Education. 

IIA Membership

In most cases, you do not have to be a member of The IIA to take the CFSA exam, 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. Therefore, please contact your local office to verify this requirement.

IIA members receive discounts on CFSA review materials and courses and have quick access to the latest information to help them with the exam, networking opportunities, and a reliable resource for current CFSA news and information. In addition, Continuing Professional Education (CPE) reporting for CFSAs who are IIA members is free.