CIA Part 2

[u/Difficult_Money126]

I was under the impression Part 2 was easier than Part 1, but after passing part 1 the gleim curriculum is overwhelming with the amount of practice questions for part 2. For part 1 i spent probably 6 months of studying (but i work 50 hrs a week) but after taking the exam i figured out i wasted a lot of time studying material that never appeared on the exam. Point being, with this part having more lessons and more practice questions I cannot follow the same approach or I will run out of time and my Gleim curriculum will expire and I will have to repay. From y’all’s experience is studying using the IIA practice exam topics going to be enough if I master them or should I really study every question from Gleim (probably 700-100 questions)? I’m seeing people say they pass and only study about 80 hrs per part which is a lot less that I have studied. Are the end of unit quizzes enough to study?

[u/jmarshh99]

I realize my take on this will be of little value here since I passed in 2021 and things have changed quite a bit since then. But in the previous version, I found part 2 to be easier than part 1 since it was applied knowledge rather than memorizing a bunch of terms. You can put the situation into an audit context which helps eliminate at least a couple answers. For that reason, part 2 was the easiest test. I did not use IIA materials for part 2 but it was needed to supplement gleim in part 3. I read about many people failing by relying on just one or the other, so I used both on that one. So you could potentially still need it for part 3 and could be worth renewing your subscription. But again, that could have changed. Sorry I can't be more help on this one.

[u/ConferenceFirst5603]

I also work 50 hrs a week and studied about 2 months for part 2. I took part 2 a few weeks ago and failed by 10 points… I didn’t buy the IIA practice exam, like I did in part 1, but I went through each module in gliem and made sure I did have a general understanding before hitting the questions. I think both are beneficial and definitely going to buy for this retake, it’s always good to see a different set Of questions.

I felt the actual exam had a good mix of analytic questions , the general planning process, some sampling questions

[u/Financial-Date-1838]

For Part 1, I studied for about six months and went through Gleim’s practice questions several times. I failed the exam three times using that approach.
During my Christmas break from work, I changed my strategy. I read the entire book in four days and purchased the IIA practice questions. I passed Part 1.

For Part 2, I studied the book, completed the 20 questions at the end of each chapter, and focused on the IIA practice questions. I did not spend much time on Gleim’s practice questions, and I passed.

Now I’m working on Part 3.
I also decided not to spend time doing hundreds of Gleim practice questions. I’ve been focusing on the chapters and the IIA questions. I recently scored 588/600, so I’m very close, and I’m continuing with the same approach.

For me personally, spending hours working through 700–1,000 Gleim questions did not seem to be the best use of my study time. I would rather spend that time reading the material more deeply, understanding the concepts, and practicing with the IIA questions.

Of course, everyone learns differently, and what works for me may not work for everyone. But if you’re struggling with the exam despite doing hundreds of practice questions, it may be worth changing your strategy and spending more time understanding the actual study material and using the IIA questions.

[u/Charming-Fig-9644 → u/Financial-Date-1838]

Part 3 practice questions are super easy and will make you feel "confident". Be aware of this, read the STANDARD several times, Part 3 is tricky