The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors

The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (Chartered IIA) is the recognised professional body dedicated to internal auditing in the UK and Ireland. Founded in 1948 and granted a Royal Charter in 2010, it represents and supports a community of around 10,000 internal auditors through qualifications, training, standards and professional development.

The Chartered IIA delivers assessments that underpin key career pathways in the profession. These include professional qualifications such as the Foundations of Internal Auditing (FIA) exam, a digital multiple-choice assessment of 100 questions completed over two hours.

Alongside this, the Institute runs apprenticeship-linked assessments including the Internal Audit Practitioner Apprenticeship case study scenario exam. This assessment is regulated by Ofqual and therefore needs strong, evidenced controls around fairness, security, consistency and auditability.

As the Chartered IIA expanded both professional and apprenticeship routes, they needed an assessment partner that could do three things exceptionally well:

• Support regulated delivery that meets current Ofqual expectations and prepares them for future regulation
• Handle large, complex question banks with tight design rules and demanding timelines
• Provide a calm, well-supported candidate experience at scale without adding internal administrative burden

They chose TestReach not just as a secure exam platform but as a hands-on partner able to shape and deliver assessments to a high-stakes professional standard.

TestReach provided the Chartered IIA with a regulation-ready online assessment environment plus deep operational support from implementation through to delivery.

Supporting regulatory requirements and integrity

For the Internal Audit Practitioner Apprenticeship case study scenario exam, TestReach gives the Chartered IIA a secure and compliant way to deliver regulated assessments. The platform provides robust identity and session controls plus the audit trail regulators expect, ensuring the Institute can meet Ofqual requirements with confidence.

The benefits also extend to professional assessments. The FIA exam is expected to become regulated next year, and the Institute sees value in already running on a platform designed to support that requirement smoothly.

In addition, reasonable adjustments are easy to manage on TestReach, allowing the Chartered IIA apply extra time or other accommodations without complexity, which supports fairness and compliance in practice.

Going above and beyond for complex question banks

A defining element of the partnership has been TestReach’s support in building and structuring the Chartered IIA’s question banks. The FIA MCQ exam required a substantial setup effort with a large volume of questions to be uploaded, mapped across five syllabus sections and assigned difficulty weightings so that each exam draw maintains the Chartered IIA’s blueprint.

TestReach’s team worked side by side with the Chartered IIA on this task, jumping on calls, iterating quickly and staying aligned to a tight timeline. The full bank was uploaded and operational within three months, with TestReach doing significant legwork to understand the assessment goals before finalising configuration.

Flexible delivery for professional and apprenticeship exams

The Chartered IIA runs both professional and apprenticeship assessments on TestReach. The platform supports auto-scored exams like FIA as well as case-study based formats with free-text responses and different types of exam resources.

TestReach provided the Chartered IIA with a regulation-ready online assessment environment plus deep operational support from implementation through to delivery.

Reliable regulated delivery and future readiness

The Chartered IIA now delivers its Ofqual-regulated apprenticeship exam on a platform designed to meet regulatory expectations. The team also feels prepared for the FIA exam’s move into regulated status, knowing the delivery model is already aligned with strong integrity standards.

Smooth candidate experience and quiet exam days

Since moving to TestReach, Keith Jenner, Deputy Head of Education and Development at the Chartered IIA, reports that the candidate experience is excellent: “We recognise that things are working when exam days are quiet. With calm, well-managed sessions and no complaints, we know our candidates are being properly supported.”

That stability has also given the Institute long-term confidence in remote proctoring. They have no intention of returning to face-to-face exams because the integrity and experience of online delivery has been so positive.

Lower administrative burden for the Institute

Operationally, the partnership saves the Chartered IIA time. TestReach’s responsiveness and practical problem solving mean the Institute does not spend time “faffing around” with candidate issues or chasing answers. They can focus on improving their programmes rather than answering calls from candidates.

What The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors says about TestReach

Keith highlighted TestReach’s people and support as key strengths:

“We receive excellent service from the project management and exam set-up teams. They are happy to jump on calls, and they work with us to tight timelines. We are supported every step of the way.”

“I really appreciate being able to reach out to the TestReach team if I have a query and I am always confident someone will respond quickly, with a good solution.”

“I would highly recommend working with TestReach. Exam delivery is secure and efficient, the service candidates receive is very good and I have complete confidence in the project management team who give responsive and considered support. I am not at all surprised to hear that TestReach recently won a Best Customer Centric Culture award – as I experience that culture daily through my regular collaboration with the team.”

Looking ahead

With apprenticeship standards continuing to evolve and FIA moving toward regulation, the Chartered IIA needs a future-proof partner. TestReach’s secure platform, accessible assessment design and responsive service, position the Institute to grow confidently while protecting standards and candidate trust. As Keith advised other organisations considering TestReach: “Think about what you want and your priorities, then TestReach will help you get there.”