CIG Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CIG exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CIG Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CIG Topics to Study (37)
✍️ Sample CIG Questions & Answers
1. What is the MOST important principle of professional documentation in Certified Inspector General practice?
Accurate, objective, and timely documentation is the foundation of professional record-keeping.
2. Which control type reduces risk exposure?
Preventive controls are designed to stop errors, irregularities, or unauthorized actions from occurring in the first place. By implementing measures such as segregation of duties, access restrictions, or authorization procedures, they proactively reduce the likelihood of a risk event. This forward-looking approach is highly effective in minimizing an organization's exposure to potential harm before it materializes.
3. Which risk response strategy involves accepting the potential consequences of a risk without taking action to reduce it?
Risk acceptance means management consciously decides not to act on a risk, either because the cost of control exceeds the benefit or the risk falls within tolerance.
4. An IG finds that program managers are not documenting decisions because they fear audits. This behavior is an example of what compliance risk?
When fear of oversight causes employees to avoid documentation, it creates opacity and undermines accountability—a compliance risk tied to culture and control environment.
5. Which phase involves gathering evidence during an investigation?
The evidence collection phase is a critical stage in any investigation where investigators actively gather all relevant information, documents, physical evidence, and witness statements. This meticulous process ensures that the investigation is thorough, well-supported by facts, and provides a solid foundation for analysis and conclusions. Without robust evidence, findings lack credibility.
6. Under the Inspector General Act, when must an IG notify the agency head and Congress of a particularly serious problem?
Section 5(d) of the IG Act requires immediate written notification to the agency head and Congress of particularly serious or flagrant problems, abuses, or deficiencies.