Het CIA examen bestaat uit de vier “Parts” die verder als volgt kunnen worden onderverdeeld. Ieder deel omvat 125 multiple-choice vragen. De toegestane tijd per deel is 3½ uur. Het examen wordt in de Engelse taal afgenomen.

1. Global analytical techniques
          a.     Structural analysis of industries
          b.     Competitive strategies (e.g., Porter's model)
          c.     Competitive analysis
          d.     Market signals
          e.     Industry evolution
2. Industry environments
          a.     Competitive strategies related to:
                  1)         Fragmented industries
                  2)         Emerging industries
                  3)         Declining industries
          b.      Competition in global industries
                  1)         Sources/impediments
                  2)         Evolution of global markets
                  3)         Strategic alternatives
                  4)         Trends affecting competition
3. Strategic decisions
           a.   Analysis of integration strategies
           b.   Capacity expansion
           c.   Entry into new businesses
4. Portfolio techniques of competitive analysis
5. Product life cycles

B.  Global Business Environments (15-25%)

1. Cultural/legal/political environments
            a.   Balancing global requirements and local imperatives      
            b.   Global mindsets (personal characteristics/competencies)   
            c.   Sources & methods for managing complexities and contradictions
            d.   Managing multicultural teams
2. Economic/financial environments
            a.   Global, multinational, international, and multilocal compared and contrasted
            b.   Requirements for entering the global market place
            c.   Creating organizational adaptability
            d.   Managing training and development

C. Organizational Behavior (20-30%)

1. Motivation
           a.   Relevance and implication of various theories
           b.   Impact of job design, rewards, work schedules, etc. 
2. Communication
           a.   The process
           b.   Organizational dynamics
           c.   Impact of computerization
3. Performance
           a.   Productivity
           b.   Effectiveness
4. Structure
           a.   Centralized/decentralized
           b.   Departmentalization
           c.   New configurations (e.g., hourglass, cluster, network)

D. Management Skills (20-30%)

1. Group dynamics
            a.    Traits (cohesiveness, roles, norms, groupthink, etc.)
            b.    Stages of group development
            c.    Organizational politics
            d.    Criteria and determinants of effectiveness
2. Team building
            a.    Methods used in team building
            b.    Assessing team performance
3. Leadership skills
            a.   Theories compared/contrasted
            b.   Leadership grid (topology of leadership styles)
            c.   Mentoring
4. Personal time management

E. Negotiating (5-15%)

1. Conflict resolution
           a.   Competitive/cooperative
           b.   Compromise, forcing, smoothing, etc.
2. Added-value negotiating
           a.   Description
           b.   Specific steps