Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP) Practice Exam

In terms of required audit evidence, which statement is true across GAGAS, GAAS, IIA Standards, and INTOSAI?

1. All standards specifically require relevant evidence to be gathered.

2. All standards specifically require reliable evidence to be gathered.

3. All standards treat data from computer systems identically.

4. INTOSAI and the Standards specify that evidence should be useful.

The correct answer is: All standards specifically require reliable evidence to be gathered.

The focus on requiring reliable evidence across GAGAS (Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards), GAAS (Generally Accepted Auditing Standards), IIA Standards (Institute of Internal Auditors), and INTOSAI (International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions) underscores the importance of the credibility and dependability of the information obtained during an audit. Reliable evidence enhances the validity of the audit conclusion, thereby ensuring that the audit findings can withstand scrutiny and are of high quality. In these frameworks, reliability refers to the degree to which the evidence can be trusted to accurately represent what it purports to depict. Whether through direct testing, observations, or historical data, reliable evidence is essential to ensure that audit results are sound and defensible. While the other options may include components that are relevant to auditing practices, they do not reflect the encompassing requirement that all of these standards specifically emphasize: the need for evidence that can be deemed trustworthy and credible. For example, although evidence must indeed be relevant, relevance alone does not guarantee that it provides a true and fair representation; thus, reliable evidence is a more fundamental requirement across these standards.