The 5 Most Common Auditing Techniques In 2024 Simply Explained

Auditing can often be hard to prepare for. It can also be costly for organizations, even with planned precautions. However, one can maximize their chances of success by switching perspectives and understanding how auditors evaluate situations—read on to find out everything about the five most common auditing techniques in 2024.

Introduction To Auditing Techniques

The five main testing techniques auditors employ to validate the information and conclusions a company seeks to get during an audit are all explained in this article.

The below auditing techniques focus on various activities, including asking in-depth questions, looking through the documentation, and redoing computations.

Each testing technique aids the auditor in forming a data-driven judgment. Additionally, it gives the auditor the information required to draw conclusions about the business's efficiency and risk management.

5 Top Test Auditing Techniques

1. Inquiry Auditing Technique

A simple testing technique called inquiry uses interview-style questions with the point of contact for some controls.

It is thought of as a weaker kind of evidence since the accuracy and sincerity of the interviewee determine the quality of the information obtained via inquiry.

Using the inquiry approach, auditors inquire about managers, accountants, and any other essential personnel to assist in obtaining some pertinent information.

To ensure that the firm is taking every precaution to minimize risk, the auditor may inquire about business procedures and the proper documentation of financial transactions. Asking the business owner about the location of the organization's financial and data security documents is one example of a frequent request.

Since this approach is frequently used in conjunction with other, more trustworthy methods, the auditor considers the replies when establishing further testing criteria but does not accept the answers as confirmation on their own.

2. Observation Auditing Technique

An additional straightforward, elementary, and efficient testing technique comprises an auditor observing activities, processes, and environmental factors.

When a control's operation is not documented, this testing technique is most frequently employed. Traditionally, a SOC (System and Organization Controls) audit's evidence-gathering phase has included on-site observation. An audited organization's management, for instance, can claim that certain identified records have been stored correctly in a locked drawer.

The auditor will next witness a worker open the designated drawer while doing routine daily tasks and remove the records to confirm that the required records have been safely kept in locked cabinets.

Checking the thermostat in the equipment room allows observation, even from a distance, to confirm if a corporation has an air conditioning system capable of cooling its servers. Alternatively, we may check that criteria are satisfied by looking at how IT systems are configured.

Read more about International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

3. Inspection Or Examination Of The Evidence Auditing Technique

With the use of this testing technique, auditors may ascertain if manual controls are regularly carried out and accurately recorded.

Inspection can be used to assess specific characteristics of policies and processes as well as to confirm the use of control measures. An auditor could verify, for instance, that data categorization procedures are in place or that backups are scheduled to run on a regular basis.

In these situations, the auditor can do an examination to confirm that the control has been created and is functioning correctly. They will verify that the paperwork is being completed accurately. Examining written documentation and records, such as visitor logs, staff manuals, and system databases, is also included in the process of examining evidence.

4. Re-Performance Auditing Technique

When investigation, observation, physical examination, and inspection are unable to offer the necessary assurance that control is functioning correctly, re-performance is utilized.

Additionally, it is the technique that is applied in the field the least. Re-performing entails the auditor executing the questioned control manually, such as repeating an automated computation.

The auditor can use work that an internal auditor completed and documented in work papers, reducing the amount of work that needs to be retested.

The re-performance approach is useful for reducing the effort of auditors and assessing the efficacy of automated controls. It is the most effective method of testing to show how well a control operates.

5. CAAT (Computer Assisted Audit Technique)

Large data sets or a sample of assembled data are frequently analyzed using the CAAT testing method.

CAAT testing uses specialized software to run a script across a ledger, spreadsheet, or whole database in order to find patterns, anomalies, and perhaps fraudulent entries.

The Conclusion

Auditing is a complex and sensitive topic, but by knowing the most common auditing techniques, one can not only better prepare for a potential examination, but can also understand the underlying reasons behind the procedure.