External auditors often rely on other professionals for the audit of the financial statements of
their clients. Generally, external auditors rely on clients’ internal auditors. Reliance on internal auditors
results in cost savings to the client. The objective of this study is to determine which of the criteria as
mentioned by AI 610 will be used by the external auditorstoevaluatethe work of theinternalauditors.
Respondents of the study consist of those from the big four and non-big four firms located in Kedah and
Penang. A one-quarter replicate of 28 Kempthorne’s design was used to determine the experimental
task.The findings of the study indicate that technical competence and scope of function are the twomost
important criteria that external auditors consider in their reliance on internal auditors. Malaysian
Institute of Accountants (MIA), being the standard setter of the auditing standards in Malaysia, will
have to develop precise and operational criteria for these factors in planning the audits. The study also
shows that there was consistency in audit judgement