Professional Scepticism Professional Scepticism and Judgement
It is “An attitude that includes a questioning mind, being alert to conditions which may indicate possible misstatement due to
error or fraud, and a critical assessment of audit evidence”
In other words, they must not simply believe everything management tells them
The exercise professional judgement in planning and performing an audit
The auditor will need to exercise professional judgement on both the quantity and the quality of evidence.
So he has to judge.. 1.
When is there sufficient evidence?
2.
What is the quality of this evidence
Factors to help with the judgement are... The seriousness of the risk
The materiality of the item
The strength of internal controls
The sampling method used (see later)
Fraud
An intentional act....involving the use of deception to obtain an unjust or illegal advantage