<![CDATA[This study examines whether auditor Experience mediates the relationship between Competence and Professional Skepticism, while considering Conscientiousness as an auditor dispositional characteristic. Survey data were obtained from 80 auditors working at public accounting firms in Indonesia who had at least one year of audit experience and were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The final measurement model retained three Experience indicators after two indicators that were conceptually closer to continuing professional development were excluded. The results show that Conscientiousness is positively associated with Professional Skepticism (β=0.438; p=0.012), while Competence is positively associated with Experience (β=0.920; p<0.001). Competence and Experience do not show significant direct relationships with Professional Skepticism. The specific indirect effects also provide no evidence that Experience mediates the relationships of either Conscientiousness or Competence with Professional Skepticism. These findings indicate that professional capability and accumulated audit exposure do not automatically translate into a skeptical mindset; dispositional characteristics remain relevant in explaining Professional Skepticism. The findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the high empirical overlap between Competence and Experience.]]>
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