All ITIL Foundation Aspirants Need to Know About the Exam

Introduction: The ITIL® 4 Foundation Certification is the entry level certification of the ITIL® qualification scheme. It aims at certifying that the holder of certificate has gained knowledge of the terminology, structure and basic concepts of the ITIL® framework and has an understanding of the core principles of ITIL® service management. One can get training and exam online through accredited education for the ITIL® Foundation Exam.

What is ITIL®?

ITIL® stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library, it is a collection of best practice in IT service management. The core component of ITIL® consists of five books featuring service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation and continual service improvement. The ITIL® forms the framework for IT governance within the organizations.

ITIL® has been widely adopted by the public and private sectors around the world, reaping benefits of improved quality, cost saving and better governance.

Why getting ITIL® Foundation Certification?

(Note: ITIL® 4 Foundation Certification is the most current version of the exam.)

• You are working in a company practicing ITIL® IT Service Management methodology
• You want to apply for jobs to companies practicing ITIL®
• You want to have an understanding of ITIL®
• You want to earn PDU for your PMP Certification renewal
• You want to advance in your career in IT
• You want to become a know-it-all IT developer (that’s me, I want to know all the best practices in IT so that I can apply these in my work)

About ITIL® Foundation Examination

• No training or work experience required – anyone wishing to get the ITIL® foundation certificate can apply to sit for the exam with self-study, however, most of the exam vouchers for ITIL® foundation must be purchased in a bundle with exam prep materials
• A must for people intending to get ITIL® Intermediate Certification or above
• Is a close book examination
• Can be taken online (in a proctored environment) or in paper
• Answer 40 multiple choice questions (only 1 correct answer) within an hour (if your mother tongue is not English, you will get an extra 15 minutes) – according to most ITIL® foundation exam takers, an hour is way more than enough
• The passing mark is 65% (i.e. 26 correct answers out of 40)

ITIL® Foundation Examination Syllabus

(the exam syllabus for the latest ITIL® v4 Foundation Exam will be updated once annouced)

Candidates will be tested on the following components of the ITIL® framework. Important topics appear in bold. (The words in the brackets indicate the depth of the of the knowledge required for that component, comprehension means a high level understanding of what it is and how it works while awareness means knowing its existence and functions.)

• Service management as a practice (comprehension)
• The ITIL® service lifecycle (comprehension)
• Generic concepts and definitions (awareness)
• Key principles and models (comprehension)
• Selected processes (awareness)
• Selected functions (awareness)
• Selected roles (awareness)
• Technology and architecture (awareness)
• Competence and training (awareness)

For the ITIL® service lifecycle, there are 5 stages and a total of 26 process and 4 functions.

Sample ITIL® Foundation Examination

ITIL® website has released a sample paper for the ITIL® 4 Foundation Examination which can be used as practice questions to assess your level of understanding of the subject matters.

Applying for and Taking the ITIL® Foundation Examination

The ITIL® website is not responsible for taking care of the application and administration for the ITIL® examination. The owner of the ITIL® has delegated the examination administration to Accredited Training Organizations (ATO) or one of the Examination Institutes. Candidates for the ITIL® 4 Foundation Certification would need to contact the ATO or Examination Institutes by themselves and arrange for the examination.

There are some online training institutes providing training and examination packages for the ITIL® Foundation Certification in which candidates can take proctored ITIL® examination right in their home.

I have documented my ITIL® 4 Foundation Certification journey in details, including the study notes, in the hope of helping other ITIL® Foundation aspirants.

Cost of ITIL® Foundation Examination

Unlike most other popular certification examination, there is no official cost for the ITIL® Foundation examination as ITIL® has left the examination administration to the ATO or Examination Institutes. According to my searches through the internet, it seems that the exam fee is around US$250 at the time of writing. This fee will be adjusted annually (means increase every year). It is advisable to take the ITIL® Foundation exam as early as possible once you are ready as the certification qualification never expires.