How to prepare and pass the ITIL 4 Foundation exam

ITIL (pronounced “itil”, English. IT Infrastructure Library - library of information technology infrastructure) - a library that describes the best of the practical methods of organizing the work of departments or companies involved in the provision of information technology services. Source: Wikipedia .



At the beginning of this year, AXELOS released the 4th update of the ITIL library. As the head of the support service, I was wondering what exactly has changed there compared to version 3 and how these changes can be applied in practice. My interest led me to the fact that I decided to consolidate my knowledge and skills in managing IT with a confirmation certificate.



This article is about how to successfully prepare for the ITIL 4 Foundation exam. There is little information on this topic on the Russian-speaking Internet, so I share my personal experience with the community. This article is for those who plan to get a certificate and do not know where to start.

- The exam is always a holiday for me, professor!

- [wipes a tear] Commendable ...

Operation Y and Shurik's other adventures

What materials are needed for preparation?

1. The official paper edition of the ITIL ^® Foundation ITIL 4 Edition by AXELOS.
2. Accredited ITIL Management Basics Training Course on ITIL 4.
3. A free exam example from the AXELOS website.
4. The official phone application for the Official ITIL 4 Foundation App from AXELOS.
5. AXELOS ITIL 4 Foundation Curriculum
6. Tests on Udemy.

What budget is needed to prepare for the exam?

* Prices are based on the dollar and euro at the time of purchase.

** This is not an advertising article, there will be no specific links to a training course or center. But you can independently find a good course in an accredited training center.

*** The final price could still include the cost of living in Moscow during the course and tickets for the Vladivostok-Moscow-Vladivostok plane, but these are already my problems my unique case.

How to prepare for the exam?

Timeline of preparation:

1. At the end of May (05/27/2019 - 05/29/2019) I took a full-time training course on the basics of IT services management for ITIL 4 in Russian. I already took a similar course in 2017, but on ITIL v3 and to prepare for the ITIL v3 Foundation exam. Such courses are very well tuned for preparing for exams, and the courses also have a “live” teacher who can be asked questions that are not answered in books.
2. Since mid-June, I began to leaf through the book ITIL ^® Foundation ITIL 4 Edition, I was even able to read and understand the first two chapters. But just reading methodological literature was boring and inconclusive, although the book has a semblance of a plot about a rental car company that uses a service approach. In any case, the material was not remembered and the reading had to be supported by practice - passing tests.
3. Since June 18, I began to take tests on Udemy. These were the author’s tests, there will be no such questions in a real exam, but the search for the correct answers in the book coolly pumped my knowledge. I passed the tests 28 times using different algorithms: using the book and searching for explanations and answers in it and without using the book and then analyzing the theory in the book. Out of 28 times, I failed tests 15 times, because according to the Udemy rules, it was necessary to answer 80% of all test questions, when in the real exam the passing bar was 65%.
4. In early July, I carefully studied the official ITIL 4 Foundation curriculum and I wanted to supplement it with definitions, key points and explanations, and at the same time pump my knowledge. As a result, I managed to put together my own 15-page curriculum, which in structure was no different from the official one, but was filled with information and links to specific pages of the ITIL ^® Foundation ITIL 4 Edition book.
5. On July 19th, I bought an PeopleCert exam voucher and chose August 3th to take the exam. Then, due to the high workload at work, I had to postpone the date to August 24. An exam can be rescheduled for free if you do so more than 48 hours before the exam.
6. At the end of July, I tried to pass a free exam example from the AXELOS website and was surprised at the wording of the questions. Most of the styling and building questions had nothing to do with the questions I had before at Udemy.
7. In mid-August, curiosity got the better of it and I bought the official phone app Official ITIL 4 Foundation App and then trained only in it, sometimes peeping into a book. The application helps a lot with preparation, as the style of the questions is very similar to those that will be on the real exam (as it turned out after passing the exam). In total, the appendix contains 173 questions with explanations of the answers. At the same time, you can train in different modes: by topic and mixed. I passed the mixed test 16 times and never failed it.
8. On August 24, I successfully passed the exam, answering correctly 85% of the questions, making 6 errors (in total 14 errors can be made). At the same time, I made 3 errors due to the fact that I could not correctly translate and understand the meaning of all the answer options.

How long did the preparation take?

I prepared for delivery within 42 days (excluding a three-day course in May) from June 14 to August 24. I spent a maximum of 1 hour per day on preparation, i.e. In total, approximately 42 hours were spent. Based on my experience, this is a lot and is related to my current level of English, most of the time was spent translating and understanding the material in English. For example, for the ITIL 3 Foundation exam, which I passed in Russian, I prepared in just 7 evenings.

How is registration and passing the exam?

1. We register on the website PeopleCert .
2. Fill out your profile (name, address, passport details, previous certificates
   
   etc.).
3. Choosing ITIL 4 Foundation Certification.
4. Choose the language, date and exact time for the exam.
5. We pay for the exam.
6. An hour before the exam we set up specialized software, check the webcam (it should rotate 360 ​​degrees, I used a laptop and twisted it in the air), a microphone and sound, a network.
7. We prepare the room an hour before the exam (the table should be empty, there should not be anyone else in the room, it should be quiet in the room).
8. 10 minutes before the exam, we transfer the mobile phone to silent mode so that the examiner can contact you if the connection breaks.
9. 10 minutes before the exam we launch specialized software.
10. We greet the examiner and show him the identity document, room and table.
11. We pass the exam.
12. We say goodbye to the examiner and remove specialized software.

At the same time, on the day of purchase and the day before the exam, they will send you a reminder and step-by-step detailed instructions on what needs to be done and prepared.

What features does the exam have?

1. The exam is taken remotely online. If you wish, you can take an exam from the testing center. I rented out of the house. This has its pros and cons. From the pros: no need to go anywhere. Of the minuses: you take all the risks associated with a network break.
2. The examiner can speak with a strong accent. For example, I came across an Indian and I hardly understood him.
3. The wording of the questions is relatively complex, in none of the preparatory tests did I come across such questions that were on the real exam, with the exception of questions on terminology. Also in the formulations synonyms are used. For example, the book says "... reduce incidents ...", and on the exam, "... decrease interruptions ...". Therefore, without knowledge of the English language it will be hard. AXELOS does not plan to translate the book and exam into Russian. On this occasion, there is even a petition that 775 people have already signed. Perhaps someday ITIL 4 will be available in Russian.
4. Part of the exam questions is not about key features or definitions that are highlighted in bold text or a bright highlighter in the book, but about what is written deep in the paragraphs. Therefore, when preparing, it is important to read and disassemble the chapters completely.
5. The exam has 40 questions and is given 1 hour and 15 minutes for delivery. This is more than enough. In practice, passing an exam does not take more than 30 minutes.
6. A few days after the exam they send you a link to an electronic certificate (in my case, 3 days later), if you wish, you can order a printed copy.

Conclusions and Conclusions

• If you know English well, then you can prepare for the exam in 1 week.
• For preparation on their own, only an official book and application will be enough.
• Preparing for certification helps you understand the nature of IT service management and reinforces your understanding of the service approach in IT management.