Your ITIL Foundation exam will be a challenge, even if you are familiar with the ITIL course material, and have studied hard. So if you are unfamiliar with the material and the ITIL syllabus, then you need to take the time to revise. This is not a tip, this is a necessity – you simply won’t pass if you try to ‘wing’ it!
You will have to answer 40 multiple choices questions, and each question has 4 possible answers. One mark is given for a correct answer. Marks are not taken off for an incorrect answer. You’ll have an hour to complete the ITIL Foundation exam and you need to score at least 26 out of 40 to become ITIL certified.
So assuming you are well prepared for your ITIL exam, and understand the requirements to pass, then you have a good chance of success. However, the ITIL examiners don’t make it plain sailing on the actual ITIL Foundation exam.
This means that although straightforward in concept, the ITIL foundation can be a slightly tricky exam to pass, because some of the questions have very similar answers, but only one is correct. Also the terminology and structure of the questions can be a little confusing, if you don’t read the question. So number one tip to get you through your ITL exam:
1. Read the question thoroughly.
You have a full hour to answer the 40 ITIL Foundation questions. So that’s 1.5 minutes per question. This should give you time to read the question properly without rushing to answer the questions. I can’t emphasize how important this is, and although common sense in any exam, it’s especially applicable to this ITIL exam. And so tip number 2 is:
2. Take your time, and don’t panic!
You’re going to be a bit anxious at the start of the exam – we all are. So build up your confidence by going through the paper and answering the easier questions, (ensure you follow tip 1 above though!). By attempt the easy questions first, you will naturally relax and build confidence, which will boost your performance and focus during the exam. Remember that although there are always a few tricky questions within the ITIL Foundation examination (see tip 5), you can still pass even if you get these tricky ones wrong! So top ITIL exam tip number 3 is:
3. Do the easy questions first.
ITIL is awash with terminology, that is very specific and defined. Looking for ITIL terminology or keywords in the question, can often lead you to the right answer, as that keyword or the definition of the ITIL term is often actually detailed in the correct answer. So tip number 4 is:
4. Ensure you are familiar with basic ITIL Foundation terminology and definitions
The ITIL exam questions are often cloaked in terms such as “best”, “most closely” and so on. For example, questions often start with this kind of wording – “What ITIL process best matches…” or “Which is the best ITIL method…?”. So be careful with this type of ITIL exam question, as it may mean there is more than one obvious answer, but the one that is ‘most right’ is the one the examiner is looking for!
Also ITIL Foundation exam often uses the word ‘not’ in the question. It’s very easy to ignore this little word in exam conditions, and give the completely wrong answer! So tip number 5 is:
5 Watch out for ‘trick’ questions or convoluted wording (Tip number 1 applies!)
Well the above tip got me through my ITIL Foundation exam with flying colors, and were passed onto me by my ITIL course tutor. I hope by following them, that you have similar success.