How to get Success in ITIL Certification

ITIL stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library, a set of concepts and guidelines within the IT field that are used to develop operational procedures within the IT department of an organization. ITIL has several levels of accreditation that are available for study. The successful completion of an examination is recognized with an official certification and a lapel pin. The first level of ITIL is Foundation. The EXIN or ISEB ITIL Foundation Certification examination is comprised of 40 questions. These questions are multiple choice, with each question offering four potential answers. Only one of the answers is correct for each question, therefore a student should only mark one answer per question, as two or more marked answers yields a negative mark. A student must answer 26 questions correctly within a single hour to pass the exam. The professional certification is contingent on the timed exam, and many students enter this situation fearful and stressed. Use the following tips in this article to alleviate some of this concern.

If you take the exam, you have 60 minutes in which to answer 26 questions correctly. Given the total 40 questions, you have 1.5 minutes per question. This calculation breaks down to a steady rhythm, if applied. Give each question 90 seconds, and then move on. Within this rhythm, try and spot easy questions within a few seconds. Jump around, as order is not mandatory. Knock out easy ones early, and build confidence as you work on harder remaining questions. Quickly complete half of your 26 required correct answers this way, and possibly more.

Again, 26 is the threshold for passing. There are tough questions among the 40; it is an examination after all. Do not panic if you do not know the answers. Make an educated guess. If you did the easy ones first, you may have passed already. To make sure you only miss questions you really do not know, read each question carefully so you understand it. Stress speed-reading or skimming contributes to misinterpretation of the question. If the easy ones went fast early on, you have more than 90 seconds available for each of the more difficult questions.

If a thorough reading or two does not make the answer obvious, reread the question, and look for keywords in answers and the question text. Do any particular pieces of vocabulary leap out at you? Do not over think the questions. Also, remember that the Foundation exam is based on the book. Even if you have experience in implementation of ITIL or Service Management, it is the book contents that matter. The exam is probing your knowledge, not your resume. There are some telltale signs of hard questions. Any queries that have subjective words like "best," "closest" or "most" are examples. Any suggestion that several of the four options might be true is misleading, as only one is the correct option. Another red flag is if a question contains "no" in it. If you are unsure of the correct answer, remember the advantage of multiple choice, and eliminate the bad answers. If you can ascertain one or two incorrect answers, you leave yourself with a 50/50 chance of guessing the correct one. When guessing, your intuition has a higher success rate the first time around. Mark it and move on.

With luck, these tips are the keys you need to successfully pass the ITIL Foundation Course and get your pin. This advice is also useful for later exams. Just remember there is no substitute for studying and a good night's sleep. Good luck!

ITIL certification - How Do You Get ITIL Certified?

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library or ITIL is the most recognized method of information technology service management in the world. ITIL was developed in the 1980s by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency of the United Kingdom in an effort to standardize information technology management practices between public, private and government agencies. Utilizing a best practice approach allows ITIL to evolve to meet the constantly changing needs of its users. All exams for ITIL are given by certified examination institutes. These examination institutes are accredited by the APMG, a multinational management accreditation body. The following organizations are currently certified: Information Systems Examination Board, Cert-IT, CSME, DANSK IT, DF Certifiering AB, EXIN, Loyalist Certification Services, PEOPLECERT Group and TÜV SÜD Akademie.

The first level in ITIL certification is Foundation. The ITIL Foundation is separated into the areas of Service Support and Service Delivery. Each of these is further divided into six processes. Service Support consists of Service Desk, Incident Management, Problem Management, Configuration Management, Change Management and Release Management. Service Delivery is composed of Service Level Management, Availability Management, Capacity Management, Financial Management, IT Service Continuity Management and Security Management. Passing the ITIL Foundation qualification exam ensures that you possess an understanding of relevant terminology and information technology processes and is worth 1 1/2 credits. Accreditation in Foundation is a pre-requisite for more advanced levels of certification.

Intermediate qualification is the next step available in ITIL Certification. This stage is divided into Lifecycle modules and Capability modules. Candidates are free to choose either path. Continual Service Improvement, Service Design, Service Operation, Service Strategy and Service Transition comprise the Lifecycle Modules. Each of the Lifecycle modules are worth three credits. Operational Support and Analysis, Planning, Protection and Optimization, Release, Control and Validation and Service Offerings and Agreements make up the Capability modules. The Capability modules are worth four credits each. Both of these modules are completed with the Managing across the Lifecycle module. The Managing Across the Lifestyle module is worth five credits. Obtaining Intermediate ITIL certification allows you to pursue qualification as a ITIL Expert and, finally, as a ITIL Master.

ITIL Expert certification demonstrates a superior knowledge of ITIL. Before attempting the ITIL Expert exam, you must pass the Foundation exam, amass a total of 22 credits in ITIL Intermediate or lower qualifications, possess a working knowledge of the ITIL Service Lifecycle, and take the Managing Across the Lifecycle module. Achieving Expert certification and five years of work in information technology management or related fields opens the door to Master ITIL qualification.

The numerous online training courses for ITIL gives anyone the opportunity to pursue certification. Further your education at your own pace or in your own home, whenever you are free and without the transportation costs that attending a physical learning institute entail. Certification in ITIL provides a definite competitive advantage in today's uncertain job market. ITIL Training distinguishes you from other job applicants and makes your resume stand out. Certification also opens the door to opportunities for advancement that were previously unavailable.

Tips For Passing The ITIL Exam

Before we start off with the best practices and tips to passing ITIL, let's first understand what ITIL is and why would you need this certification. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library, also referred as IT service management, is the most widely used IT service management in the world. Millions of companies around the world have accepted this process to supervise their business and IT infrastructure more economically and successfully. It provides us a systematic and efficient approach to the management of IT service provision. Adopting its guidance can provide benefits like reduced costs, improved IT services through the use of proven best practice processes, and improved customer satisfaction.

ITIL Certification

The ITIL version 3 foundation level certification exam is an exam with multiple choices. It takes approximately 1 hour to complete. To pass the exam you need to answer 26 questions correctly out of 40 questions that is equivalent to a 65%. It's estimated that 95% of those prepared to take the test, pass. What makes it hard is that the 40 questions are selected from 5 different books.

So how do you pass the version 3 certification exam? My advice would be to ensure that you know which processes belongs to which topic, know which key activities make up each process. Know who is responsible to various activities in terms of process ownership. Also make sure you know the acronyms, terminologies to use in the processes, as well as the key phrases that may indicate which process the question is about. Understand the interrelationship between the processes, and know the benefits that can be realized from each process.

The majority of the questions are regarding the process itself. Only a few questions will ask about people, mainly on the service desk, and technology. Write initial answers on the actual exam question paper, and mark answers on the generic exam when you are finished. Make sure to mark the correct answers with a pencil. Be very careful when you erase your mark off an incorrect question.

When you take the exam, ignore everyone else in the room. Work at your own pace and ignore what anyone else is doing. Answer those questions first of which you're sure of the answer. Remember to transfer your questions from the question paper to the answer sheet, and don't worry if you don't know the answers. These tips and trick should be helpful to you in clearing the exam. Good luck!

Is ITIL Certification Necessary For A Career In IT Service?

ITIL is an abbreviation for the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, and these are certain codes of practice designed by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA). It is important in the IT industry to have certain benchmarks, regulations, and best practices, which is the main purpose behind the ITIL. Today, the CCTA has been changed to Office of Government Commerce, but the governance procedures are the same.

If you are thinking about starting a career in the IT industry, then ITIL certification is definitely a good option. There are three levels of this certification and in order to go higher up, you have to pass all the levels. The first level you have to pass is the Foundation Certificate, and this will be the stepping stone for you. If you fail this level, you will not be able to go on to the Intermediate Certification. In the second level, your knowledge about two main aspects is judged, which includes Service Capability and Service Lifecycle. These modules also have many sub topics, so this level can be a bit tough to pass. If you get a total of 22 credits from these levels, then you go to the final level, known as the Expert level.

ITIL was established to accomplish three main goals. The first is to improve IT services offered, the second is to reduce the cost of services, and third to fulfill demands and needs of customers. ITIL is used on a very large-scale, and it is managed by an independent organizations, and there are no foreign influences on the regulations and procedures. This is why this certification is held in such high regard, and is a good option for everyone in this industry.

ITIL Foundation Certification

ITIL is accredited by the Information Systems Examination Board or ISEB for short. If you are thinking about preparing for this exam, then this is the body that will help you throughout the whole process. ISEB aims to make the IT industry more lucrative, and help people find better and more jobs in this industry. This can only be done by making sure that people follow the standards put forward by the CCTA. Also, ITIL certification will help raise the service standards prevalent in the IT industry at the moment. If you are thinking to take this certification through another source, then check out EXIN. This is an independent examination organization which offers the ITIL certification.

ITIL - Understanding the Three Levels of ITIL Certification

ITIL has three levels of certification: Foundation, Practitioner and Manager. The Foundation Certificate is the entry-level certification, while the Manager Certificate is the highest level in ITIL accreditation. Here are the three certifications in greater detail:

ITIL Foundation Certification - ITIL Foundation

This is the first level of certification, and the first step that an individual must take to start a career in ITIL. It is intended for those individual's working in Information Technology Service Management. The foundation certificate allows people to understand and comprehend the terminology used in ITIL. It strengthens the individual's basic knowledge about the ITIL Service Support and Service Delivery. The ITIL Foundation consists of twelve main areas, and these areas are divided between the Service Delivery and Service Support. In addition to this, it also covers ITIL philosophy.

The Foundation Certificate proves that the individual understand the basics of ITIL, and this includes the concepts, terminology and the relationships between the processes of the ITIL framework. The individual will also learn how to reduce costs, and, at the same time, improve the quality of the service. The Foundation Certificate paves the way for the next certifications: Practitioner's Certificate and Manager's Certificate.
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Practitioner's Certificate - ITIL Practitioner

This course is targeted at those individuals who have a responsibility in one or more processes of ITSM. The Practitioner's Certificate acknowledges an individual's expertise in a specific discipline of the Service Support or Service Delivery sets of the ITIL. It also includes customer and organization communication. The ITIL Practitioner's Examination tests the individual's capability of designing an ITIL process and implementing the activities that are associated with it.

Practitioner's certificates are available in problem management, configuration management, financial management and capacity management. To apply for a Practitioner's Certificate, an individual needs to have a Foundation Certificate, and also two to three years of experience in managing the ITIL process.

Manager's Certificate - ITIL Service Management

This certification is targeted at experienced professionals. These individuals may be involved in management functions, like managers or consultants in ITSM. The Manager's Certificate is especially useful for those people who are part of the ITIL implementation. The course covers the tactical and operational processes of the ITIL, and teaches the students how to set up and implement the ITIL processes in businesses and organizations.

To apply for a Manager's Certificate, the individual needs to have a Foundation Certificate, as well as at least five years of management experience in the IT sector. There are a few courses which require that, the individual should have a Practitioner's Certification as well. This certification will provide the student with the information and skills to implement the processes of the ITIL, successfully.

For any company or organization, it is important to have the right people, with the right knowledge and skills, to make the organization more efficient. Currently, only people, and not companies, can achieve an ITIL certification. There are a few companies which claim to be ITIL-compliant; however, the OGC does not recognize such companies.