How to Prepare for ITIL Foundation Certification

The ITIL- Information Technology Infrastructure Library can be defined as a set of guidelines used for IT service management. This is used to align various IT services with business requirements well. The ITIL Foundation certification managed by the UK OGC and AXELOS- is a globally acknowledged basic qualification in ITSM.

Those seeking a career in IT services management often opt for the ITIL foundation certification. The foundation certificate in ITIL introduces you to the core concepts, terminology and key elements used in the service lifecycle of ITIL. This ITIL certification helps you in:

• Getting good and basic understanding of ITIL framework
• Understanding the ways ITIL can be deployed  to augment IT service management
• Understanding ITIL principles for deployment in organizational level.

Before you start preparing for the ITIL Foundation Exam, it is prudent that you learn about the exam format.  There are 40 multiple choice type questions in this exam. You need to obtain at least sixty percent to clear the exam. The exam duration is 60 minutes. This is a close book type exam and can be taken online. An exam proctor will guide you through the procedure.

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Tips you can use to Prepare for the ITIL Foundation Exam:

Nothing can substitute consistent practice

Every year, thousands of IT aspirants sit for the ITIL certification and without consistent practice you will not be able to boost your chances to succeed. While practicing the tests, you should use a clock or timer to ensure that your skills sharpenes to the required level. A section of candidates sitting for the exam usually falters at time limit.

You should set a schedule for practicing for ITIL foundation exam- to boost chances to succeed. Set some hours every day for the practice sessions. This will be better than absorbing yourself 24×7 in preparing a week before the exam.

Learning capability and modules

ITIL course is comprised of various lifecycle and capability modules. The advanced level courses delve deeper into these modules. However, you have to get a proper understanding while preparing for the foundation exam. From the commonly used jargons to abbreviations, ensure you understand the basics right.

Remembering the keywords and using them properly

To clear the ITIL Foundation exam, it will be necessary for you to get the keywords right and memorize them. The keywords are the terms widely used in the ITIL framework. Examples include terms like service design, service strategy, operational level agreements etc. These keywords are often used in conjunction with other terms. For instance, ‘service strategy’ is linked to ‘customer value’ and ‘continual service improvement’ is linked with ‘maintenance’. Once you understand these keywords and their relevance and correlation with one another- finding right answers will not be tedious at the exam.

Remember that when you learn the basic of ITIL, you will have to learn and understand a whole new vocabulary. Apart from understanding the meaning of keywords- using them in right context will be of paramount importance.

Relaxation is the key to success

Just is the case with other hardcore competitive exams, candidates appearing for the ITIL Foundation exam need to keep their mind calm and relaxed. There is no fixed formula to calm your mind but you can try listening to light music and doing meditation. Some candidates find resorting to hobbies like painting and reading helpful. Try to understand the fact that undergoing extreme level of stress is not going to do you any good before taking the exam. You also need to ensure that you get enough sleep during the week before the exam.

Undergoing mock exam sessions is helpful

Those who crack the ITIL foundation exam at first attempt usually practice the mock exam session or sample papers really well. Solving such sample papers will definitely make you better prepared to cope with the real exam. Solving such sample papers will also boost your confidence level.

The thing is you will find many online resources to prepare for the ITIL foundation exam. There are some free online resources which may or may not be of much use to you. Ensure the resources you find online- are not based on an outdated version of ITIL. You can also find a number of books and e-books in the market for preparing for this exam.

There are some agencies that offer online training courses for this exam. You can check out some such training modules and then pick one accordingly. There are a few Accredited Training Organizations that offer sample questions along with ITIL Foundation courses. There are regular training classes imparted by such agencies as well. However, if you are already working in a company, using online courses for preparation would be prudent for you.

Reading the questions is of paramount importance

It is very important that you read the questions in the exam espaecially, when you have to keep the time limit in mind- it is also necessary to read each of the questions carefully. In some of the cases, candidates skip out some terms in questionnaires. Sometimes, you have to face tricky questions too. At times, you may skip a single word in a question which may lead to a wrong answer. You get 60 minutes to answer 40 questions and so re-reading each question is not difficult. This will reduce the scope for making careless mistakes. Basically, you have 1.5 minutes for answering every question in the exam and you should be careful about it.

Keeping your cool when answering the questions

It’s not mandatory that you have to answer all the questions in the ITIL foundation exam. If you come across a question that seems downright tough or tricky, do not lose your cool or start panicking! If you find it tough to pick the right option for it, remind yourself there are many more question in the entire set. This will give you the strength to finish the entire set without getting nervous.

Thinking from the ITIL perspective while answering

A lot of candidates sitting for the ITIL foundation exam make the error of thinking from their personal point of views while answering the questions. The exam requires answers to be given keeping in mind the concepts taught. It may be natural to feel the urge to choose answers based on your real life experience or workplace knowledge. However, to succeed in the exam, always answer the questions considering the ITIL framework perspective.

Where it all leads to?

While the ITIL foundation exam is highly competitive in nature, with proper planning and preparation you can improve your prospects of clearing it without much hassle. You will have to gather the useful and apt resources, both online and otherwise. Next, you will have to make a plan for scheduling and preparation of the exam. Taking the mock exams and online training course prove to be quite helpful. Keeping your cool during the exam and staying relaxed before taking the exam is also very important for success. Reading the question with care and analyzing it with logic will be pivotal for your success in this exam.

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