ITIL 4 Foundation
PeopleCert/Axelos
Complete guide to passing the ITIL 4 Foundation exam on your first attempt.
$363
~80%
Lifetime
Global
PeopleCert/Axelos
$70k-$110k
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Complete Overview
ITIL 4 Foundation is the entry-level certification in the ITIL framework for IT service management, awarded by PeopleCert, which owns ITIL following its acquisition of AXELOS. It is taken by service desk staff, incident and change managers, system administrators, developers moving into operations roles and consultants who need a shared vocabulary for service delivery, and PeopleCert sells it on its own site as a self-study Exam bundle at US$690 including VAT, an eLearning package at US$1,029, or an eLearning+ package at US$1,338 that adds an Official Mock Exam and a free exam re-take. Accredited Training Organizations sell the same exam at their own prices, and PeopleCert's own guidance is to compare providers before buying.
The exam is 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, closed book, with a pass mark of 65 percent, which means 26 correct answers. If you sit the exam in a language other than your native language, PeopleCert grants 25 percent extra time, taking the sitting to 75 minutes. The exam is available in twelve languages: English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese for Brazil, Spanish and Thai. You can take it under PeopleCert Online Proctoring from home or an office, or at an accredited exam centre. There are no prerequisites, and PeopleCert has not mandated training for Foundation level, so self-study is a legitimate route. Every higher ITIL module requires accredited training or official eLearning.
ITIL 4 Foundation covers the service value system, the seven guiding principles, the four dimensions of service management, the six service value chain activities and a subset of the 34 ITIL management practices. Fifteen practices are examined at the level of purpose and key terms, and seven of those are examined in more depth. The official exam specification splits the 40 questions across two levels of Bloom's revised taxonomy: 9 questions at Level 1, which is recall, and 31 questions at Level 2, which is comprehension. There is no negative marking, so an unanswered question and a wrong answer cost the same.
Two scheme changes matter for anyone booking now. First, ITIL 4 certificates are no longer permanent: PeopleCert issues them with a three-year renewal date, and you keep the certificate current by logging 60 Continuous Professional Development points across three years as a PeopleCert Plus member, by passing another exam in the ITIL product suite, or by retaking the same certification. Second, PeopleCert has launched ITIL Foundation (Version 5), which uses the same 40-question, 60-minute, closed-book, 65 percent format, and the current plan is to sunset all ITIL 4 modules on 31 December 2027. ITIL 4 Foundation remains a recognised prerequisite for every higher-level ITIL (Version 5) certification, and holders who want the newer badge can take the one-day ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5), a 20-question closed-book exam also scored at 65 percent.
PeopleCert does not publish a pass rate for ITIL 4 Foundation, and no figure quoted by training providers should be treated as official.
Why Get ITIL 4 Foundation Certified?
The exam is 40 questions in 60 minutes with a 26-question pass mark, the shortest and cheapest entry point into a globally used service management vocabulary.
PeopleCert has not mandated training for ITIL 4 Foundation, so the self-study Exam bundle at US$690 including VAT is a complete route to the certificate.
ITIL 4 Foundation is recognised as a valid prerequisite for every higher-level ITIL (Version 5) certification, so the certificate carries forward into the new scheme without being retaken.
Twelve exam languages are available, and sitting in a language other than your native language earns 25 percent extra time, taking the exam from 60 to 75 minutes.
PeopleCert releases a preliminary pass or fail result the moment you finish, and official results within 2 business days of your answers being submitted.
The results analysis shows a percentage of success per syllabus topic, so a failed attempt tells you exactly which learning outcome to rebuild before the re-sit.
Renewal costs no additional exam fee if you log 20 CPD points per year for three consecutive years through a PeopleCert Plus subscription.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
60 minutes. Candidates sitting the exam in a language other than their native language receive 25 percent extra time, giving 75 minutes.
Questions
40 questions
Passing Score
65 percent, which is 26 correct answers out of 40. There is no negative marking.
Question Types
- Standard multiple choice: a question with four options, one of which is correct
- List: several numbered statements followed by four options pairing them, where you select the combination that is correct
- Missing word: a sentence with a gap and four candidate words or phrases
- Negative standard: a question asking which option is NOT correct, used only where the syllabus stresses something that should not be done
Delivery Method
PeopleCert Online Proctoring using the PeopleCert Web Based Exam Driver, taken from home or an office with a live proctor, or in person at an accredited exam centre.
How scoring works
Score scale
Raw score out of 40. PeopleCert reports the outcome as pass or fail, together with a results analysis giving a percentage of success per syllabus topic.
Score needed to pass
26 correct out of 40, which is 65 percent. The threshold is fixed and does not move between sittings.
Roughly what that means raw
26 of 40 is the pass. 27 or more gives you a margin of one or more questions. The official exam specification splits the 40 questions as 9 at Bloom's Level 1, which is recall, and 31 at Bloom's Level 2, which is comprehension. The same specification weights the paper by learning outcome: seven practices in detail carries 17 of the 40 questions (42.5 percent), purpose and key terms of 15 practices carries 7 (17.5 percent), the guiding principles 6 (15 percent), key concepts 5 (12.5 percent), the four dimensions and the service value chain 2 each (5 percent), and the service value system 1 (2.5 percent).
When results arrive
A preliminary pass or fail result appears the moment you complete the exam. PeopleCert's Quality and Assessment department then reviews it, and official results are announced within 2 business days of your answers being officially submitted by the exam supervisor. The digital badge is issued automatically on release. Results are withheld if your PeopleCert profile is incomplete.
How the scale is built
Each question carries one mark and there is no negative marking, so unanswered and incorrect responses score identically. Every item is single-best-answer with four options. Scoring is compensatory across the whole paper: there is no minimum per learning outcome, so a weak topic can be offset elsewhere. PeopleCert does not publish a scaling or equating model for ITIL 4 Foundation, and the published cut score is a flat percentage of raw marks rather than a scaled figure.
Pacing and time budget
40 questions in 60 minutes gives you 1 minute 30 seconds. Candidates sitting in a non-native language get 75 minutes, which is 1 minute 52 seconds per question. per question.
Minute 15
10 questions answered or flagged. Recall items on purpose statements should be taking 30 to 45 seconds each.
Minute 30
20 questions. If you are behind here, start committing to a best guess on scenario items rather than rereading them.
Minute 45
30 questions, leaving 15 minutes for the last ten plus a review pass.
Minute 52
All 40 answered on the first pass, with nothing blank, leaving 8 minutes to revisit flagged items.
| At this point | You should have answered |
|---|---|
| Minute 15 | 10 questions answered or flagged. Recall items on purpose statements should be taking 30 to 45 seconds each. |
| Minute 30 | 20 questions. If you are behind here, start committing to a best guess on scenario items rather than rereading them. |
| Minute 45 | 30 questions, leaving 15 minutes for the last ten plus a review pass. |
| Minute 52 | All 40 answered on the first pass, with nothing blank, leaving 8 minutes to revisit flagged items. |
- Answer every question on the first pass even when you are unsure, because there is no negative marking and a flagged guess can still be changed later. A blank answer left at the buzzer is a guaranteed zero.
- The 9 Bloom's Level 1 recall items are your time bank. Clear purpose-statement and definition questions in under 45 seconds and you buy two to three minutes each for the harder scenario items.
- List questions that combine numbered statements are the slowest format on the paper. Eliminate one clearly false statement first, which usually removes two of the four option pairs immediately.
- You can navigate freely, skip and return, but nothing changes once you click End Exam or the clock expires. Set a personal rule to stop revisiting at minute 58 and submit deliberately.
- No break is available, since PeopleCert allows breaks only on exams over two hours. Plan the sitting as one continuous 60-minute block and use the bathroom before onboarding starts.
Where the marks are
The seven ITIL practices examined in depth
42.5% (17 of 40 questions)
Continual improvement, change enablement, incident management, problem management, service desk, service level management and service request management are tested on how they work, not just what they are for.
The seven guiding principles applied to scenarios
15% (6 of 40 questions)
Questions describe a situation and ask which principle fits. Exact wording matters for missing-word items, and the optimise-before-automate sequence is asked repeatedly.
Purpose statements for the 15 examinable practices
17.5% (7 of 40 questions)
Pure recall, and the cheapest marks on the paper. One side of paper covers all 15, and these are the items that should take 30 seconds each.
Key concepts of service management
12.5% (5 of 40 questions)
Utility against warranty, outcome against output, and the four roles of organization, customer, user and sponsor appear as distractors in questions nominally about other topics.
The service value chain activities
5% (2 of 40 questions)
Six activities with official purpose statements. Engage and deliver and support are the pair most often swapped in option lists, and the exam asks which activity a practice contributes to.
The service value system and continual improvement model
2.5% (1 of 40 questions) for the service value system itself; the continual improvement model is examined inside the 42.5% practices outcome
Tested on the identity of the five components and on the seven steps of the improvement model, including the framing questions 'What is the vision?' and 'Did we get there?'
The four dimensions of service management
5% (2 of 40 questions)
Typically presented as a failure scenario asking which dimension was neglected. PESTLE as the external constraint set is the associated recall item.
| Topic | Weight | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| The seven ITIL practices examined in depth | 42.5% (17 of 40 questions) | Continual improvement, change enablement, incident management, problem management, service desk, service level management and service request management are tested on how they work, not just what they are for. |
| The seven guiding principles applied to scenarios | 15% (6 of 40 questions) | Questions describe a situation and ask which principle fits. Exact wording matters for missing-word items, and the optimise-before-automate sequence is asked repeatedly. |
| Purpose statements for the 15 examinable practices | 17.5% (7 of 40 questions) | Pure recall, and the cheapest marks on the paper. One side of paper covers all 15, and these are the items that should take 30 seconds each. |
| Key concepts of service management | 12.5% (5 of 40 questions) | Utility against warranty, outcome against output, and the four roles of organization, customer, user and sponsor appear as distractors in questions nominally about other topics. |
| The service value chain activities | 5% (2 of 40 questions) | Six activities with official purpose statements. Engage and deliver and support are the pair most often swapped in option lists, and the exam asks which activity a practice contributes to. |
| The service value system and continual improvement model | 2.5% (1 of 40 questions) for the service value system itself; the continual improvement model is examined inside the 42.5% practices outcome | Tested on the identity of the five components and on the seven steps of the improvement model, including the framing questions 'What is the vision?' and 'Did we get there?' |
| The four dimensions of service management | 5% (2 of 40 questions) | Typically presented as a failure scenario asking which dimension was neglected. PESTLE as the external constraint set is the associated recall item. |
The numbers
40 questions, 26 correct to pass, 65 percent
Questions and pass mark
Source: PeopleCert ITIL 4 Foundation certification page
9 at Level 1 (22.5 percent) and 31 at Level 2 (77.5 percent)
Questions at Bloom's Level 1 versus Level 2
Source: Official ITIL 4 Foundation exam specification
Key concepts 5 questions (12.5%), guiding principles 6 (15%), four dimensions 2 (5%), service value system 1 (2.5%), service value chain 2 (5%), purpose and key terms of 15 practices 7 (17.5%), seven practices in detail 17 (42.5%). Totals 40 questions and 100 percent
Weightings by learning outcome
Source: Official ITIL 4 Foundation Exam Specification, section 3.5 Weightings by Learning Outcome
Within 2 business days of answers being submitted, after a preliminary result on screen
Official results turnaround
Source: PeopleCert FAQ
60 points, logged as 20 per year for three consecutive years
CPD points required to renew
Source: PeopleCert ITIL 4 Foundation certification page and PeopleCert FAQ
US$690 including VAT, covering Official eBook, exam voucher and Learning Resource Kit
Self-study Exam bundle price on PeopleCert's own site
Source: PeopleCert ITIL 4 Foundation certification page
31 December 2027
Planned sunset date for all ITIL 4 modules
Source: PeopleCert ITIL FAQ
If you fail
Wait before retaking
PeopleCert does not publish a mandatory waiting period between ITIL 4 Foundation attempts. If you hold a Take2 re-sit, PeopleCert emails you to schedule it at your convenience, and it must be scheduled and completed within 6 months of your initial exam date.
Attempt limit
PeopleCert does not publish a cap on the number of attempts at ITIL 4 Foundation. A Take2 covers exactly one re-sit of the same exam and cannot be reused if you miss the rescheduled session.
Retake fee
Without a Take2 you buy the exam again at whatever your route charges. PeopleCert's own site sells ITIL 4 Foundation only within bundles, from US$690 including VAT for the self-study Exam bundle, and Accredited Training Organizations set their own prices. PeopleCert does not publish a single standalone Take2 price on its Take2 page; it is a paid add-on at checkout or after scheduling, and free for the duration of an active PeopleCert Plus subscription.
The rule that costs candidates money is the purchase window: Take2 can only be bought before the exam, no later than 15 minutes before the session starts, and never after a failed attempt. It is exam-specific, non-transferable, non-refundable, and cannot be exchanged for cash or credit. Note also that the eLearning+ package at US$1,338 includes a free exam re-take in the price. Before rebooking anything, read the results analysis PeopleCert issues with your result: it gives a percentage of success per syllabus topic, which tells you whether your failure was concentrated in the practices or spread across the paper.
Exam Domains & Topics
5 of the 40 questions, 12.5 percent. The official ITIL 4 Foundation Exam Specification publishes a weighting for every learning outcome in section 3.5, so the paper is planned topic by topic, not just by difficulty. This learning outcome covers the definitions the rest of the syllabus is built on: service, utility, warranty, customer, user, sponsor, cost, value, outcome, output and risk.
Key Topics to Master:
- Service, service management, and the specialised organisational capabilities the definition names
- Value, and value co-creation between provider and consumer
- Organization, service provider, service consumer, and the distinct roles of customer, user and sponsor
- Products and services, and service offerings
- Service relationships, the service relationship model, service provision and service consumption
- Outcomes and outputs, and why they are not the same thing
- Cost, risk, utility and warranty, which recur in scenario questions across the paper
6 of the 40 questions. The seven principles that guide decisions in every ITIL practice. Foundation asks you to apply them to short scenarios rather than simply name them, which puts most of these items at Bloom's Level 2.
Key Topics to Master:
- Focus on value, including who the consumer is and what they define as valuable
- Start where you are, including measuring the current state before discarding it
- Progress iteratively with feedback, including organising work into manageable sections
- Collaborate and promote visibility, including who needs to be involved and what work should be made visible
- Think and work holistically, including how no single service or practice works alone
- Keep it simple and practical, including eliminating steps that contribute nothing
- Optimize and automate, including optimising before automating rather than after
2 of the 40 questions. The four perspectives that must all be considered for a service to work. Foundation questions typically present a situation and ask which dimension is being neglected.
Key Topics to Master:
- Organizations and people, covering structures, culture, roles and competencies
- Information and technology, covering the information a service manages and the technology that supports it
- Partners and suppliers, covering contracts, supplier relationships and service integration
- Value streams and processes, covering how activities are organised to create value
- The external factors that constrain all four, summarised as PESTLE
- Why neglecting one dimension undermines the other three
1 of the 40 questions. The container that ties the whole framework together, describing how opportunity and demand become value. Foundation asks about the purpose of the system and the identity of its components.
Key Topics to Master:
- Inputs of opportunity and demand, and the output of value
- The five components: guiding principles, governance, the service value chain, practices, and continual improvement
- Governance and how an organisation is directed and controlled
- How the service value system removes organisational silos
- The continual improvement model and its seven steps, including 'What is the vision?' and 'Did we get there?'
2 of the 40 questions. The operating model at the centre of the service value system, with six activities that can be combined into many different value streams. Foundation asks for the purpose of each activity.
Key Topics to Master:
- Plan: shared understanding of vision, current status and improvement direction
- Improve: continual improvement of products, services and practices across the value chain
- Engage: understanding stakeholder needs and maintaining relationships and transparency
- Design and transition: making sure products and services meet expectations for quality, cost and time to market
- Obtain/build: ensuring components are available where and when they are needed
- Deliver and support: delivering services to agreed specifications and stakeholder expectations
- How the six activities are not a fixed sequence but combine into value streams
7 of the 40 questions. ITIL 4 defines 34 management practices in total. Foundation examines 15 at the level of purpose statements and a small number of defined terms.
Key Topics to Master:
- Information security management, relationship management, supplier management and IT asset management
- Monitoring and event management, release management, service configuration management and deployment management
- Change enablement and its three change types: standard, normal and emergency
- Incident management, problem management and the distinction between a problem, a known error and a workaround
- Service desk, service level management and service request management
- Continual improvement as both a practice and a service value chain activity
17 of the 40 questions. The largest learning outcome in the syllabus. Seven of the 15 practices are examined beyond purpose, covering how they work and how they support the service value chain.
Key Topics to Master:
- Continual improvement, including the continual improvement model and where responsibility sits
- Change enablement, including the role of the change authority and why standard changes are pre-authorised
- Incident management, including prioritisation, escalation and swarming
- Problem management, including problem identification, problem control and error control
- Service desk, including its role as the single point of contact and the value of empathy over technical depth
- Service level management, including why a service level agreement must be written from the user's viewpoint and the watermelon effect of green metrics over red experience
- Service request management, including standardisation, workflow and why requests are not incidents
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Read the ITIL 4 Foundation Official eBook chapters on key concepts of service management, using the copy included with your PeopleCert Exam bundle
- 2Write your own one-line definitions for service, value, outcome, output, cost, risk, utility and warranty, then check each against the official ITIL 4 Foundation glossary
- 3Draw the service relationship model from memory: service offering, service provision, service consumption, service relationship management
- 4Separate the four consumer-side roles: organization, customer, user and sponsor, and write a scenario in which one person plays two of them
- 5Take a 40-question diagnostic from the Official Mock Exam or an ATO practice bank and record which topics you got wrong rather than the score
- 1Learn the exact wording of all seven principles, since missing-word questions test the phrasing
- 2For each principle write two short scenarios: one where it clearly applies and one where a neighbouring principle applies instead
- 3Drill the pairs candidates most often confuse: keep it simple and practical against optimize and automate, and start where you are against focus on value
- 4Memorise the sequencing rule that optimisation precedes automation, which appears repeatedly in scenario items
- 5Do 40 practice questions restricted to guiding principles and check that your errors are comprehension errors rather than recall errors
- 1Learn the four dimensions and, for each, three concrete things it covers, so a scenario question maps quickly
- 2Learn PESTLE as the external factor set that constrains all four dimensions
- 3Draw the service value system with opportunity and demand entering, value leaving, and all five components inside
- 4Learn the seven steps of the continual improvement model in order, including 'What is the vision?' and 'Did we get there?'
- 5Practise questions that describe a failure and ask which dimension was neglected, which is the most common form these items take
- 1Learn all six activities with their official purpose statements: plan, improve, engage, design and transition, obtain/build, deliver and support
- 2Build three value streams of your own, for example a new user request, a major incident and a software release, and route each through the six activities
- 3Practise distinguishing engage from deliver and support, which are the two activities most often swapped in exam options
- 4Confirm you can state why the value chain is not a sequence and why activities can be used in any order
- 5Take a 40-question mock restricted to the service value system and value chain
- 1Write out the purpose statement for each of the 15 examinable practices on a single side of paper
- 2Build a discrimination table for the pairs that generate wrong answers: incident against problem, change enablement against release management, release against deployment, service request against incident
- 3Learn the three change types and which of them is pre-authorised and needs no separate assessment each time
- 4Learn the problem management vocabulary precisely: problem, known error, workaround, problem control, error control
- 5Do 60 practice questions restricted to practices, since this learning outcome carries more questions than any other in the syllabus
- 1Study continual improvement, change enablement, incident management, problem management, service desk, service level management and service request management beyond their purpose statements
- 2For service level management, learn why an SLA must reflect the user's experience and be able to explain the watermelon effect
- 3For service desk, learn that empathy, communication and business awareness rank above deep technical skill in the official guidance
- 4For incident management, learn prioritisation, escalation and swarming, and how incidents relate to the deliver and support activity
- 5Map each of the seven practices to the value chain activities it contributes to, which is a recurring Bloom's Level 2 question shape
- 1Sit the PeopleCert Official Mock Exam under real conditions: 40 questions, 60 minutes, closed book, no notes
- 2Note that Official Mock Exams carry the same number of questions as the real exam but confer no certificate, statement of result or digital badge
- 3For every wrong answer write why your option was wrong and why the keyed option was right, then find the passage in the Official eBook
- 4Take at least three more full mocks and aim for a consistent margin above 26 out of 40 rather than a single good score
- 5Drill the question wording traps: BEST, MAINLY, PRIMARILY and NOT, all of which change the correct option
- 1Review the PeopleCert Web Based Exam Driver requirements at least 72 hours before your exam and contact PeopleCert no later than 48 hours before if your machine falls short, since that reschedule is free
- 2Confirm your machine runs Windows 10, 10S, 11 or 11S, or macOS Mojave 10.14 or later, with Edge, Chrome or Opera, a dual-core 2.4GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM and at least 4 Mbps broadband
- 3Test that your webcam can be rotated through a full 360 degrees for the room scan, because a mobile phone cannot be used as a substitute webcam
- 4Set your keyboard to English characters and close AnyDesk, Skype, Teams and anything else that could interrupt the session
- 5Clear the desk and the camera's field of view of every book, note and second screen, then decide whether to buy a Take2 re-sit, which must be purchased no later than 15 minutes before your session starts
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Best Study Resources
ITIL 4 Foundation Official eBook (PeopleCert)
Official core guidanceThe definitive source the exam is written against, delivered through the VitalSource Bookshelf reader in your PeopleCert account with offline apps for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iOS, Android and Kindle.
Included in every PeopleCert purchase option and in ATO voucher codes
ITIL 4 Foundation Learning Resource Kit
Official training materialsPeopleCert's Learner Workbook and Quick Reference Guide. The Quick Reference Guide is the fastest way to revise purpose statements for all 15 examinable practices in one sitting.
Included in the US$690 Exam bundle and above
PeopleCert ITIL 4 Foundation Official Mock Exam
Official practice examA full, timed and marked mock with the same number of questions as the real exam, available in Version A and Version B and in ten languages. It is valid for 12 months and must be completed within 24 hours of starting. Passing it confers no certificate or badge.
Included in the eLearning and eLearning+ options, or purchased separately
PeopleCert ITIL 4 Foundation eLearning
Official self-paced courseNine hours of interactive content with bite-sized modules, practical exercises, scenario-based case studies, progress tracking and an embedded glossary. The eLearning+ option adds a free exam re-take and an Official Mock Exam.
US$1,029 for eLearning, US$1,338 for eLearning+ including VAT
PeopleCert Accredited Training Organizations
Instructor-led trainingSearchable from the Certifications menu on peoplecert.org. PeopleCert states directly that each training organization charges different prices and recommends comparing before you buy. ATO vouchers bundle the exam, the eBook and Official Training Materials.
Set independently by each provider
PeopleCert Plus membership
SubscriptionIncludes a free Take2 re-sit for every exam scheduled while the subscription is active, a free mock exam where one exists for that certification and language, access to over 150 official eBooks and practice guides, and the CPD programme used to renew certificates.
Annual paid subscription
PeopleCert Web Based Exam Driver Guidelines
Official technical requirementsThe page that lists the operating systems, browsers, CPU, RAM, bandwidth, monitor size and webcam requirements for an online proctored exam, plus the 72-hour and 48-hour deadlines for reporting a machine that does not qualify.
Free
PeopleCert ITIL FAQ
Official scheme guidanceThe authoritative page on how ITIL 4 relates to ITIL (Version 5), which certifications carry forward as prerequisites, the ITIL Foundation Bridge route, and the plan to sunset ITIL 4 modules on 31 December 2027.
Free
PeopleCert Take2 page
Official re-sit termsSets out that a Take2 must be bought before the exam, no later than 15 minutes before the session, is valid for 6 months from the initial exam date, is exam-specific, and cannot be purchased after a failed attempt.
Free to read; Take2 itself is a paid add-on or free with PeopleCert Plus
PeopleCert Successful Candidates Register and Certificate Verification Service
Verification toolsWhere employers confirm that a claimed ITIL certificate exists. Worth knowing because your entry appears only after your official results are released, which requires your PeopleCert profile to be complete.
Free
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Studying ITIL v3 material and assuming the vocabulary transferred
ITIL 4 replaced processes with practices and renamed Change Management as Change Enablement. Buying a v3 study guide because it is cheaper produces wrong answers on questions that specifically test the new terms. PeopleCert also states that ITIL v3 Foundation is not accepted as a prerequisite for higher ITIL (Version 5) certifications.
Learning the guiding principles as a list of seven names
Most guiding principle questions sit at Bloom's Level 2, which means they describe a situation and ask which principle applies. Write two scenarios per principle during study, including one where a neighbouring principle would be the better answer, and the recall-only approach stops failing you.
Treating the practices as the last topic to revise
Fifteen practices are examinable at purpose level and seven of those in depth, making practices the largest part of the syllabus by question count. Start the practices in week five at the latest and give the seven deep-dive practices a dedicated week of their own.
Confusing incident management with problem management
Incident management restores normal service operation as quickly as possible. Problem management identifies and manages the causes of incidents. Learn the four terms that separate them precisely: problem, known error, workaround, and the split between problem control and error control.
Confusing change enablement, release management and deployment management
Change enablement assesses and authorises changes. Release management makes services and features available for use. Deployment management moves components into live environments. All three appear as options on the same question, so a definition you half-remember will not separate them.
Leaving questions blank because you are unsure
There is no negative marking. Every unanswered question scores exactly what a wrong answer scores. With 26 of 40 needed to pass, a guess on four items you never resolved is worth roughly one band of raw score. Use the flag function, then return and commit to an answer before you click End Exam.
Missing the qualifier word in the stem
PeopleCert uses BEST, MAINLY and PRIMARILY when more than one option is defensible but one is most correct, and it uses negative questions where the syllabus stresses something that should not be done. Underline the qualifier mentally before reading the options rather than after.
Discovering on exam day that the machine does not meet the Web Based Exam Driver spec
Check the requirements at least 72 hours ahead. If your computer falls short and you contact PeopleCert no later than 48 hours before, the reschedule is free. Discover it during onboarding and the session may be cancelled and rescheduled with a fee of USD 120 if you are inside the four-hour window.
Assuming the certificate never expires because ITIL 4 certificates used to be permanent
PeopleCert issues ITIL certificates with a three-year renewal date. Keeping it current takes 20 CPD points per year for three consecutive years through a PeopleCert Plus subscription, or a pass in another ITIL exam, or a retake of the same certification. Diarise the renewal date the week you pass.
Buying a Take2 re-sit after seeing a fail result
PeopleCert states plainly that Take2 cannot be purchased after a failed exam and must be bought no later than 15 minutes before your session begins. If you want the safety net you must decide in advance, or hold an active PeopleCert Plus subscription before you sit.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Run the PeopleCert system check on the exact machine you will use, at least 72 hours before the exam, and report any shortfall no later than 48 hours before for a free reschedule.
- 2
Have a physical photo identity document ready. PeopleCert verifies identity against a physical ID at onboarding, and a photo of the document on a phone is not the same thing.
- 3
Be ready to rotate your webcam through a full 360 degrees for the room scan. A mobile phone cannot be used to take the exam or substitute for the webcam.
- 4
Clear the desk and the camera's field of view completely. The exam is closed book, note-taking during the exam is not allowed, and printing exam content is not permitted for any PeopleCert certification.
- 5
Headsets are permitted only during onboarding. Once the exam starts you need working speakers and a microphone for two-way voice communication with the proctor.
- 6
Close AnyDesk, Skype, Teams and any other background application before you start, and set your keyboard to English characters. Work laptops with corporate restrictions are the single most common cause of a failed session start.
- 7
No break is allowed, because breaks apply only to exams lasting over two hours and ITIL 4 Foundation runs 60 minutes. Water, coffee and other drinks are allowed at the desk.
- 8
Watch the timer in the top right corner and use the flag function freely. You can move forward, skip and return, but nothing can be changed once you click End Exam or the clock runs out.
- 9
If you are sitting in a language other than your native language, confirm before the day that your booking reflects the 25 percent extra time, giving 75 minutes rather than 60.
- 10
Expect a preliminary pass or fail on screen at the end. Official results follow within 2 business days of your answers being submitted, and will not be released if information is missing from your PeopleCert profile.
- 11
Candidates under 16 need a legal guardian's consent recorded during registration, and the guardian must be present during onboarding to consent to the session being recorded.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
IT service desk analyst
The role where ITIL vocabulary pays off immediately, because incident, service request and problem are three different tickets with three different handling paths. The service desk practice is one of the seven examined in depth at Foundation.
US median annual wage for computer user support specialists was $60,340 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $38,780 and the highest 10 percent over $98,010 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Network or infrastructure support specialist
Monitoring and event management, incident management and deployment management are the Foundation practices that map most directly to this work. The certificate is often listed as preferred rather than required.
US median annual wage for computer network support specialists was $73,340 in May 2024, rising to $78,710 in telecommunications (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Network and computer systems administrator
Change enablement is the practice that matters most here, particularly the distinction between standard, normal and emergency changes and the role of the change authority in authorising each.
US median annual wage was $96,800 in May 2024 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
ITSM consultant
Consulting engagements often specify ITIL certification in the statement of work. Foundation is the floor; the ITIL (Version 5) Practice Manager and Managing Professional designations are what differentiate rates.
US median annual wage for management analysts, the closest BLS category, was $101,190 in May 2024, and $107,790 within professional, scientific and technical services (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Computer systems analyst or IT service manager
Service level management is the Foundation practice this role lives in, including writing agreements from the user's viewpoint rather than from an infrastructure dashboard.
US median annual wage for computer systems analysts was $103,790 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $63,160 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
IT operations or service delivery manager
At this level ITIL Foundation alone is table stakes. PeopleCert's own progression for managers runs through the ITIL Managing Professional or ITIL Strategic Leader streams, each of which requires accredited training rather than self-study.
US median annual wage for computer and information systems managers was $171,200 in May 2024 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Prerequisites & Requirements
- There are no prerequisites for ITIL 4 Foundation. No prior ITIL certificate, degree or work experience is required.
- Training is not mandatory. PeopleCert has not mandated training for Foundation level, so self-study against the Official eBook is a valid route. Every higher ITIL module does require accredited training or official eLearning.
- A physical photo identity document is required for identity verification at onboarding, whether you sit online or at a centre.
- For an online proctored exam you need Windows 10, 10S, 11 or 11S, or macOS Mojave 10.14 or later; a dual-core 2.4GHz CPU with at least 4GB of RAM; Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Opera; broadband of at least 4 Mbps; a monitor of at least 15 inches at 1024 x 768 or higher; a keyboard set to English characters; speakers and a microphone.
- You need a webcam, built in or external, that can be rotated through a full 360 degrees for the room scan. A mobile phone cannot be used as the webcam or to take the exam.
- Candidates under 16 need a legal guardian's consent recorded at registration, with the guardian's full contact details, and the guardian must be present at onboarding on exam day.
- Requests for up to 25 percent additional time, a reader or a scribe must be submitted no later than 5 business days before any PeopleCert exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ITIL 4 Foundation pass mark?
65 percent, which is 26 correct answers out of 40. There is no negative marking, so a wrong answer and a blank answer both score zero and you should never leave a question unanswered. PeopleCert reports the outcome as pass or fail plus a results analysis showing your percentage of success per syllabus topic, which is the most useful diagnostic if you need to sit again.
How long is the exam and can I get extra time?
60 minutes for 40 questions, closed book. If your native language differs from the exam language, PeopleCert grants 25 percent extra time, which takes the sitting to 75 minutes. Separately, requests for up to 25 percent additional time on accessibility grounds, or for a reader or a scribe, must be submitted no later than 5 business days before the exam. No break is allowed, because PeopleCert permits breaks only for exams lasting over two hours.
What does ITIL 4 Foundation cost?
On PeopleCert's own site the self-study Exam bundle is US$690 including VAT and covers the Official eBook, the exam voucher and the Learning Resource Kit. The eLearning option is US$1,029 and the eLearning+ option is US$1,338, the latter adding an Official Mock Exam and a free exam re-take. Accredited Training Organizations sell the same exam at prices they set themselves, and PeopleCert explicitly advises comparing providers before buying. Vouchers are issued with a validity period of up to one year.
How long must I wait to retake if I fail?
PeopleCert does not publish a mandatory waiting period between ITIL 4 Foundation attempts, and does not publish a cap on the number of attempts. If you bought a Take2 re-sit in advance, PeopleCert emails you to schedule the re-sit at your convenience, and it must be scheduled and completed within 6 months of your initial exam date. Without a Take2 you buy the exam again at the full price your chosen route charges.
What is Take2 and when must I buy it?
Take2 is PeopleCert's paid re-sit option, and the timing rule is the one that catches people out. It can only be purchased before you take the exam, up to 15 minutes before your scheduled session, and it cannot be purchased after a failed exam. It is exam-specific, non-transferable, non-refundable, and cannot be exchanged for cash or credit. If you miss your Take2 sitting the voucher cannot be used again. It is included free with an active PeopleCert Plus subscription, but only if the subscription was active before you sat.
When do results arrive?
A preliminary result is issued the moment you complete the exam. That result is then reviewed by PeopleCert's Quality and Assessment department for quality and integrity, and official results are announced within 2 business days of your answers being officially submitted by the exam supervisor. Your digital badge is issued automatically when the official result is released. Official results are held back if information is missing from your PeopleCert profile, so complete your profile before exam day.
Does the certificate expire?
Yes, and this changed. PeopleCert issues ITIL certificates with a three-year renewal date. There are three renewal routes: log 20 Continuous Professional Development points per year for three consecutive years through an active PeopleCert Plus subscription, which totals 60 points; pass another certification within the ITIL product suite before the renewal date; or retake the same certification. CPD points earned on the old MyAxelos platform were carried into PeopleCert Plus accounts.
What can I bring into the exam?
Nothing that helps you answer. ITIL 4 Foundation is closed book, so no notes, books, printed material or electronic devices. Note-taking during the exam is not allowed at all, and printing exam scenarios is not permitted for any PeopleCert certification. No calculator is needed or allowed, since nothing in the syllabus requires calculation. Water, coffee and other drinks are allowed at your desk, and PeopleCert confirms that pets in the room are permitted.
How does online proctoring work?
You sit the exam through the PeopleCert Web Based Exam Driver with a live proctor. At onboarding you verify identity against a physical photo ID and perform a 360-degree room scan with your webcam, which is why the camera must be rotatable and why a phone cannot substitute for it. During the exam there is two-way voice communication with the proctor, but only the proctor can see you and your desktop. You can reach them by talking or by typing in the chat box, and if communication fails they will email or phone the number in your PeopleCert account.
What are the computer requirements?
Windows 10, 10S, 11 or 11S, or macOS Mojave 10.14 or later; a dual-core 2.4GHz CPU or faster with at least 4GB of RAM; Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Opera, because other browsers are not compatible; a broadband connection of at least 4 Mbps; a 16-bit monitor of at least 15 inches at 1024 x 768 or higher; a keyboard set to English characters; a 360-degree rotatable webcam; speakers and a microphone. Review this at least 72 hours before your exam. If your machine falls short and you contact PeopleCert no later than 48 hours before, the reschedule is free.
What does it cost to reschedule?
Rescheduling up to 48 hours before the start time is free. From 48 hours down to 4 hours before, PeopleCert charges USD 60, EUR 70, GBP 60, AUD 85 or JPY 6,815 depending on country and currency, plus tax where applicable. After that point the fee rises to USD 120, EUR 135, GBP 115, AUD 170 or JPY 13,635. Changing the proctor's language can also trigger these administrative charges, because it moves you to a different slot.
Can I cancel and get a refund?
PeopleCert allows cancellation by written request to [email protected] within 14 days of your initial payment. For exams, cancellation is permitted within 14 days of purchase if no exam date has been booked, or, if a date has been booked, within 14 days of purchase provided the exam date is at least 14 days away. Refunds are returned to the credit card used for the purchase. Take2 re-sits are non-refundable in all cases.
Is training mandatory?
No, not for Foundation. PeopleCert has not mandated training for ITIL 4 Foundation or for ITIL Foundation (Version 5), so you can self-study and buy the exam directly. Every other module in the scheme does require accredited training or official eLearning, so the self-study route stops at Foundation. If you do train through an ATO you receive a voucher code covering the exam, the eBook and Official Training Materials, redeemed in your PeopleCert account.
What accommodations are available?
PeopleCert accepts requests for up to 25 percent additional exam time, a reader, or a scribe, and these must be submitted no later than 5 business days before the exam. This is separate from and can be additional to the 25 percent extra time granted automatically when your native language differs from the exam language. Contact PeopleCert customer service directly rather than assuming a request made to your training provider has been passed on.
How many practices do I actually need to know?
ITIL 4 defines 34 management practices, but Foundation examines 15 of them. Of those 15 you need the purpose statement and key terms, and for seven of them you need deeper understanding: continual improvement, change enablement, incident management, problem management, service desk, service level management and service request management. Practices carry more exam questions than any other learning outcome, so allocate study time accordingly rather than treating them as the final chapter.
What is Bloom's level and why does it matter?
Bloom's level describes the type of thinking a question demands. The official ITIL 4 Foundation exam specification puts 9 of the 40 questions at Level 1, which is recall of definitions and purpose statements, and 31 at Level 2, which is comprehension: explaining, distinguishing and applying. That split is the practical argument against a flashcard-only strategy, because roughly three quarters of the paper asks you to do something with a definition rather than reproduce it.
How does ITIL 4 Foundation compare with ITIL Foundation (Version 5)?
The exam mechanics are identical: 40 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, closed book, 65 percent to pass, self-study permitted. The content differs. ITIL (Version 5) reframes the guidance around digital products and services across a full lifecycle, adds an explicit digital experience focus, and is described by PeopleCert as AI-native. Its 34 practices remain largely the same but are regrouped into Product and Service management practices and General management practices.
Should I take ITIL 4 Foundation or wait for ITIL Foundation (Version 5)?
Both are currently available, but the sunset matters. PeopleCert's current plan is to sunset all ITIL 4 modules on 31 December 2027. An ITIL 4 Foundation certificate remains fully recognised as a prerequisite for every higher-level ITIL (Version 5) certification, so it is not wasted. If you already hold ITIL 4 Foundation and want the newer badge, the ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) is a one-day route with a 20-question closed-book exam at the same 65 percent pass mark, itself scheduled to retire on 31 December 2027.
Is ITIL v3 Foundation still worth anything?
Not as a prerequisite. PeopleCert states that ITIL v3 Foundation is not accepted as a prerequisite for ITIL (Version 5) higher-level certifications, and neither are ITIL v3 Intermediate certifications. The recommended route for a v3 Foundation holder is to complete ITIL Foundation (Version 5) training and pass that exam. ITIL v3 Expert and ITIL v3 Master holders have a different route, through the ITIL Managing Professional Transition (Version 5) module.
What is the pass rate?
PeopleCert does not publish a pass rate for ITIL 4 Foundation. Training providers quote figures for their own cohorts, but those are marketing statistics for a self-selected group who paid for a course, not an exam-wide rate, and none of them is sourced to PeopleCert. Judge your readiness on your own mock scores against the fixed 26 out of 40 threshold rather than on any published percentage.
Success Stories
“The official book plus practice exams were sufficient. Focus on understanding guiding principles - they help with many questions. Know the practices well.”
David L.
IT Manager
“Coming from v3, ITIL 4 felt quite different. The service value system took time to understand. Modern concepts like DevOps integration make it relevant.”
Rebecca S.
Service Desk Lead
“Took an ATO course which was helpful for structure. Practice exams from PeopleCert matched the actual exam well. Don't underestimate the practices section.”
Jason P.
ITSM Consultant
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