Need help to pass the foundation exam?

I recently came across a podcast 'Top Tips for Taking the ITIL Foundation Exam' from ILX Training and finally made time to listen to it today. It wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be and the bulk of the helpful tips were in the final 10 minutes of the cast.

The advice is primarily directed towards those who are taking the exam following a classroom based training course, and is not hugely useful for those who are going the self-study route.

So... to summarise for those of you who don't have 30 minutes to listen to the cast:

Before the exam:

1. There is no need to read up on ITIL prior to going on a formal training course. Everything you need should be provided on the course.
2. Classroom based training courses will have official mock papers for you to practice.
3. The ITIL Foundation Exam consists of 40 multiple choice questions to be answered in 1 hour.
4. Need a minimum of 26 correct answers, the pass rate is perhaps 95% in this trainer's experience.
   
5. The majority of questions are regarding the process itself.
6. Only a few questions will ask about people (mainly on service desk) and technology.
7. Ask your trainer questions, do not be embarrased. Chances are other people want to know the answer as well.
8. Leave your preconceptions at home. The exam is on ITIL and not how you do things at work.
9. Remember that even if you do something differently and think it is wrong, forget the 'I think...'. Answers must be 'ITIL'.
10. Don't think you know everything about a process because it is similar to what you do at work. There may be new terminology, or the same terminology with different definitions.
11. Learn the abbrieviations and acronyms and where they are used in each process. Think of it as learning a new language.
    

If taking the exam in a class based environment there will be an invigilator from EXIN or ISEB. They user generic exam forms.

1. Scribble answers on the actual exam question paper.
2. Only when you are finished should you mark answers on the generic exam form.
3. Mark answers in pencil.
4. Be very careful if you erase an incorrect answer as the computer may read it as a separate mark and void the entire line.
5. ITIL papers normally only have 4 possible answers: A, B, C, D. The generic form includes a fifth option, E. Be careful not to mark column E.
   

The exam itself:

1. Ignore everyone else in the room.
2. Read the question, read the answers, re-read the question again.
3. Go through the paper and answer all those you are sure of first.
4. Eliminate the answers you know are incorrect (like 50/50 on who wants to be a millionaire).
5. Allow approximately a minute and a half per question.
6. If you aren't sure of an answer within 1 minute move on. There may be another question that may assist you.
7. Once you have committed to an answer, do not go back and check as invariably you will change a correct answer to an incorrect answer.
8. Do not over-analyse or second-guess yourself.
9. If you can't answer all the questions don't worry about it.
10. Remember to transfer your answers from the question paper to the answer form!

You may also want to refer to my previous Foundation tips post.

ITIL Foundation Certificate - Tips to pass the exam

One of the frequent questions I come across is 'how do I pass the Foundation exam?' The ITIL Foundation Certificate is the only ITIL examination that can be taken through self-study and public examination. I personally recommend a course with an accredited training provider as you get the benefit of networking with others and can glean some useful insights into how ITIL works in the real world - which you can't get from the books. Also, decent trainers have prior experience with the examinations and can test you in mock examination conditions using official sample papers. Furthermore, they can advise you of the key things that really must be memorised, and the things that you need to understand (though not necessarily know by rote). I took my ISEB Foundation Certificate through Fox IT in the UK and was trained by Gerry McLaughlin and would highly recommend them.

There are two examining boards for ITIL certifications, the ISEB and EXIN. Whichever board you choose, ensure you learn the content of their syllabus.
Download EXIN Syllabus (PDF)
Download the ISEB Syllabus (PDF)

My advice would be to ensure you know:
- which processes belong to service delivery and which to service support
- the key activities that make up each process
- who is responsible for various activities (in terms of process ownership)
- the acronyms and terminology used in each process as well as key phrases that may indicate which process the question is about (Glossary of terms link)
- the inter-relations between processes
- the benefits that can be realised from each process

Ensure you remember that they are testing you on ITIL as it is in the books, NOT on what you do (or don't do!) in your current organisation.

In terms of the examination itself which is 40 multiple choice questions (ISEB), read the question - ensure you understand it then look at all the answers. If you don't know the answer straight away, work with a process of elimination. Quite often with these there is one really wrong answer, and with the other three there is one that is 'more correct' than the others. So be careful not to be caught out. Read EVERY word of an answer. Overlooking the word 'NOT' can be the difference between a correct or wrong answer!

If you know the material, you'll find the exam is less exerting than a walk in the park. If you don't, you may struggle - so make sure you do ;)

A couple of sample questions from ISEB sample paper 3 2003

10. Which of the following is NOT a technique usually associated with Availabilty Management?
A. Auto error detection
B. Duplexing
C. Analysing Data
D. Queuing theory

16. Which of the following best describes why an SLA should contain definitions of terms?
A. To ensure that anywhere there is a measurement required within the SLA then it is realistically measurable
B. To ensure that both the customer and IT can unambiguously understand the terms in the SLA
C. To make sure that all clauses in the SLA make sense
D. To ensure that the customer's understanding of a particular term is the one meant in the SLA.

Finally, some links that may be of use:

Dr Itil used to have a foundation success blog with tips up but it seems to have died. There is a little entry on his old blog.

You can try some ITIL exam practice.

ITIL essentials study guide (not used myself so unable to confirm accuracy but Dr ITIL linked it awhile back so I'd expect it to be okay).

ITIL reference guide on Robert Perrine's site. Well worth browsing the rest of his site under the ITIL section as he includes slides from his study lessons.

Good luck, see you on the other side!

P.S. Answer to No. 10 = D and No. 16 = B