A preview of 15 of the 40 questions in this set, with full explanations. Take the interactive exam above for the complete set with timer, flagging, and scoring.
Question 1The ITIL Value System
A new ITIL consultant joins an organisation with 20 years of service management history. She recommends conducting a thorough assessment of current processes, tools, and outcomes before proposing any changes.
Which guiding principle is she applying?
AThink and work holistically
BProgress iteratively with feedback
C ✓Start where you are
DOptimise and automate
Explanation: 'Start where you are' advises assessing and leveraging what already exists before proposing changes. The consultant is correctly assessing the current state before recommending anything.
Question 2The ITIL Value System
A service management team identifies that their problem resolution process involves 23 steps. After analysis, 9 steps are mandatory and 14 add no value. The team proposes removing the 14 redundant steps.
Which guiding principle does this proposal BEST reflect?
AFocus on value
B ✓Keep it simple and practical
CCollaborate and promote visibility
DStart where you are
Explanation: 'Keep it simple and practical' directs removing steps, processes, and tools that do not support outcomes. Eliminating the 14 non-value-adding steps is a direct application of this principle.
Question 3The ITIL Value System
A CIO advises delivering improvements in quarterly phases rather than waiting 2 years for a complete overhaul, learning from each phase before the next.
Which guiding principle is the CIO applying?
AKeep it simple and practical
BStart where you are
CThink and work holistically
D ✓Progress iteratively with feedback
Explanation: Delivering improvements in phases, learning from each phase — rather than waiting for a full overhaul — is the application of 'Progress iteratively with feedback'. Comprehend the whole, but do something.
Question 4The ITIL Value System
Identify the missing word(s) in the following sentence.
In the ITIL Value System, [ ? ] are sets of organisational resources — including people, processes, tools, and knowledge — designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective.
AValue streams
B ✓Practices
COperating models
DGuiding principles
Explanation: Practices are sets of organisational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective. There are 34 management practices in ITIL Foundation.
Question 5The ITIL Value System
A service improvement team asks: 'Are we achieving the target resolution times we set 3 months ago?' They review monthly KPI reports and compare them to the agreed targets.
Which step of the continual improvement model are they performing?
AWhere do we want to be?
BHow do we get there?
C ✓Did we get there?
DTake action
Explanation: 'Did we get there?' involves measuring progress against the target. Reviewing KPI reports and comparing to the agreed targets is exactly this step of the continual improvement model.
Question 6The ITIL Value System
An IT department has just completed a major incident management improvement initiative. The service manager suggests using lessons learned to set a new, more ambitious target for the next cycle.
Which step of the continual improvement model triggers this next cycle?
ATake action
B ✓How do we keep the momentum going?
CWhat is the vision?
DDid we get there?
Explanation: 'How do we keep the momentum going?' is the final step of the CI model — it asks whether the improvements remain relevant and triggers the next cycle back to 'What is the vision?'.
Question 7The ITIL Value System
An organisation runs five separate improvement initiatives simultaneously. Each team works independently, making decisions that sometimes conflict with other initiatives.
Which guiding principle MOST needs to be applied?
AFocus on value
BOptimise and automate
CStart where you are
D ✓Collaborate and promote visibility
Explanation: 'Collaborate and promote visibility' — involving the right people, sharing information, and making work visible — would prevent the teams from making conflicting decisions.
Question 8The ITIL Value System
Which of the following is NOT a valid description of the value chain in ITIL Foundation?
AIt contains 8 activities that create value through products and services
BIt is the operational core of the value system
CValue streams are specific paths through the value chain
D ✓It is used once per service and then replaced for each new service
Explanation: The value chain is not used once and replaced — it is a permanent model. Different value streams select different paths through the same 8 value chain activities. The chain itself is consistent across all services.
Question 9Key ITIL terms and definitions
A SaaS company charges customers a monthly subscription for access to its platform. Customers can increase or decrease their user count monthly with no customisation.
What type of service relationship does this MOST represent?
ACollaborative (partnership)
B ✓Basic (transactional)
CCooperative (customised)
DCo-created (integrated)
Explanation: A basic (transactional) service relationship involves standard transactions with no customisation. A standard SaaS subscription with no bespoke elements is a transactional relationship.
Question 10Key ITIL terms and definitions
An IT team resolves a critical database incident. The root cause is a corrupted index. After fixing and closing the incident, the team considers what else should be done.
From the corruption pattern perspective, what ITIL record should ALSO be created?
AService request
BChange record
C ✓Problem record
DRelease record
Explanation: While the incident is resolved, a problem record should be raised to investigate the underlying cause and prevent recurrence — incident management resolves; problem management prevents.
Question 11Key ITIL terms and definitions
A new ERP system calculates tax incorrectly for overseas transactions. The vendor acknowledges the issue but cannot provide a patch for 6 weeks. The team documents the issue and creates a workaround.
What ITIL term describes the documented-but-unfixed issue?
AIncident
BProblem
C ✓Known error
DChange request
Explanation: A known error is a problem that has been analysed but not yet resolved. The tax issue is identified, acknowledged, workaround created, but fix pending — this is a known error.
Question 12Key ITIL terms and definitions
A staff member contacts the IT service desk to report that their keyboard has stopped working.
How should the IT team MOST correctly classify this request?
AProblem
B ✓Incident
CService request
DChange
Explanation: A broken keyboard is an unplanned interruption to the user's ability to work — this is an incident (reduction in service quality). A service request would be requesting an upgrade (a pre-agreed, planned service action).
Question 13Key ITIL terms and definitions
Identify the missing word(s) in the following sentence.
[ ? ] is the joint creation of value by service providers, service consumers, and other stakeholders — with each party contributing to the outcome.
AService management
B ✓Value co-creation
CService relationship
DUtility
Explanation: Value co-creation is the joint creation of value by providers, consumers, and stakeholders. In ITIL, value is never delivered one-way — it emerges from the joint contribution of multiple parties.
Question 14Key ITIL terms and definitions
Which of the following does NOT represent a cost that a service could REMOVE from a consumer?
AThe need to hire dedicated IT staff to manage infrastructure
BThe cost of purchasing and maintaining software licences
C ✓The monthly subscription fee paid to the service provider
DThe cost of procuring and refreshing hardware
Explanation: The monthly subscription fee is a cost INTRODUCED by the service. Costs of IT staff, software licences, and hardware procurement are costs the managed service would remove from the consumer.
Question 15The ITIL Four Dimensions
An organisation wants to implement an AI-powered analytics platform. Before selecting technology, the team considers who will use it, what training is needed, which teams are affected, and how it changes existing roles.
Which dimension is MOST relevant?
AInformation and technology
BPartners and suppliers
C ✓Organisations and people
DValue streams and processes
Explanation: Organisations and people covers who uses the technology, training needs, roles affected, and team structures. Considerations about users, training, teams, and roles are squarely in this dimension.