ITIL V4 foundation exam pattern

What is the purpose of ITIL V4 foundation?

The purpose of ITIL V4 foundation is to introduce readers to the management of modern IT-enabled services, they also providing with an understanding of the common language and key concepts and show them how they can improve their work and their organization with ITIL V4 guidance.

About the exam

1. 60 minutes: 

• Candidates taking the exam in a language that is not in their native or working language may be awarded 25% extra time, total 75 minutes.

2. 40 questions, each question is worth 1 mark and no negative marks, and all questions multiple choice type only:

• Standard, Missing word, List (like 2 correct items), Negative (like which one is not correct)

3. Pass marks 65% or higher (26 marks or above)
4. Bloom's levels 1 and 2: 

• 9 questions at Bloom's level 1 (Recall)=22.5% 
• 31 questions at Bloom's level 2 (Understand, Describe, Explain) = 77.5%

I am also providing sample questions of ITIL V4 exam, click the below link

Getting Started with ITIL V4

Essential Topics for the ITIL V4 Exam

Sample questions of ITIL V4 (service, service management)

Four Dimensions of Service Management sample questions

Essential Topics for the ITIL V4 Exam

Introduction:

Embarking on a journey to obtain ITIL V4 Foundation certification is a strategic move for professionals in the realm of IT service management. As the cornerstone of ITIL certification levels, the Foundation exam equips individuals with fundamental knowledge and principles that are indispensable in today's dynamic IT landscape. In this blog, we'll delve into the essential topics you need to master to excel in the ITIL V4 Foundation exam.

Understanding the ITIL Framework:

Familiarize yourself with the core concepts of the ITIL framework, including its evolution, key principles, and benefits.

Gain insights into the structure of ITIL V4, which comprises the Service Value System (SVS), the Service Value Chain, and the four dimensions of service management.

Service Management:

Explore the fundamentals of service management, including its definition, objectives, and importance in driving business value.

Grasp the concepts of stakeholders, value co-creation, and the Service Relationship Model, which underpin effective service management practices.

Service Value System (SVS):

Dive into the components of the SVS, such as the Service Value Chain, the Guiding Principles, Governance, Continual Improvement, and the Practices.

Understand how these components interact to facilitate the creation, delivery, and continual improvement of services that meet customer needs and organizational goals.

Service Value Chain:

Delve into the activities within the Service Value Chain, namely Plan, Improve, Engage, Design & Transition, Obtain/Build, and Deliver & Support.

Learn how each stage contributes to the value creation process and enables organizations to respond effectively to changing market demands and customer expectations.

ITIL Practices:

Explore the ITIL practices, which encompass a set of organizational resources designed to achieve specific objectives.

Gain proficiency in key practices such as Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Control, Service Level Management, and Continual Improvement.

Service Lifecycle:

Acquaint yourself with the ITIL service lifecycle stages: Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, and Continual Service Improvement.

Understand the purpose and activities associated with each stage, along with their interdependencies and contribution to overall service delivery excellence.

Continual Service Improvement (CSI):

Appreciate the significance of CSI in fostering a culture of ongoing improvement and innovation within organizations.

Learn about the CSI approach, including the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and the role of metrics in measuring service performance and maturity.

Conclusion:

Mastering the topics outlined above lays a solid foundation for success in the ITIL V4 Foundation exam and, more importantly, for driving tangible improvements in service management practices within your organization. By understanding the core principles, frameworks, and practices of ITIL V4, you'll be well-equipped to navigate the complexities of modern IT environments and deliver value-driven services that meet the evolving needs of your customers and stakeholders. So, roll up your sleeves, dive into the study materials, and embark on your journey to ITIL mastery!

Topics for ITIL V4 exam:

Service Management:

• Services and Products
• Service Management
• Value
• Organizations
• Service consumer roles
• Stakeholders
• Service Offering
• Service Relationship
• Service Provisioning & Service Consumption
• Service Relationship Model
• Outcomes, Costs and Risks
• Service Facilitate Outcomes
• Utility and Warranty

4-Dimensional Service Management: 

• Dimension 1: Organizations & People 
• Dimension 2: Information & Technology
• Dimension 3: Partners & Suppliers
• Dimension 4: Value Streams & Processes

Service Value System: 

• Inputs of the SVS 
• Outcome of the SVS
• Components of the SVS

• Guiding Principle
• Governance
• Service Value Chain
• Practices
• Continual Improvement

 

1. Guiding Principle 

2. Governance 

3. Service Value Chain: 

• Value Chain Interactions with Practices
• Service Value Chain Activities
• Value Streams and the Service Value Chain

4. Continual Improvement 

5. Categories of Practices 

Sample questions of ITIL V4 - Four Dimensions of Service Management

1.Which service management dimension is focused on the communication systems and knowledge bases used by employees?

A) Organizations and people

B) Information and technology

C) Partners and suppliers

D) Value streams and processes


Answer: B

The information and technology dimension focuses on the information and knowledge necessary for the management of services, as well as the technologies required.


2.Which service management dimension is focused on the roles and responsibilities of the people involved in a process workflow?


A) Organizations and people

B) Information and technology

C) Partners and suppliers

D) Value streams and processes


Answer: A

The organization and people dimension of a service covers roles and responsibilities, formal organizational structures, culture, and required staffing and competencies to the creation, delivery, and important of a service.


3.Which service dimension is focused on an organization's relationships with other organizations in order to deliver its services?


A) Organizations and people

B) Information and technology

C) Partners and suppliers

D) Value streams and processes


Answer: C

The partners and suppliers dimension focuses on the organization's relationships with other organizations that are involved in the design, development, deployment, delivery, support, and/or continual improvement of services.


4. Which is not a key focus of the information and technology dimension?


A) Workflow management and inventory systems

B) Security and compliance

C) Roles and responsibilities

D) Communication systems and knowledge bases


Answer: C

The organization and people dimension of a service covers roles and responsibilities, formal organizational structures, culture, and required staffing and competencies to the creation, delivery, and important of a service.


5. Which service management dimension is focused on activities and how these are coordinated?


A) Organizations and people

B) Information and technology

C) Partners and suppliers

D) Value streams and processes


Answer: D

The value stream and processes dimension focus on what activities the organization undertakes, and how they are organized, as well as how the organization ensures that it is enabling value creation for all stakeholders efficiently and effectively.


6. Which dimension of service management considers governance, management, and communication?


A) Organizations and people

B) Information and technology

C) Partners and suppliers

D) Value streams and processes



Answer: A

It is important to ensure that the way an organization is structured and managed, as well as its roles, responsibilities, and systems of authority and communication, is well defined and supports its overall strategy and operating model.

Most common interview questions and answers

 1. Tell me about yourself?

This is [Your name] ,   I am a specialist/expert in [your area] with [no of years]  experience and the [so and so] companies that you have worked.

I love to do [Your passion], [one favorite  hobby]

You can highlight any key achievement that is relevant to the job that you are applying for. 

DO NOT bore the interviewer to death,  think of this as a warm-up question, you don't want to strain yourself and the interviewer. 

2.  Why have you applied for this role?

I have applied for this role because the key responsibilities of role are [ 2, 3 key responsibilities from the job post] , and I have previously worked on similar roles with responsibilities [ 2, 3 key responsibilities from your previous experience]  , If you don't have prior experience then you can replace the above with ,  Some of my key strengths are [2/3 key strengths that require for the job and you possess].

So , I see a match with my prior experience / skillset to the job requirements, that's why I have applied for this role.

3.  What is your strength and weakness?

 

My key strength is [you're an area of expertise ], and how  [ you have used it before ] 

My weakness is [ ex : public speaking, ability to say NO]  and [what are you doing to overcome them]

 

4.   Tell me the most difficult task that you have performed recently.

Use your STAR : Situation, Task , Action, Result.

 Example: [S] we have recently launched our app in a new country,  the downloads were overwhelming but the conversation rate to sale was very less compared to other regions we have launched before, [T] I was given this task to investigate.   [A] I have spoken to a few users and quickly realized the UI was not that intuitive, so users are simply using services from other competitors.  I have communicated this internally and organized a plan to fix the problem and documented the learning for other regions. [R] This has resulted in a successful conversation rate dramatically and also we did not face this problem with other regions that we have launched. 

 

 

Debt recycling case study

 Debt recycling:

Debt recycling is generally one of the strategy for the people who wants to build wealth from debt effectively.    

When planned and executed properly debt recycling can work in favour but it's definitely not risk free thus it will not sure everyone.  Let's understand this in detail with a case study.

Case Study:

Tom is an illusionary person for this case study purpose with Annual income of $100, 000.  Depending upon the country he is leaving he will have to pay tax on that income to the government.  For this case study purposes let's say the tax rate is 35%.

He bought a home with loan (mortgage) of $400, 000 5 years ago.   He has been paying around $2000 monthly repayments at an interest rate of 4% over 30 years.  He was also making significant lump sums payments during this period to reduce the overall debt and after the end of the 5-year period his remaining loan principal = $250, 000. 

Tom has relativity stable job and mostly he manages his expenses pretty well and he decided to invest in shares with the view of achieving financial freedom in life. 

As like most countries, Tom lives in a country which encourages investments with the incentives.  

One of which is: Tax deductible interest that is paid towards acquiring investments assets.   That means if Tom borrows $10,000 from a bank to invest in shares any interest that he is going to pay on this $10,000 is tax deductible.  

Tom has below options with money that he will have after paying all the bills (and lifestyle expenses) at the end of the month.

1. He could make additional payments into the mortgage

2. He could buy shares with that money to achieve his goal

3.  And here comes the third option .. Debt recycling .. 

First 2 options are fairly straight forward and in fact even the third one as a concept and theory is not that complex.  so, what is that? 

Debt recycling 

He pays additional savings into the mortgage and borrows money from the bank to invest. 

Ohh well, how is that helpful? Here is how .. 

Tom has essentially reduced his nondeductible debt by paying down his mortgage and borrowed money has deductible debt to invest. Numbers ..

So, the whole concept in a picture, 

Over the period, he could repeat this process to significantly built his asset column and also reinvest the profits (after tax) back into assets.  

So why not everyone is doing it?

1.    The assets that acquired with the borrowed money has to produce significant returns/profits to offset the interest that he is going to pay on the borrowed money. 

2. Generally, money borrowed for investments comes with higher interest rate and it is often require good serviceability.

3. Interest rates are not often fixed. if you choose variable interest rate, it could go up and thus the need for investments to produce more profits.

 Thank you so much for reading all the way through!!. Again, this blog post is to explain my understanding of debt recycling and I am not an accountant and financial advisor. :).

 

 

Syllabus for CSA Exam

Certified System Administrator

  

       There are 5 modules:

1. User Interface & Navigation

2. Collaboration

3.Database Administration

4.Self-Service and Process Automation

5. Introduction to development

Module 1: User Interface & Navigation :

• Application & Modules 
• Lists and Filters
• Form Configuration
• Branding

   

 Module 2: Collaboration : 

• Task Management
• Notifications
• Reporting

Module 3: Database Administration : 

• Data Schema
• Application/Access Control
• Importing Data
• CMDB ( Configuration Management Database )

Module 4: Self-Service and Process Automation : 

• Knowledge Management
• Service Catalog
• Flow Designer

Module 5: Introduction to Development : 

• Basic Scripting
• Migration and Integration 
• Developer Tools 

ATF Parameterized Testing

Parameterized Testing within Automation testing framework is a feature that allows to run same Tests with different inputs thereby eliminating the need to copy the Tests. 

For example,  this feature comes handy if you wanted to automate the testing of a particular form.  the high level categorization of steps for it would be,

• Open form
• Fill fields
• Submit the form.

Once you have the above steps configured, you can define different parameter test sets using which the steps will run multiple times for different inputs into the fields.  

As of NewYork release, there is a limitation that these parameters can't be accessed with Run Server Side Step.

In this article, I will describe how to define a custom step to take the advantage of parameterized test at Server Side.

New Step Config:

• Navigate to Step configuration from left navigation menu and create a New Test Step Config

• Define input variable to this step to pass parameters from the step to the Server script, for this article I have created 2 input variables.

• Access newly defined input parameters in the Step definition script using the input object,  use these input variables as needed and define script as needed to process these input parameters

• Lets test the above step configuration definition, so lets create a new Test, I have also defined  Exclusive Parameters and enable Parametersing testing

•  I have created new Test step from the above defined Step configuration,  and tagged in parameters to the input variables.

 

Now the set up is complete, its to Test it with Test Data sets, I have defined the same and next screen to show the above set up has worked like a charm

Its not ideal to define a step configuration for each time you need to parameters at the Server Side but you can define a generic Test Config to club few use cases into one and also you can also define your input parameters as generic a JSON object and also another input param to pass script to be executed in the step config.  You get the idea.............