From Preparation to Pass: My CIS – Data Foundation Exam Experience (Everything You Must Know)

[Shashank_Jain]

Hello Community Members,

This is Shashank Jain. I recently passed the CIS – Data Foundation exam, and since the experience is still fresh in my mind, I decided to write this post to help clear any doubts you may have about the exam.

This post is especially for those who are currently preparing or planning to start their preparation soon. I’ll be sharing the exam pattern, topic-wise weightage, difficulty level, and some practical preparation tips based on my experience.

1. Exam Pattern : 
The exam consists of 75 questions, and the total time allocated is 1 hour and 30 minute

2. Types of Questions :

• Single Correct Choice
  These questions have only one correct answer.
  (Approximately 45 questions)

• Double Correct Choice
  These questions have two correct answers, and you must select both to get the question right.
  (Approximately 20 questions)

• Match the Following
  You need to correctly match the items in the left column with their corresponding meanings in the right column.
  (Approximately 10 questions)
  

3. Topics and Weightage in the Exam : 
Below is a breakdown of the major topics covered in the exam, along with their approximate weightage, difficulty level, and preparation tips.

A. Configure (15%)

Approx. Questions: 11
Level: Easy – You can score more than 90% or even 100%

In this section, you will go through topics such as CI Class Manager, IRE (Identification and Reconciliation Engine) overview, and CMDB 360.

This topic is easy to understand. Once you go through the simulator provided for these topics, you will find it very manageable and can potentially score up to 100%.

B. Ingest (19%)

Approx. Questions: 14
Level: Moderate – You can score more than 75%

This topic focuses on how data is brought into the ServiceNow CMDB and the different methods available.

It is more theoretical in nature. You need to clearly understand how each ingestion method works and how they differ from one another. If you go through the theory 2–3 times, you will start gaining clarity and confidence.

C. Govern (35%)

Approx. Questions: 27
Level: Easy – You can score more than 85%

This is the most important and highest-weighted topic. It covers how you maintain and manage CMDB data.

It is a vast topic, but if you dedicate proper time to understanding each terminology and go through the simulator carefully, you will start connecting the concepts easily.

D. Insight (20%)

Approx. Questions: 15
Level: Easy – You can score more than 85%

This topic focuses on how to visualize CMDB data.

It is not very vast. Go through Maps and related features in your PDI (Personal Developer Instance). Once you see things practically, this topic becomes easy and less time-consuming.

E. CSDM (11%)

Approx. Questions: 8
Level: Moderate – You can score more than 75%

For many of you, this topic might be new. CSDM is a framework that includes domains and stages.

It is more theoretical and might feel a little boring at first. However, once you start relating those domains and stages to real-world scenarios, it becomes much easier.

You must clearly understand the meaning of each domain and stage; otherwise, the options in the exam can become confusing.

Note: Do not ignore this topic just because it has a lower percentage weightage. It can create trouble if not prepared well. Go through it in depth and memorize the key terms properly.

Tip: Stay consistent, focus on understanding rather than memorizing, and make sure you practice using your PDI wherever possible.

Note: I see many people are still confused or feeling nervous about this exam. If you’re interested, we can start a series of posts dedicated to CIS – Data Foundation exam preparation.

In this series, I can share my personal notes, explain how the questions were structured, provide sample questions, and even offer guidance based on my experience.

If you think this would help you, please comment on this post. If there’s enough interest from the community, I’ll definitely start the series.