How to Not Fail your ServiceNow Certification Exam

[Dylan Mann1]

Want a foolproof plan to guarantee success on your ServiceNow Certification Exam? Well, this isn't it, but it's as close as I can get! I'm not offering any guarantees, but what I can offer is a guide which has been proven successful for both myself and the rest of my team. By the end of reading this post my goal is to have you feeling prepared and confident to go out and crush your ServiceNow certification exam!

Who is This Post For?

This post is for anyone looking to prepare for their certification exam(s). Whether it be the System Administrator Exam, Application Developer Exam, or both, you've come to the right place.

If you're new to ServiceNow, I'll share my story and process of going from having zero knowledge of the platform to becoming a skilled ServiceNow developer and passing both certification exams. If you already have experience with the platform and just want some extra study materials there's something here for you as well.          

My Journey

When I was offered the opportunity to join my company's ServiceNow team I had no experience or knowledge of the platform. I was challenged with the goal of going through the training, learning the ins and outs of ServiceNow and passing both of my certification exams. I started out by simply creating a developer account, claiming my own PDI and going through the ServiceNow learning plans. It's important to note, when learning ServiceNow there is no substitute for working hands on with the platform. If you're just getting started, claim a PDI, (it's FREE) and go through the learning plans completing each exercise. By the end you'll have a decent understanding of what the platform can do and how to use it.

There are 3 main learning plans, with the "Getting Started with ServiceNow" learning path covering all 3 in one. For the first two weeks I spent my time going through the modules, reading the docs, completing the exercises and taking notes on the core concepts of each.

After completing all the training modules I began studying various study materials and resources throughout the web and ServiceNow community. I studied flashcards endlessly, referred to the exam blueprints and studied the specified material within the ServiceNow documentation. I took Udemy courses and practice exams but still didn't feel comfortable with the exam. So I went through the training modules again, rereading the documentation and redoing the exercises because again, there is no better substitute for working hands on with the platform. Going through the second time, I noticed there were several details I overlooked during my first read through. I had a better understanding of what I was reading and the information was better committed to memory. A lot of the questions are taken directly from the learning path so I highly recommend going over them again to prepare yourself for your test. After enough dedicated study and practice working with ServiceNow, you should be in good shape to go out and crush your exam.

Starting your own ServiceNow Journey

Review the exam blueprints

I'm putting these blueprints up first because I believe they're the most valuable resource you can find. It gives you the prerequisites for the exam, lists out what a successful candidate can do in ServiceNow, the exam structure, learning domains and even sample test questions. If you go through the blueprint and truly understand each topic listed you will have no problem passing the exam.

System Administration Exam Blueprint

Application Developer Exam Blueprint

Read through the learning plans and do the exercises

This covers all topics and learning plans in one convenient package. It's jam packed with valuable information about the platform and exercises to practice working within ServiceNow. Many of the questions on the exam will be taken directly from these documents and exercises. You must know this material!

The "Getting Started with ServiceNow" Learning Plan

Take a Udemy Course

These Udemy Courses are a great resource for an indepth look into the platform. If you don't have the opportunity to learn from an experienced ServiceNow developer first hand, you can watch these tutorials and see how the experts do it. Once you create a Udemy Account you get great discounts on the courses, but if you don't feel like dropping the cash I totally get it. There are plenty of other great free resources online.

ServiceNow System Admin and App Developer Udemy Courses

Engage with the community and read the ServiceNow Documentation

While working with the platform, which I highly recommend you do as often as possible, you're going to come across some issues or roadblocks. If you need help or are looking for answers, there's no better place to go than the ServiceNow Documentation page or the ServiceNow Community Forum. The SN Documentation is fresh off the press and is continually being updated. The Community Forum is a great place to ask questions, interact with other developers and learn from others around you.

ServiceNow Community Forum

ServiceNow Developer Documentation

Review Flash Cards

If you're looking for pure study materials for your test, these flashcards are a great resource. The System Admin flashcards are broken up by module so you can break down your plan of study into digestible pieces. Check out the App Developer flashcards to find information on team development, scripting, application security and working with data.

System Administration Exam Flashcards

Application Developer Exam Flashcards

Take a Practice Exam

Take this practice exam to get a sense of what the test questions are like. Some of these questions are taken directly from the exam and serve as a good way to measure how prepared you really are.

Classmarker Practice Exam

Know What to Expect

• The exam has 60 Questions
• To pass you need a score of 70% or better
• The questions are multiple choice, true or false and select all that apply
• You have 90 minutes to complete the exam

**Check out the exam blueprint for more detailed information

Hopefully this post has given you some resources to study from and calmed some of your anxieties about the test. If you feel like you know the material, be confident and know you'll do fine. The test is nothing to be afraid of, and if you feel like you don't know the material, keep learning!

Did this post help you at all? Do you have any further recommendations for anyone planning on taking the test? Do you disagree with me, or is there something I missed or got wrong? Please comment! Let's start a discussion and help each other learn about this awesome platform.

More Discussions and Resources you can check out

How to Cheat on Your ServiceNow Certification Exam by

Learning ServiceNow from Scratch and Prepping for the Certification Exam by

Discussion on Changes made to the Implementation Specialist Certification

Discussion on Beginners Learning ServiceNow  

Register for your Exam Here

[aash313]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I have few questions if you don't mind! Did you have to take their 3 day online class? if so how was it!! also is it mandatory to take both exams the SN Administration and SN Developer? Did you take the exam in a test center or did you take it online!! In the links you posted for the flashcards was there any exam questions like the ones in flashcards?

Thanks again.

[Dave Smith1]

Did you have to take their 3 day online class? 

My understanding is that it's possible to pay for - and sit the exam - without having taken any of the classes. (I frequently encounter many boasting the CSA badge and yet appear very unfamiliar with the platform; when asked about their course they sheepishly admit they never took one, just crammed for answers and played with a developer instance).   However, the Fundamentals course comes with an exam voucher allowing you one free attempt at CSA.

is it mandatory to take both exams the SN Administration and SN Developer? 

None of the exams are mandatory.

Did you take the exam in a test center or did you take it online!! 

The exams are assessed online by Kryterion.   I did mine in a test centre where they sit you in front of a laptop with a connection to Kryterion's WebAssessor software - essentially the test centre is just a different environment to sit in front of a PC.

But I - and a few work colleagues - found it easier to attend a test centre than tidy a room that met their exam conditions.

In the links you posted for the flashcards was there any exam questions like the ones in flashcards?

Only Dylan can answer that, but even if he reveals that every question he sat was identical to those in flashcards, there's no guarantee you'll get the same set of questions.   The last time I looked at flashcards I was amused at how outdated they were (due to the flashcard authors neglecting updates since Fuji) and I've made my feelings known about the veracity of third-party exam dump sites.   But I won't stop anyone from using them, believing them to be useful.

[Dylan Mann1]

Thanks for the reply Ashraf! I wrote this post to help people feel prepared for the exam, and calm any worries they may have, don't let anyone discourage you. If you know the platform you should have no problem passing the exam.

For your first question, no you don't have to take the 3 day course. In my own experience taking that course was way out of my budget so I did my own training for free.

Like David said, none of the exams are mandatory. You can take just the system admin exam, or just the developer exam, both or neither. It's totally up to you. I also took my exams at a test center and had an all around positive experience.

When taking the exam there were questions that mirrored a few of the flash cards, but I think to focus solely on those flash cards in the hopes that they'll give you all the answers would be the wrong approach. You need to work with the platform and gain as much experience as you can. I think the best approach is going through the training modules 2 or even 3 times, reading and practicing the material. These are really just tools to help you learn about ServiceNow and to help you prepare for the exam. Don't let any negativity make you second guess yourself, if you know the platform you'll do fine.