ServiceNow HELP !!

[vidishaagarwal5]

Hi 

I am new to ServiceNow. What should I read first like any path admin or dev or any videos??

Any course needed?? I am confused!!

[Dr Atul G- LNG · Accepted solution]

I’m a ServiceNow trainer and happy to share my thoughts on this. ServiceNow is becoming increasingly broad and deep these days, and the best way to kickstart your journey is by earning the CSA (Certified System Administrator) certification. The CSA provides a solid understanding of the platform, its terminology, and core modules. Once you get hands-on experience with the platform through CSA, you can decide on your next path.

Employers value professionals with experience across multiple modules, so it’s important to expand your knowledge and add more products to your portfolio. Consider focusing on areas like ITSM, GRC, HRSD, CSM, or SecOps.

Currently, the training is free, which is a fantastic opportunity. However, the real challenge is gaining hands-on experience. To overcome this, the ServiceNow community is an excellent resource. Dedicate at least 1-2 hours a day engaging with the community — read questions others are asking and contribute your own responses. Over time, this will improve your skills and boost your confidence.

Additionally, mastering scripting is essential if you want to become a developer. There are many courses and exercises available on developer.servicenow.com to help you practice and enhance your scripting skills, which will strengthen your portfolio.

Start with the CSA certification and then choose your next step based on your interests — whether that’s development, becoming a Business Analyst, Change Manager, or Project Manager. A solid foundation will give you the flexibility to pursue any domain you prefer.

Preferred and recommend course for CSA:

https://learning.servicenow.com/lxp/en/now-platform/certified-system-administrator-csa-learning-path...

Admin Journey

https://learning.servicenow.com/lxp/en/pages/journey-overview?id=journey_overview&journey_id=55f79b4...

You can follow my batch 17 playlist as well

[Rafael Batistot · Accepted solution]

Hi @vidishaagarwal5 

You’re just starting with ServiceNow, and that confusion is super common. ServiceNow is a huge platform, and the learning path depends a bit on whether you want to be more of an administrator (config/setup/customization without too much coding) or a developer (scripting, integrations, building apps).

Here’s a clear path for beginners:

Step 1 – Understand the Basics

• What is ServiceNow? → It’s a cloud platform that provides ITSM (IT Service Management), ITOM, HR, Security, etc.
• Learn the UI basics: navigation, tables, forms, lists, modules.
• Explore the ServiceNow documentation portal → docs.servicenow.com.

Do this first:

• Sign up for a free ServiceNow Personal Developer Instance (PDI) at developer.servicenow.com.
• Play around with the instance (it’s the best way to learn).

Step 2 – Follow a Structured Learning Path

ServiceNow actually provides free courses on the Developer site and Now Learning.

Recommended beginner paths:

• ServiceNow Fundamentals (free on Now Learning → gives you the foundation of tables, forms, lists, roles, etc.).
• Admin Fundamentals (if you want to be an admin).
• Scripting in ServiceNow (if you want to be a developer).
• CSA Exam Prep Path (if you want certification → CSA = Certified System Administrator).

Video resources:

• YouTube → “ServiceNow Admin/Developer Basics” channels (great for short lessons).
• ServiceNow’s official channel has good demos.

Step 3 – Pick a Direction

• Admin path: Focus on roles, groups, users, tables, access control, forms, UI policies, catalog items, workflows, reporting.
• Developer path: Learn GlideRecord, Client Scripts, Business Rules, Script Includes, REST APIs, integrations.

A lot of people start with Admin, then grow into Dev.

Step 4 – Build Confidence by Practice

• Start with small exercises → create a custom table, add forms, create catalog items, apply a UI Policy.
• Gradually explore Workflows & Flows, then move into scripting.

Step 5 – Certification (Optional but Valuable)

• First target: CSA (Certified System Administrator).
• After CSA, you can go for CAD (App Developer) or specialization certs (ITSM, HR, Scripting).

My recommendation for you right now:

1. Get a free PDI.
2. Start ServiceNow Fundamentals (free).
3. Explore Admin basics before going deep into scripting.

[Pradeep Thipani · Accepted solution]

Hi @vidishaagarwal5 ,

Great to hear that you're starting your journey with ServiceNow! I recommend beginning with the basics  you can find plenty of introductory courses on the ServiceNow Community and YouTube. These resources will help you build a solid foundation.

Start by logging into ServiceNow University and taking the "Welcome to ServiceNow" course — you’ll earn a micro-certification upon completion.

Next, work towards the Certified System Administrator (CSA) and Certified Application Developer (CAD) certifications.

Once you're comfortable with the basics, dive into the ITSM (IT Service Management) module. It's a core module and will give you a strong foundation to understand other modules in ServiceNow more effectively.

Link: https://www.servicenow.com/university/training-and-certification.html?state=seamless

Thanks,

Pradeep

[GlideFather · Accepted solution]

Hi @vidishaagarwal5,

first of all, welcome to the Platform of platform 🚀

You should start with ServiceNow University (ex- Now Learning, if you'l see it, it's the same)

• https://www.servicenow.com/community/servicenow-university/ct-p/sn-university
• scroll down and select your path and you will have many courses suggested,
• most of it si free, but something (absolute minority) is paid
• Enrol to Welcome to ServiceNow training and get your first cert 
• it was very helpful even for me with years of experience when I took it

Then you can practice after creating your own PDI (Personal Developer Instance)

• You can have your own ServiceNow platform without a worry that you break something,
• except of AI and few more features you can try everything on your own for free!
• Also PDI shows you "how it should look like"
• Request your PDI here:
• https://developer.servicenow.com/dev.do 
• And also here in the top there are tabs:
• Learning Path
• Courses
• Learn
• Certifications
• These will also help you understand and learn new things, you can get back to it when it's needed

At the ServiceNow University you collect points, badges and (micro-)certifications, on the Developer site is is just for you to learn without "reward", reward is what you will take from that class.

The very first training/certificate that you should take is Certified System Administrator (CSA), it is a must. If you are preparing yourself you might need to invest some money here, but it is worthy.

Happy learning and ask question in this Community when you will face any issues, you will receive support and help. Good luck!

[Pradeep Thipani · Accepted solution]

Hi @vidishaagarwal5 ,

Great to hear that you're starting your journey with ServiceNow! I recommend beginning with the basics  you can find plenty of introductory courses on the ServiceNow Community and YouTube. These resources will help you build a solid foundation.

Start by logging into ServiceNow University and taking the "Welcome to ServiceNow" course — you’ll earn a micro-certification upon completion.

Next, work towards the Certified System Administrator (CSA) and Certified Application Developer (CAD) certifications.

Once you're comfortable with the basics, dive into the ITSM (IT Service Management) module. It's a core module and will give you a strong foundation to understand other modules in ServiceNow more effectively.

Link: https://www.servicenow.com/university/training-and-certification.html?state=seamless

Thanks,

Pradeep

[GlideFather · Accepted solution]

Hi @vidishaagarwal5,

first of all, welcome to the Platform of platform 🚀

You should start with ServiceNow University (ex- Now Learning, if you'l see it, it's the same)

• https://www.servicenow.com/community/servicenow-university/ct-p/sn-university
• scroll down and select your path and you will have many courses suggested,
• most of it si free, but something (absolute minority) is paid
• Enrol to Welcome to ServiceNow training and get your first cert 
• it was very helpful even for me with years of experience when I took it

Then you can practice after creating your own PDI (Personal Developer Instance)

• You can have your own ServiceNow platform without a worry that you break something,
• except of AI and few more features you can try everything on your own for free!
• Also PDI shows you "how it should look like"
• Request your PDI here:
• https://developer.servicenow.com/dev.do 
• And also here in the top there are tabs:
• Learning Path
• Courses
• Learn
• Certifications
• These will also help you understand and learn new things, you can get back to it when it's needed

At the ServiceNow University you collect points, badges and (micro-)certifications, on the Developer site is is just for you to learn without "reward", reward is what you will take from that class.

The very first training/certificate that you should take is Certified System Administrator (CSA), it is a must. If you are preparing yourself you might need to invest some money here, but it is worthy.

Happy learning and ask question in this Community when you will face any issues, you will receive support and help. Good luck!

[AbinC]

HI @vidishaagarwal5 ,

There you go:

https://www.servicenow.com/community/in-other-news/where-do-i-start-my-servicenow-career/ba-p/227840...

After you are done reading this, get yourself a 'Personal Developer Instance from - developer.service-now.com and start exploring.

You will also have some great lab exercises within the CSA course on nowlearning. However, its always a great idea to have some hands-on exercise within the platform before you appear for the exams. 

After you are done with above things, you won't need any dumps or questions but just in case you still want to practice to build confidence, try some practice tests for CSA on udemy (personal advise).

At last, all the very best. This is indeed a great platform, you will love it.

Consider indicating the response as helpful and mark it as a solution 

Thanks,

Abin Chacko. 

[pranita-24]

Hi @vidishaagarwal5 

If you’re new to ServiceNow, the best starting point is the ServiceNow Fundamentals course on Now Learning. It gives you the basics like navigation, tables, forms, and lists. Alongside that, request a free Personal Developer Instance (PDI) from developer.servicenow.com so you can practice hands-on.

If you’re more interested in the Admin side, go through Admin Fundamentals (users, roles, ACLs, data management).
If you want to become a Developer, then focus on Developer Fundamentals—JavaScript in ServiceNow, client/server scripts, and Glide APIs.

For both paths, the first certification you should target is CSA (Certified System Administrator), since it’s the foundation for everything else. And don’t forget to follow YouTube tutorials and the ServiceNow community—they’re super helpful when you get stuck.

Start simple, get hands-on in your PDI, and build your way up gradually.

If my answer helped you, please mark it - Solution accepted. 
Thanks,
Pranita D

[Ravi Gaurav · Accepted solution]

And @vidishaagarwal5 
Additional to my previous comment you can follow :-

Path 1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKH9bPqlw1ncPZOiKF-7lkI333Mm7Tr6w

Path 2:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKH9bPqlw1nen-RLWgf1X5accRsYBUSjL

Path 3:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKH9bPqlw1nekIBUOPh5tAfXoPCFHrL5X

Path 4:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKH9bPqlw1neGCJbunoZl7ag-zYxyi8Oe