How to Become Certified Implementation Specialist in ITSM - CIS ITSM

[BillMartin]

Hi there,

I recently passed my certification of CIS-ITSM and I want to share with you my journey.

The following steps are the prerequisites and have enabled me to prepare for the examination.

It is assumed that you have already passed your CSA certification.

1. ServiceNow Fundamentals- available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class (How to become CSA - Certified System Administrator)

2. ServiceNow Get Started with Now Create - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

3. ServiceNow Platform Implementation - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

4. CMDB Fundamentals - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

5. ServiceNow ITSM Fundamentals - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

6. ServiceNow ITSM Implementation - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

After taking the ServiceNow ITSM Implementation program, you will be given a voucher which you will use for your exam taking.

I have taken most of the training on-demand aside from numbers three and six.

I also strongly suggest taking practice exams from certshero and quizlet to help you have a feel on how the examination works.

There are two pathways webassessor will allow you to take the exams.

1. Onsite - where you need to go to an official exam center close to you or

2. Online - in the safety of your home or private room office. You will need to install a sentinel in your laptop do a few configurations like switching off your anti-virus, firewall to name a few. It is recommended to use your personal laptop and an external camera with a six-foot in length cable.

References:

Become a Certified Implementation Specialist - ITSM

CIS-ITSM Exam Blue Print

[Peeyush Jaroli]

Hi Bill,

Congratulations on clearing the exam and thanks for sharing the information.

I have a question - from the above list, all of them are available at some fees $300 for on demand and $2400 for live class. So it sums up to:

$300 *4 = $1200

$2400*2 = 4800

total = $6000

So, we have to spend that much to earn the CIS-ITSM certificate?

I just completed my ITSM fundamentals on demand course paying $300 and thought I would be able to purchase the exam voucher by paying another $450 but purchase voucher link is not yet available in my now learning portal.

Regards,

Peeyush Jaroli

[BillMartin]

Hi Peeyush,

You are correct, there is a financial prerequisite to achieve and take the training.

To be able to get a free exam voucher, you will need to complete number 6 which is ServiceNow ITSM Implementation.

Number 6 is dependent to numbers 1 to 5.

Thanks,

Bill

[Sam10]

Hi Bill,

I have a question,

could you confirm if I should have the CSA certification in order to take up the CIS exam? or can I go through the training material in NowLearning and study towards CIS and do only one exam instead of two?

Thanks

Sam

[BillMartin]

Hi Sam,

Yes, you are correct. After finishing number one (ServiceNow Fundamentals) you will receive a free exam voucher for you to be able to take the CSA Exam.

The CSA (Certified System Administrator) is the gateway or the prerequisite to all CIS certifications.

I will create a separate article on how to achieve CSA.

Thanks,

Bill

[Nilesh Joshi]

Hi All,

In Now Learning, it shows a Path which includes all the courses mentioned above by @BillMartin 

But I am curious, when I tried to register for the exam, it didnt ask for any Credit points or Course completion documents. 

Do you mean these courses will help to pass the exam but are not mandatory to appear for the exam? 

Regards,

Nilesh

[BillMartin]

Hi @Nilesh Joshi ,

The guide will give you confidence and guarantee to pass on your first take.

The exam blueprint states the recommended, required ServiceNow training. The points mentioned above complement this.

Hope it helps.

Thanks,

Bill

[MJ0608]

IT Service Management (ITSM) Implementation Simulator (San Diego)

Do I need to complete the IT Service Management (ITSM) Implementation Simulator (San Diego) to obtain the ITSM Voucher?

[BillMartin]

The syllabus changes as ServiceNow updates and improves the learning path.

You will find notes below provided in the screen shot that gives up-to-date guidance on the Tokyo version.

 

[sgarg06]

Hi Everyone, 

I just passed my CSA and would like to go ahead with ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist - IT Service Management (ITSM) 

Is it true that I have to pay around USD 6000 to complete this certification including the classes? Is it not like others where you prepare by yourself and just pay for the certification exam and go for it?

I can not spend USD 6000 so any suggestion is appreciated.

[Anish Reghu]

Join a partnered company of ServiceNow and all these certifications/ courses are complimentary (you get one time voucher) to take the exams. After which you have to pay 118$ to attempt next time. (allowed up to 3 reattempts).

Kindly mark my comment as Helpful, it helps.

Regards,

Anish

[Shazia]

Hello @BillMartin ,

If you can share your account details of certshero if you have got full access to the questions of CIS-ITSM or if you can tell me the process to get the access to all questions would help.

Regards

Shazia

[BillMartin]

Hi @Shazia  ,

You will see a sample practice test exam using this link

I suggest registering then you can start the purchase.

Kind regards,

Bill

[Alekhya P]

SkillCertPro's mock exams were a game-changer for me, providing a realistic testing environment and in-depth explanations. mock exams closely mirrored the format and difficulty level of the actual exam. They helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses. I got most of the questions from these mock exams.

https://skillcertpro.com/product/servicenow-cis-itsm-exam-questions/

[BillMartin]

well done @Alekhya P . thanks for sharing your experience. 

[pablolopez]

Hi Community,

I'm curious how long it took you to do all the courses from number 3

3. ServiceNow Platform Implementation - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

4. CMDB Fundamentals - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

5. ServiceNow ITSM Fundamentals - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

6. ServiceNow ITSM Implementation - available from Now Learning (on-demand) or online in class

I already have the other prerequisites as I have CSA and CAD, but I want to get an estimate of how long the training will take me.

Thanks!

[Simon Hendery]

Hi @pablolopez 

Everyone's learning speed, style of learning, and the time they have available to study per day/week is different but I would say ball park around 80 hours total learning time.

It also depends on how much ServiceNow knowledge you already have. It's theoretically possible to get your CIS-ITSM by only taking no. 6. So in theory, if you took the online ITSM implementation class, you could register for the exam after completing 3 days of training. 

[BillMartin]

@pablolopez , in addition to what @Simon Hendery mentioned since you already know the ServiceNow platform. knowing and passing CIS-ITSM should take no longer than a week or two to be fully integrated.

[Ct111]

So in short a freelancer can never ever think of doing certifications considering the cost of attaining a certification and maintainence of it

[BillMartin]

Not necessarily! While certifications can be expensive to obtain and maintain, they are not entirely out of reach for freelancers. Many freelancers see certifications as an investment in their careers because they can open doors to higher-paying opportunities and more credibility in the industry.

Hope this helps 😊

[FernandoUrrutia]

All certifications are maintein with unique pay call "CMP" the ServiceNow Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) is a yearly fee that allows certified users to maintain their certifications. The CMP also gives certified users access to take delta exams. It's not impossible for freelancer...

[JASSSONR]

thanks it helped a lot for me. But for practice tests I used Pass4 quiz becasue they have the latest questions and very identical to main exam, around 80% were similar to these tests on main exam and also they throw in free exam notes, which came in clutch for last-minute revision

[BillMartin]

thank you @JASSSONR for sharing us your experience!

[Nilesh Joshi]

Hi All,

Many responses above has already explained, just want to share my experience.

I have completed my CIS-ITSM certification in Jan 2025. here is what you will need for the preparation:

1. CSA (If you dont have CSA then you have to get this certification)

2. On Demand course: IT Service Management Fundamentals ($500)

3. On Demand course: IT Service Management Implementation ($500)

4. Purchase exam voucher ($400)

5. Schedule Exam (Use the Voucher purchased #4) Remember this is voucher only exam so you can't directly schedule exam using voucher. 

I was not sure if you need #2, I believe if you have enough ServiceNow experience and CSA then you can skip this course, that will save $500 @Ct111 . So if you prepare by your self then as a freelancer, I guess the cheapest you can get certified with $950 ($500 for #3 and $450 for #4)

All the best.

Cheers,

Nilesh

[Simon Hendery]

Hi @Nilesh Joshi 

There is a lot of incorrect information in your answer:

• CSA is not a prerequisite for CIS-ITSM
• Fundamentals course is not required (but highly recommended)
• Fundamentals course is now free
• Implementer course is now free

[Simon Hendery]

Hi @Ct111 

That's not necessarily true. Yes, it may be challenging but I'm a freelancer and I have four certifications, all attained while I was freelancing. 

[Nilesh Joshi]

@Simon Hendery 

You are wrong. check this journey link- https://learning.servicenow.com/lxp/en/pages/now-learning-get-certified?id=amap_detail&summary_id=79...

Both the courses are mandatory.

Regarding the fees, I am not sure if it is changed after January 2025, but in January those courses were paid and I paid for these courses. I can share my receipts if you need proof buddy 🙂

Cheers

Nilesh

[Simon Hendery]

Ok, @Nilesh Joshi, fair enough. However, even though the fundamentals course and the CSA are described as mandatory, in practice they aren't. 

To attain the CIS-ITSM cert you need to pass the exam, and to sit the exam you need the voucher, which you receive on completion of the implementation course. Technically, anyone can enrol in that course. You won't be excluded if you don't have the prerequisite courses. 

Without that prerequisite knowledge, of course, it's very hard to pass the exam, so taking the technically possible shortcut is definitely not recommended. 

ServiceNow scrapped the fees for its on-demand courses in February 2025, making learning much more accessible. You still have to pay to sit the exams and get certified, however.

[BillMartin]

If you're preparing for the CIS-ITSM certification or just starting your ServiceNow journey, getting a strong grasp of the platform's fundamentals is non-negotiable.

That’s why I created a full, beginner-friendly course on ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals, available for free on my YouTube channel. 

In this course, you’ll learn:

• How to navigate and customize the platform UI

• Core concepts like tables, forms, and lists

• Role-based access and data policies

• Introduction to scripting and configuration best practices

• Real-world admin use cases and practical demos

Whether you're new to ServiceNow or looking to solidify your knowledge before attempting the CIS-ITSM exam, this series will build your confidence and competence.

Watch the full course here: 

Why this matters:
A strong foundation in ServiceNow administration is key to mastering more advanced topics like ITSM, scripting, and application development. Before diving into certification prep, make sure you’ve built the skills that CIS-ITSM expects you to already know.

Let’s grow together. Start learning today, and empower yourself to pass the exam and thrive in your ServiceNow career!

#ServiceNow #CISITSM #ServiceNowAdmin #ServiceNowCertification #ServiceNowFundamentals #ServiceNowTraining #TechCareers #ITSM

[BillMartin]

I'm honestly amazed this post has reached over 27000 views. Thank you to everyone who’s read it, shared it, or found it helpful in any way.

When I was preparing for the Certified Implementation Specialist ITSM exam, I followed the official training path, but I also felt the need for something more practical and visual to truly understand the ITSM processes.

That experience inspired me to create a YouTube series focused on helping others grasp the core concepts of ITSM in a clear and straightforward way.

In this series, I walk through real examples of Incident Management, Problem Management, Change, Request, and other key areas. I made it with the intention of supporting both beginners and those actively preparing for the certification. If you're studying or just want to deepen your understanding of how ITSM works in ServiceNow, I believe these videos will be useful.

You can find the series by searching for TechTalk with Bill on YouTube. It’s completely free and I continue to upload new content based on community feedback and my own experiences in the field.

I hope this serves as a helpful companion to your learning journey. You are definitely not alone and you can do this.