What are your best tips and tricks when preparing/taking a ServiceNow Mainline Certification Exam?

[Kevin_Lee]

As we near the end of the calendar year, we tend to see an influx of certification exams taken during this period. Whether you are taking your first or tenth Mainline certification, what uncommon tips and tricks do you leverage when preparing for your exam or when you're sitting for your exam? 

(Reminder that everyone prepares and takes exams differently - be sure to take actions that work for you!)

[CharanjeetSingh]

Hi @Kevin_Lee ,

I have High-Five(Hi-Fi) rule for exams. For me the certification is like an exam. Same process I follow:

1. Read the documentation from Servicenow docs.

2. Take notes of everything

3. Have some hands on experience.

4. Prepare high level notes of practice.

5. Revise those notes.

Hopefully this will work for everyone.

Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charanjeet-singh-virdi-9739bb140

[rakeshkaira]

Hello @Kevin_Lee 

When preparing for a ServiceNow exam it requires both technical knowledge and effective exam strategies.Below are the tips and tricks I follow:

1. Familiarise with the Exam Blueprint.which covers high important areas and sections to focus on.

2.Understand key concepts thoroughly (be focus on fundamentals)

3. Do more Mock tests/Practice tests

4. Revisit the Training Course (which should cover key Concepts)

5.  Focus on Time Management…

[Anisa Chaudry]

Some things that work for me:

In general, physical flashcards (writing the info is part of the memory!). It also makes me research and translate info in a way that I understand, which makes things easier.

CSA exam: Get into the platform labs/simulators! They come with the fundamentals trainings. Memorizing definitions and terms is only half the battle with SN exams. You must truly understand the platform and the relationships within in. The exam will ask how one thing impacts another. 

SN exams: USE THE COMMUNITY! Coming from a non-tech background, I really didn't understand the lingo and jargon (umm whats an ITSM?). I was able to understand things better by searching for explanations on the Community that explained things in a more digestible way.

Good luck everyone!

[MBarrott]

I've passed two certs this year (CSA and CAD) - currently working on my third. I can safely say the following things helped me learn and retain knowledge for the exams:

1. Work through the recommended courses, labs and eBooks: review the learning paths for your respective certification and pace yourself through the material. If you hear about additional material while watching another then look it up on Now Learning. While some courses might not be required for the exam, they can be very beneficial. The material for the exam will be in these courses so give yourself ample time to read, review and re-read any and all sections. 

2. Place a good focus on the eBooks. The video lessons are good but the eBooks take it to another level and add much more detail - you're also going to likely see terminology and phrasing which may well return in the exam and help as an indicator to the answer.

3. Take notes on unknown or new information - if you clearly know certain things then don't waste time taking pointless notes, you'll just have a notepad full of stuff you already knew and the core material you really need to revise will be lost in the weeds. 

4. Manage your learning time - dedicate set hours, minutes, whatever you have to learning. I would give myself certain hours after work, pace myself appropriately and therefore set realistic expectations. Example, if one course is reportedly 10 hours and I'm studying M-F 1 hour a night, then I know that I'm wrapping it up in 2ish weeks (note taking and weekend/additional hours aside). This can help set targets on when to take the exam and hold yourself accountable. 

5. Experience - easier for some if they are working in SNOW already but personal instances are free! Get one either through the lab courses or through the SNOW Dev site. Make and break things! Even if I'm trying new ideas at work I may fire up my PDI and experiment, there's no risk at all. The benefit of breaking things is that you're forced to investigate. Look up answers online, review the error codes, check out SNOW Community for ideas or suggestions on how to fix. Delving just that extra degree can be all the difference in retain knowledge.