A ServiceNow Veteran’s Approach to Studying for Certification Exams

[Allen Andreas]

A ServiceNow Veteran’s Approach to Studying for Certification Exams

So, how do you study for a ServiceNow exam? Everyone has different approaches to learning something new. For those of us who've been in the ServiceNow ecosystem for a while, we probably have an efficient system down. We're familiar with Now Learning, the documentation site, and more.

ServiceNow veterans rarely discuss our study methods, which can give the impression that we instantly "get it." This can be frustrating for newcomers, making them feel like they might not belong in this industry if things don’t come easily.

While some topics click naturally, most of us don’t just wing it when preparing for certification exams (right? 😆).

So, I wanted to share my approach to studying for a certification exam. Let's say I'm planning to take the Certified Implementation Specialist - Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) exam. Here's what I'd do:

• Review the CIS-SPM ServiceNow Blueprint for exam details and copy the "Exam Scope" section
• Create a Word doc to take general notes for the Fundamentals course
• Create a Word doc and paste in the "Exam Scope" section for the Implementation course (see screenshot for example)
  
• Complete the On-Demand SPM Fundamentals and Implementation Courses, essentially typing out (not copy and paste) most of the entire course into their respective Word docs
• Schedule the exam for 1 month out (this is to mentally set that goal and lock it in)
  • Study plan:
    • Week 1: Study 2-3 hours
    • Week 2: Study 2-3 hours
    • Week 3: Study 4 hours
    • Week 4: Study at least 1 hour each day
    • Day before: Study as much as possible
    • Day of: Take the exam in the afternoon (I'm not a morning exam person); study up until 30 minutes prior

The Word doc I create helps me soak everything in and transcribe it in a way that makes sense to me. The important thing to note here is that for the Implementation courses...the respective Blueprint document "Exam Scope" is very important to follow as the course mostly aligns right to that and that is what is featured on the respective exam.

So, how do you study? Do you have any tips or comments you'd like to share? Let us know below!

If you enjoy ServiceNow content like this, I invite you to follow me on LinkedIn and check out and subscribe to my ServiceNow focused YouTube channel: Allenovation!

[Allen Andreas]

A few additional pieces of information:

• I personally prefer the On Demand versions instead of Instructor Led because my schedule is usually pretty crazy and I like to do things at my own pace. Some love instructor led and we definitely need those amazing instructors, so THANK YOU to all the wonderful ServiceNow trainers out there!!! I've just always preferred on Demand when the option is presented.
• Don't forget that there's also an eBook that you get with the course. Some really enjoy using that. I've heard of people printing that off and physically writing in it as a way of studying and taking notes. Others like to make notes within it electronically.

[Edward Rosario]

For me, I always start by looking at the blueprint and see what kinds of questions might be asked. I'll then read the release notes while working in my PDI to try and get a visual.