Best way & platform to Learn for Certification

[SubrataA]

Hello People, 

I am new into ServiceNow learning and I have no technical background so I would like to know which ways are the best to learn and practice for certifications! 

ServiceNow University ?
Udemy courses?
Coursera courses ?

With my little R&D i find handson very important to remember and get familarized with the platform (PDI) but have no better ideas ! 

Appreciate your suggestion team. 

Thanks
Subrata

[AnkaRaoB · Accepted solution]

Hi @SubrataA 

Welcome to the ServiceNow family!

If you are new to ServiceNow and don’t have a technical background, that’s completely okay. Many ServiceNow professionals started the same way. The key to success is learning step by step and practicing regularly.

Your first and most important learning source should be ServiceNow University, since ServiceNow certification exams are based directly on this content. As you study, make sure you practice what you learn. For example, when you study Incident Management, create an incident in your practice instance. When learning about users and roles, try creating a user and assigning roles. Think of ServiceNow University as your textbook.

Along with this, you should always practice in a Personal Developer Instance. Watching videos alone is not enough. Hands-on practice is where everything starts to make sense. For example, after watching a lesson on the Service Catalog, go to your developer instance and create a simple request like a Laptop Request.

You can also use Udemy as a supporting resource. Udemy is helpful when a topic from ServiceNow University feels too technical or confusing. Often, Udemy explains the same concepts in simpler terms with real-life examples. Just remember to use Udemy as support, not as your main learning source.

Coursera, while good for general IT knowledge, is not recommended for ServiceNow certifications because its content is not aligned with ServiceNow exams such as CSA.

For certifications, your first goal should be the Certified System Administrator (CSA). This certification focuses on core concepts such as navigation, incidents, requests, changes, and working with forms, lists, and reports. You do not need a technical or coding background to succeed in CSA.

If you stay consistent, practice regularly, and focus on the basics, you can build a strong foundation in ServiceNow.

If this response helped, please mark it as the accepted solution so others can benefit as well.

[SubrataA]

Thanks for your nice and simple explanation.

[nayanmule]

That's great to know that you are starting your journey with Servicenow.

But , before you start you should first understand where and why Servicenow is used.

Servicenow is not just a tool or just an ITSM tool. It's not any coding tool where you have to write big scripts everytime.

You can refer Servicenow Docs, Now Learning, Youtube tutorials to start learning. First start with the basic module ITSM. 

Learn Incident, Problem, Change Management and most importantly Service Catalogs.

1. Start with the Fundamentals
Before jumping into scripting or complex configurations, understand the platform’s structure.
 Learn the Core Concepts:

What is a table, record, and field
Difference between forms and lists
What a module, application, and scope mean
What is configuration vs customization
Basic navigation of the platform

2. Explore Out‑of‑Box Applications First
Many beginners immediately try to write code. Instead, focus on how OOTB modules work:

Incident Management
Problem Management
Change Management
CMDB
Knowledge
Service Catalog
Workflows / Flow Designer

Understanding these makes you 10× more effective later when you start customizing.

3. Learn the No‑Code / Low‑Code Tools First
These tools give you quick wins while helping you understand how platform logic works:
Start with:

UI Policies
Client Scripts (basic)
Business Rules (basic)
Flow Designer
Notifications
ACLs basics
Catalog Items, Variables, Variable Sets

4. Pick Up Scripting 
Don’t jump straight into complex GlideRecord queries or advanced APIs.
Start with:

Basic GlideRecord operations
Client Script basics (onChange, onLoad, onSubmit)
Simple Business Rules (before insert/update)
Reading the system logs

5. Practice in a Personal Developer Instance (PDI)
This is mandatory.

It’s free
No risk of breaking anything
You can test any use case you want

 Request one from: developer.servicenow.com
Use the PDI like your playground.

6. Learn Through Real Use Cases
This is where your journey becomes exciting.
Try building:

A custom table
A simple catalog item
A workflow/flow designer flow
A small app with 2 tables and a relationship

Each mini‑project builds confidence.

7. Join the ServiceNow Community
It’s one of the most active, supportive communities in the IT world.
Participate in:

Community Q&A
Blogs
Meetup groups
YouTube lives
Citizen Developer challenges

You'll learn tricks that no course teaches.

8. Follow a Skills Path (Based on the Role You Want)
If you want to be a Developer →

System Admin basics
Scripting
Flow Designer / IntegrationHub
Workflows
MID Server & Integrations
ATF (Automated Test Framework)
Application development

If you want to be an Administrator →

Navigation basics
Tables, forms, UI
Users/Roles/ACLs
ITSM
CMDB
Notifications
Flow Designer

If you want to be a Business Analyst →

ITSM processes
Catalog requirements building
Process flows
Story writing
UAT handling

Pick your career path early—your learning becomes sharper.

9. Take Certifications in This Order:

ServiceNow Certified System Administrator (CSA)
ITSM Fundamentals / Implementation Specialist
Application Developer (CAD)
Any domain‑specific ones later (SecOps / HRSD / CSM etc.

Thanks,

Nayan

If my response has helped you, mark it as helpful and accept as solution.

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @SubrataA 

Greetings!

I am a ServiceNow trainer and would be happy to guide you.

ServiceNow is expanding both in depth and breadth these days, so moving forward, career planning needs to be done very carefully.

Anyone who wants to start their career in ServiceNow should begin with the basics—ServiceNow Administration. This helps participants understand the platform, terminology, core concepts, architecture, and foundational knowledge that is used across all ServiceNow products. At this stage, you can prepare for the CSA (Certified System Administrator) certification. There are dedicated CSA courses available on Now Learning, either as individual courses or guided learning journeys—you can choose what suits you best.

After completing CSA, the next step depends on the direction you want to take—development or a specific product specialization.
If you want to move into development, CAD (Certified Application Developer) is the next step. This focuses on development concepts, scripting, and other coding-related aspects of ServiceNow.

After that, you can choose any product based on your interest and demand, such as ITSM (which is widely required), CSM, HRSD, GRC, or any other ServiceNow product, and continue growing in that direction.

As a foundation, CSA → CAD is a good path to follow.

Additionally, if you do not want to go into development, there are other career options such as Business Analyst (BA), Business Process Consultant (BPC) (I am a BPC), Technical Support Specialist, or Change Manager (OCM).

System Administrator Career Journey - ServiceNow University

Application Developer Career Journey - ServiceNow University