A Step by Step Guide on How to Get ITIL Foundation Certification

ITIL

Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, offered by Axelos, is one of the most widely-recognized management frameworks for delivering IT services around the world. ITIL has been created to integrate their IT practices with their business processes seamlessly. ITIL establishes a service model for the lifecycle of IT processes that prescribe specific activities from the design process to the development, delivery, and support processes of IT services.

In this context, IT services include any activities that deliver business value in B2B or B2C customers and other stakeholders. By adopting a defined ITIL framework, enterprises ensure that their processes are well-defined, incorporate best practices, and become streamlined. This creates consistency and a level of predictability in providing services to the users. This benefits the organization by reducing the cost of service development and deployment. It also improves customer satisfaction and increases the productivity of IT personnel.

ITIL Foundation certification holders help businesses backend support to the organization in the form of effective network administration and server management. This ensures streamlined services to the customers. ITIL certified professionals also work other backend jobs like IT service administrators and assisting in processes like corporate websites and emails. Having this certification allows individuals to help enterprises follow best practices and improve their quality.

This certification also prepares individuals to take the lead in adapting to external changes while managing the internal environment. Hence, ITIL certification helps both professionals and businesses in a number of ways. This is the reason certified ITIL Foundation professionals are in demand.

Also Read:  Top Paying IT Certifications 

Is This Course Right for You?

If you’re an IT professional with a basic knowledge of ITIL, then this course is for you. With this course, you can use your services to assist in the management of enterprise operations. IT professionals involved in improving the operational productivity of the enterprise.

It doesn’t matter what your current role is. You can always take this certification if you already have pre-existing knowledge. Some people that this certification will benefit are

  • IT technical support
  • IT professionals, Engineers, and Architects
  • IT Managers and Directors
  • Service-support Analysts
  • Quality Assurance and Control analysts
  • Operations Managers
  • Database Administrators
  • Other Business process stakeholders

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What are the Eligibility Criteria for ITIL Foundation Certification and the Certification Process?

There are no pre-requisites for sitting for this exam. ITIL Foundation covers all the basics of the IT lifecycle, and this is where most novices to the field of IT start. Anyone with interest in the course can sit for the exam. It need not even be for those individuals who have a background in IT either. There is no certification process apart from the examination. Studying for this certification can be done either via classroom study, distance learning, or self-study. There is no requirement to attend the foundation course either.

Axelos, the governing body for ITIL, has a list of accredited training centers that provide the required learning practices to be prepared for this exam. Axelos does not cover or impose any training fee. Each accrediting training center is free to set its own rates. The study is usually self-paced, and most training institutions offer the same for 1.5 months, which is the period it usually takes when studying by self at one’s own pace.

ITIL has five practice areas or phases, with various supporting policies and principles in each phase. They are

  • Service Strategy
  • Service Design
  • Service Transition
  • Service Operation
  • Customer Service Improvement

Even though ITIL includes an introduction to all five phases along with how each phase supports the other, it might not really be used for IT pros. A professional with substantial experience can’t use a foundation course to advance to the service management level. This is useful for IT professionals to break into the industry.

The exam itself has 40 questions that need to be answered in 60 minutes. The questions themselves are multiple-choice. The pass rate required is 65%. That means, out of the 40 questions, you need to get 26 of them correctly. The exam results are usually out in 10-15 days.

What are the Levels or Modules in this Certification?

This course is a standalone course. There are other courses above that further enhance and improve on a professional’s knowledge. The courses that are in ITIL’s list are

  • Foundation
  • Practitioner
  • Intermediate
  • Expert
  • Master

Intermediate level of certification has the option of Service lifecycle or Service Capability categories. It is important to note that Axelos, for ITIL, follows a system of credits. Each exam has a certain number of credits. While the minimum pass rates are 65% only, by the time you come to Expert, you need to have at least 22 credits.

What is the ITIL Exam Cost?

There are two options for writing the exam – booking through websites like Pearson Vue or peoplecert.org, and going through your training provider. If you’re booking through the website, you have the option of going for a proctored exam or a computer-based test at one of the Pearson Vue testing center. The fee varies depending on the country you’re in.

Country ITIL-F Certification exam fee(1)
United States US $314
United Kingdom £269.00
Canada US $314.00
Australia AU $395

If you choose to go for a computer-based test, then it’ll cost you $70 more with Pearson Vue.

This fee is worth it because the average salary for ITIL certified professionals is around $98000, as reported by Global Knowledge.

What can you Get Online Resources for ITIL Foundation Certification?

Several websites offer training for this certification. Axelos, the owner of ITIL, offers training guides on its website too. In addition, Axelos has nominated several accredited training centers to impart knowledge. You can look up your closest center by going to Axelos’s website. Places like Udemy, Simplilearn are all popular training centers.