ITIL Foundation (Version 5)

Bottom line: learn the official vocabulary precisely, and keep the versions apart. Many wrong options are correct statements from ITIL 4 or v3 phrased in the old terms, or everyday meanings of words ITIL defines narrowly.

Exam shape (confirm with PeopleCert before booking)

• 40 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, pass mark 65 % (26/40), closed book; offered in several languages including Japanese.
• Foundation can be self-studied; higher modules have training prerequisites.
• A shorter bridge exam exists for holders of the previous Foundation.

Primary sources: PeopleCert / AXELOS ITIL pages (https://www.peoplecert.org/), the official Foundation publication and syllabus, and the official sample papers.

Core model

Concept	What to be able to do
Value and value co-creation	Explain value as perceived by stakeholders; outcomes, costs and risks; provider and consumer roles
Value system	Name its parts — guiding principles, governance, the value chain or lifecycle activities, practices, continual improvement — and how they connect
Four dimensions	Organisations and people; information and technology; partners and suppliers; value streams and processes — apply them to a scenario
Guiding principles	Recognise each in a scenario (e.g. "start where you are", "progress iteratively with feedback")
Product and service lifecycle	The activities (discover, design, acquire, build, transition, operate, deliver, support) are not a strict linear sequence; versions coexist
Practices	Purpose statements and key terms of the practices emphasised in the syllabus (incident, problem, change, service request, service desk, monitoring and event, release, deployment, relationship, service level, continual improvement, and others)
Consumer journey and experience	Touchpoints from discovery to renewal or exit; experience is measured from the user's side
AI governance	Decision rights, accountability, data, risk and transparency when AI is used in products, services and operations

Study loop

1. Read the syllabus learning outcomes; each one becomes a flashcard with the exact official wording.
2. For each practice, memorise its purpose sentence and two key definitions (e.g. incident vs problem vs known error; change types and change authority).
3. Do the official sample papers under time; for every option, say whether it is wrong because of version, scope or wording.
4. Apply concepts to a system you operate (how an incident becomes a problem record; how a change is authorised) — it makes scenario questions easier.

Writing practice questions

• Base every correct answer on the current official text; mark which version a statement belongs to.
• Write scenarios with distinct situations; avoid stock wrong-answer phrases repeated across questions.
• Check that no two questions in a set are the same question reworded.

Pitfalls

• Incident vs problem: restoring service quickly vs finding and managing causes.
• Service request vs change: pre-defined, low-risk requests are not changes needing assessment each time.
• Old terminology: v3 lifecycle stages (strategy, design, transition, operation, CSI) and ITIL 4's service value chain activity names are not interchangeable with Version 5's lifecycle activities.
• Everyday meanings: "value", "outcome", "output", "utility", "warranty" have specific definitions.
• Pass mark per question count: 65 % of 40 means at most 14 wrong answers.

Self-check

• Two official sample papers above 75 % within the time limit.
• Define each core term from memory in the official wording.
• Map one real operational event through the relevant practices and lifecycle activities.