Sample practice questions

A few real questions from this free bank, with full explanations. Use the practice tool above for the whole set.

1. 1. Key Concepts of Service Management

   In ITIL 4, how is a 'service' best defined?

   • a.A tangible product that a customer purchases and owns outright
   • b.A documented process that an IT team follows to complete tasks
   • c.A means of enabling value co-creation by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve, without the customer having to manage specific costs and risks
   • d.A single request logged and resolved by the service desk

   Answer: c

   Explanation: ITIL 4 defines a service as a means of enabling value co-creation by facilitating outcomes that customers want to achieve, without the customer having to manage specific costs and risks. The provider takes on those costs and risks so the customer can focus on their desired outcomes. Value is co-created through active collaboration between provider and consumer.

2. 2. The Four Dimensions of Service Management

   How is a 'value stream' defined in ITIL 4?

   • a.A set of interrelated activities that transform inputs into outputs
   • b.A configuration of resources designed to offer value
   • c.A series of steps an organization undertakes to create and deliver products and services to a consumer
   • d.The perceived benefits and importance of something

   Answer: c

   Explanation: A value stream is a series of steps an organization undertakes to create and deliver products and services to consumers. It combines value chain activities and practices in the specific sequence needed for a given scenario. Mapping value streams helps an organization see how work actually flows and identify waste or bottlenecks, which is why this concept sits within the value streams and processes dimension.

3. 3. ITIL Practices

   Which of the following is an example of a 'general management practice' in ITIL 4?

   • a.Incident management
   • b.Service desk
   • c.Continual improvement
   • d.Change enablement

   Answer: c

   Explanation: General management practices are those adopted and adapted for service management from general business management domains. Continual improvement is one such practice, alongside examples like relationship management, supplier management, and information security management. By contrast, incident management, service desk, and change enablement are service management practices, which were developed within service management itself.

4. 4. Key Concepts of Service Management

   A service is described as 'fit for use'. Which element does this describe?

   • a.Warranty
   • b.Value, meaning the perceived benefits and importance of the service
   • c.Utility, meaning the functionality it offers to meet a particular need
   • d.Demand, meaning the need or desire for the service among consumers

   Answer: a

   Explanation: 'Fit for use' describes warranty, the assurance that a service will meet agreed requirements for how it performs, such as availability, capacity, security, and continuity. 'Fit for purpose' would describe utility. Both are needed together for a service to create value.

5. 5. The Four Dimensions of Service Management

   A service keeps failing because employees have not been trained and the team culture resists new ways of working. Which dimension should be addressed first?

   • a.Information and technology, because new tools would solve the training gap
   • b.Partners and suppliers, because a vendor could take over the failing service
   • c.Organizations and people
   • d.Value streams and processes, because redrawing the workflow would fix it

   Answer: c

   Explanation: Skills gaps and a culture that resists change are matters of the organizations and people dimension, which covers competencies, roles, leadership, and culture. Addressing the failure means investing in training, communication, and cultural change here, not primarily in technology, suppliers, or process design.

6. 6. The Guiding Principles

   When should feedback be gathered according to 'progress iteratively with feedback'?

   • a.Before, during, and after each iteration, so the work stays relevant and can adapt
   • b.Only once, right at the very end, after all of the work has been completed
   • c.Never at all, so that the team's momentum is not interrupted or slowed down
   • d.Only before any of the work has started, and then never again after that

   Answer: a

   Explanation: Progress iteratively with feedback stresses using feedback loops throughout, before, during, and after each iteration. Continual feedback ensures the work remains focused and relevant, surfaces issues early, and lets the team adapt to changing needs. Feedback is central to the principle, not an afterthought at the end.

7. 7. The Guiding Principles

   'Optimize a process before you automate it, so technology does not just accelerate waste' is guidance from which principle?

   • a.Optimize and automate
   • b.Keep it simple and practical, which removes any step that adds no real value
   • c.Start where you are, which assesses existing capabilities before taking action
   • d.Collaborate and promote visibility, which involves the right people and status

   Answer: a

   Explanation: Optimizing a process before automating it, so that technology does not merely accelerate inefficiency, is the central guidance of optimize and automate. The principle sequences the two words deliberately: first make the process as effective as it needs to be, then apply automation to deliver maximum value with minimal manual effort.

8. 8. Service Value System

   Which continual improvement model step ensures that gains are sustained and the improvement culture is reinforced?

   • a.How do we keep the momentum going?
   • b.Where are we now?, which measures the current state to establish an objective baseline before planning any change
   • c.Take action, which executes the agreed plan and implements the actual changes required by the improvement
   • d.What is the vision?, which connects the effort to the organization's objectives and to the value stakeholders expect

   Answer: a

   Explanation: 'How do we keep the momentum going?' is the final step, focused on embedding the improvement and reinforcing a culture of continual improvement. It ensures the benefits achieved are retained over time and that the organization builds on its success rather than allowing gains to erode.

9. 9. Service Value Chain

   Which value chain activity would a change to fix a defect in a live service most likely pass through to be built or acquired?

   • a.Improve
   • b.Obtain/build
   • c.Plan
   • d.Engage

   Answer: b

   Explanation: When a fix requires new or changed components, those components are made available through the obtain/build activity, which ensures service components are available when and where needed and meet agreed specifications. The components can be built internally or obtained from suppliers before deployment.

10. 10. ITIL Practices

    A serious outage requires a fix to be implemented as fast as possible, with an expedited assessment and authorization. Which type of change is this?

    • a.An emergency change
    • b.A normal change
    • c.A standard change
    • d.A service request

    Answer: a

    Explanation: An emergency change must be implemented as soon as possible, for example to resolve a serious outage. Its assessment and authorization are expedited, and a separate change authority (sometimes an emergency change advisory board) may be used, but documentation is typically still completed, often retrospectively.