Passed ITIL v3 Foundation

Hello everyone,

Just passed ITIL Foundation v3 exam with 85% in 12 mins!

Just to help people revising for this, I passed by:

Revising from the Taruu and itSM guides (both free)
Look on YouTube for Charles Sturt ITIL videos.

Those three resources have more than enough info for passing the exam. I also used some mock exams on the ITILCampus website which were harder than the actual exam.

Hope that all helps

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Comments

gateway

Thanks for posting these, I'm taking this soon myself.
Congrats on the pass too!

thenoble06

Quick question - where do I find the Logo that I can put on my CV? Is it just the Swirl Logo?

eMeS

thenoble06 wrote: »

Just passed ITIL Foundation v3 exam with 85% in 12 mins!

No offense, but I call BS...

That's 18 seconds per question.

I have been doing ITIL-related work for the last decade, am a v2 Manager and a v3 Expert and I doubt that even I could finish a foundation exam in 12 minutes. It's not that it's that hard, it's just that 18 seconds is not enough time to read the question, read the answers, select an answer, and move to the next question.

Unless you had already seen the questions and answers and knew what to expect......My guess is that from the tone of your post that this wasn't intentional, but that you were exposed to some actual exam questions on the "practice" tests that you took...

I also proctor ITIL exams. I had a student once that finished foundation in about 12 minutes. I reported it as an irregularity because IMO it's a potential indication of dumping. The average time that I see for really smart people that "get it" in a foundation class is around 25-30 minutes to complete the exam....

MS

eMeS

thenoble06 wrote: »

Quick question - where do I find the Logo that I can put on my CV? Is it just the Swirl Logo?

Passing an ITIL exam does not entitle one to use the logos on a business card or a resume...

http://www.itil-officialsite.com/IntellectualPropertyRights/UseofLogos.asp

MS

thenoble06

What a strange post! Why would I write a post trying to help other ITIL candidates and then lie? What a bizarre thought.

Not sure how to reply really.

Like I said - I used the Taruu and itSM training guides and the practice exams on the ITCampus website (which is free once you register). There are also a couple of mock exams on the ITCampus site as well. Feel free to go onto the site and have a look at the practice/mock exams. I have no idea if these exams/practice tests are **** or not but if they are LOTS of ITIL candidates have used them as the site is advertised on the ITSkeptic site.

I took the actual exam by registering on the Prometric site and taking the exam at my local testing centre.

I found all the material above by reading the ITSkeptic site.

I wasn't trying to be clever in my first post, its just fact. I don't think 85% on this particular exam is a amazing score, I've seen plenty obtain higher grades.

And don't worry - no offense taken

eMeS

thenoble06 wrote: »

What a strange post! Why would I write a post trying to help other ITIL candidates and then lie? What a bizarre thought.

I'm not accusing you of lying. I'm sure that as you indicated you did finish in 12 minutes. What I am saying, and what I thought was clear from my reply, is that 18 seconds per question is not enough time, unless you were exposed to the actual questions and answers beforehand.

By "BS" I mean "anomalous". Finishing that exam in 12 minutes is an anomaly. I would think things like that would come up on some kind of report or something at Prometric and trigger some further level of review.

thenoble06 wrote: »

Like I said - I used the Taruu and itSM training guides and the practice exams on the ITCampus website (which is free once you register). There are also a couple of mock exams on the ITCampus site as well. Feel free to go onto the site and have a look at the practice/mock exams. I have no idea if these exams/practice tests are **** or not but if they are LOTS of ITIL candidates have used them as the site is advertised on the ITSkeptic site.

He has removed things from his site in the past, as he notes, that were in violation of copyright.

I looked at a couple of the exams. It's hard for me to say if they are real or not. I do often proctor the exams, but I'm not allowed to look at the exams, and as such do not really know what today's questions look like.

thenoble06 wrote: »

I don't think 85% on this particular exam is a amazing score, I've seen plenty obtain higher grades.

I would say it's about average for this exam. I normally see people scoring in the 30-35 range.

MS

N2IT

eMeS wrote: »

No offense, but I call BS...

That's 18 seconds per question.

I have been doing ITIL-related work for the last decade, am a v2 Manager and a v3 Expert and I doubt that even I could finish a foundation exam in 12 minutes. It's not that it's that hard, it's just that 18 seconds is not enough time to read the question, read the answers, select an answer, and move to the next question.

Unless you had already seen the questions and answers and knew what to expect......My guess is that from the tone of your post that this wasn't intentional, but that you were exposed to some actual exam questions on the "practice" tests that you took...

I also proctor ITIL exams. I had a student once that finished foundation in about 12 minutes. I reported it as an irregularity because IMO it's a potential indication of dumping. The average time that I see for really smart people that "get it" in a foundation class is around 25-30 minutes to complete the exam....

MS

I got an 85% but it took me the whole freaking time.

Don't be suprised if you are asked to take the exam again. I know Comptia has monitored the amount of time it took to complete an exam and requested that the candidates have to retake the exam again if they complete the exam to quickly.

The testing companies have a set criteria that has to be met and if someone goes over/under that threshold they will investigate. I'm not saying ITIL does, but more and more companies are using this and are following through with it.

Mike-Mike

forgive my noob-ness, but what do you mean by "****"?

Claire Agutter

**** are (usually shortlived) blogs or sites that offer copyrighted content such as exam questions.

Sometimes they are sample questions which are relatively easy to get by taking a course, sometimes they purport to be live questions.

They're in complete breach of copyright, and are also not subject to any quality control. I've had delegates who've used them in the past and come to me because they couldn't understand why they were getting questions wrong....it was because the questions were wrong.

Paul Boz

Even if you aren't cheating but can honestly blaze through an exam that fast its never a good idea. I've been capable of finishing Cisco exams in 15 minutes or less (they're only like 60 questions, not that big of a stretch) but always take about double that amount of time to put down any suspicion of cheating. I just use the extra time to think through my answers more.

Mike-Mike

eMeS wrote: »

No offense, but I call BS...

That's 18 seconds per question.

MS

certainly not the same thing by any stretch of the imagination, but.. my lady is an elementary school teacher and she says when you ask a child a question, if they don't respond in 3 seconds then they do not know it...

I know when I take tests, like multiple choice I answer questions immediately, I rarely debate on an answer, I know it immediately or I guess at it. I have not taken the actual ITIL test, but I have taken several tests for different level of technican jobs with AT&T via Pearson Vue and I always blazed throught those tests.

I'm glad I read this thread though, I will be taking my ITIL V3 Foundation test in a few weeks and I will make sure to take my time

Aldur

Mike-Mike wrote: »

certainly not the same thing by any stretch of the imagination, but.. my lady is an elementary school teacher and she says when you ask a child a question, if they don't respond in 3 seconds then they do not know it...

I see what you're getting at, either you know the question or you don't, but typically certification exam questions require you to read the question, read the answers, and then reason out an answer. There's been times where I have took 10 minutes on a question and times that I've taken 10 seconds. But really if somebody takes on average of less then 20 seconds per question then it's highly suspect.

Todd Burrell

I've seen this poor person get hammered on his test time, so I figured I would chime in in his defense. I don't necessarily think that you could not take and pass the ITIL Foundation exam in 12 minutes. I've been preparing for this exam (which I will take tomorrow), and I have to say that most of the practice exams take me less than 20 minutes for the 40 questions. So 12 minutes is not out of the question. On the practice exams there are normally 5-8 questions that are VERY quick and obvious to answer, so those should take just a couple of seconds (think Deming cycle or "what is warranty" types of questions).

The real issue is "do you really WANT to take only 12 minutes for this exam?". I think that answer should always be NO. For every exam I have taken I ALWAYS go back and read through each question along with my answer to be sure I agree with what I put down. I normally do not change my answer, but with this review I have found a few obvious screw-ups on my part, and I was able to change the answer to be correct.

The bottom line is that this time is short for the exam, but I would be surprised if the test provider came back and questioned its validity due to the speed of the exam. If you know the material this exam probably should take you less than 20-25 minutes.

I'll be sure to pass along my experiences with this exam after I take it tomorrow.

And congrats to THENOBLE06. Passing any IT certification should be congratulated and he should be proud of the accomplishment of learning the material and passing.

Paul Boz

Good luck tomorrow, Todd.

eMeS

Todd Burrell wrote: »

I've seen this poor person get hammered on his test time, so I figured I would chime in in his defense. I don't necessarily think that you could not take and pass the ITIL Foundation exam in 12 minutes. I've been preparing for this exam (which I will take tomorrow), and I have to say that most of the practice exams take me less than 20 minutes for the 40 questions. So 12 minutes is not out of the question. On the practice exams there are normally 5-8 questions that are VERY quick and obvious to answer, so those should take just a couple of seconds (think Deming cycle or "what is warranty" types of questions).

I don't think that pointing out reality is the same as "getting hammered". Trust me, I can hammer much harder when it's called for. It's not here, and honestly I don't believe that he cheated on this exam (cheating implying intent).

Here's the reality of the situation though. I regularly deliver this class and proctor the exams for it. I've seen several thousand people go through this exam and rarely does anyone finish in less than 20 minutes. Typically I see people wrap up in the 40 minute range. I have seen 1 person in 3000 finish in about 12 minutes, and I am certain that the person that I saw do this cheated. Another aspect to consider is that I am at the Expert level, and have been involved in ITIL-related things for over a decade; I could not finish a Foundation exam in 12 minutes.

Todd Burrell wrote: »

The real issue is "do you really WANT to take only 12 minutes for this exam?". I think that answer should always be NO. For every exam I have taken I ALWAYS go back and read through each question along with my answer to be sure I agree with what I put down. I normally do not change my answer, but with this review I have found a few obvious screw-ups on my part, and I was able to change the answer to be correct.

I don't necessarily agree with the consensus here. My thought is that if I can somehow complete the exam in that timeframe, honestly, then that should be acceptable. I shouldn't have to pretend to take more time than is necessary. I'm not saying that you're "pretending", because your review is designed to help you, not to arbitrarily run out the clock.

I do realize that there are people out there who read and answer questions quickly, and might be able to do this exam in that timeframe. These people do not typically attend the classes that I've delivered on this subject.

Todd Burrell wrote: »

The bottom line is that this time is short for the exam, but I would be surprised if the test provider came back and questioned its validity due to the speed of the exam. If you know the material this exam probably should take you less than 20-25 minutes.

I agree that it is unlikely to be questioned. However, I think it would be reasonable for the test vendor to look at the elapsed time coupled with other factors to determine if cheating has occurred.

Todd Burrell wrote: »

I'll be sure to pass along my experiences with this exam after I take it tomorrow.

And congrats to THENOBLE06. Passing any IT certification should be congratulated and he should be proud of the accomplishment of learning the material and passing.

Good luck, and please let us know how you do.

MS

N2IT

Mike-Mike wrote: »

certainly not the same thing by any stretch of the imagination, but.. my lady is an elementary school teacher and she says when you ask a child a question, if they don't respond in 3 seconds then they do not know it...

I know when I take tests, like multiple choice I answer questions immediately, I rarely debate on an answer, I know it immediately or I guess at it. I have not taken the actual ITIL test, but I have taken several tests for different level of technican jobs with AT&T via Pearson Vue and I always blazed throught those tests.

I'm glad I read this thread though, I will be taking my ITIL V3 Foundation test in a few weeks and I will make sure to take my time

There is a difference "knowing" an answer and getting it right. When testing if you don't know the answer you go to process of elimination. That requires more thought process and time. In my opinion if you look at a multiple choice question recognize you don't know the answer and then just quess you are hurting your chances of passing the exam. Don't you try to eliminate as many of the wrong answers and then take an "educated guess"? If you use that technique you couldn't finish that exam in 12 minutes. Sorry it's not going to happen. To be honest that 12 minutes really only tells me two things. That the tester really doesn't know how to take exams and that the tester has a strong ability to recall information he has been exposed to.

I'll take an experts opinion on this topic anyday of the week.

bertieb

I took the exam today on the back of a 3 day course, with some prior knowledge and reading and it took me 40mins (paper based, no idea if I passed yet). The way the questions appear to be written in ITIL exams you better damn be sure to take more than 18 seconds per questions otherwise you will miss key information. I'm not saying it's impossible, just unlikely (and silly when you have a full hour to complete the exam).

Todd Burrell

I took this exam Wednesday (paper variety of this test) and just got the results today. I scored 90% (36 out of 40). Overall I found this a very easy exam. My total time for the test was 18 minutes, and this included the delays in filling out the paper test with a pencil, and giving the test a second scan through to make sure I agreed with all my answers. So if someone took this test online and only ran through one time this test could be completed in 12 minutes. I found that around 30 of the questions were very straight forward with little thought on them - you either know them or you do not. Only a few of the questions really took much thought at all. If you know the material well this should be a fairly easy exam for most IT people to pass.

I would recommend getting the Offical ITIL Foundation book and the Scordo book that has 600+ practice questions for this exam. I used those 2 along with an instructor led class by my company, and I found myself to be VERY prepared for this exam.

talleyman333

After reading that it took you so little time to pass this thing, I really feel dumb. I take exams and usually ace them or pass in the high 90's. I took the ITIL after the 3 day course and failed the first time. Studied at home for the next four days and even took about 10 or more of the online practice exams and aced scored 90% or better every time. I took the "real" exam last night and failed it worse then I did before??? It was like the practice exams and the real exam were two totally different subjects. The answers were so similarly worded and I could see one definition of one term put as a choice to trick you. Just wasn't impressed with all the trickery on the exam. I showed I know the stuff on all the practice exams and then to fail worse then the first time on the actual test. Well, what in the world am I missing here? (please no comments saying that I am an idiot or anything like that)
Just need some advice on what to study, what I am doing wrong, obviously taking the practice exams over and over are the wrong avenue to go down.

Claire Agutter

Hi talleyman

Commiserations on the results - you aren't alone and people do fail the exam so don't be too down hearted. If you can tell me study resources you've used I'll try and provide some pointers - the sample exams online etc are great but sometimes it's about understanding that key ITIL perspective as well.

Claire

daviddws

I would think 12 minutes would be a red flag at the testing location.

talleyman333

Why thank you Claire,

Well I have been studying my ITIL FOundation Course book as well as taking the practices over and over. Thats about it.

Red_Dragon

Look at Michael Shannon's videos they give you a good idea of the entire concept.

I have a thread a couple of posts down where I break my methods down.

Claire Agutter

Hi talleyman

One approach we suggest to our delegates as a bit of a fresh start is to put aside all of your study materials and just sit down with the course syllabus (available on the ITIL official site if you don't have a copy from your course). The syllabus shows all the different areas you need to know for the exam. Go through it and make your own notes, mind maps, whatever works for you for each syllabus area.

If there are some areas highlighted during this exercise as gaps, you can study them in a much more focused way.

Did you get any post-exam reports to tell you which syllabus areas were weaker/stronger?

Kind regards

Claire