Best study materials

mjfisher208

I know there are lots of posts asking for study materials, but mine is slightly different. I just started doing help desk for a large healthcare company about a month ago. really loving the job, and they use ITIL and seem to put an emphasis on their employees getting at least the foundation certification. Through them, I have access to the official ITIL study material, and I have to assume its pretty good material(Only about 30 pages into the introduction so far). Just wondering if I should stick with the official material or if there is better material out there. I don't want a cram guide, I do want to learn the details and the knowledge behind it all. I just want to do that in as efficient and engaging way as possible.

Thanks!

Claire Agutter

Hi mjfisher, which material is it you have access to? If it's the 5 core volumes then they actually provide much more information than you need for Foundation level. A good approach is to combine a book that's targeted towards the Foundation syllabus with the free syllabus document and sample exam available from the ITIL Official Site. If you're continuing to work with ITIL after your exam, then you might find my book 'ITIL Lifecycle Essentials' (ITIL Lifecycle Essentials: Amazon.co.uk: Claire Agutter: Books) helpful. It's got all the Foundation syllabus material in there (clearly marked), but after your Foundation exam it also includes all the other bits of ITIL not covered in the syllabus, plus some implementation tips. Good luck! Claire

mjfisher208

Yes I believe it is the 5 core volumes official from ITIL. I may peruse further ITIL certification after the foundation, but I have a feeling that will be a bit further down the road. For now the foundation will suffice for sure.

For the book you linked/authored, you said the foundation info was clearly marked. Is it separated, like I can read so many chapters and pass the foundation exam, then save the rest for later. Or is the foundation info mixed in(although clearly marked)with the other additional info?

Also in my reading of other posts on this site, I thought I had seen a book or 2 available as a mobile app, is your book available for mobile viewing?

Thanks?

Claire Agutter

Hi mjfisher, the 5 core volumes are overkill for Foundation study - although you can use the syllabus to identify specific chapters, you'll still be wading through a lot more detail than you need. The book I authored mixes syllabus and non-syllabus requirements in the same chapter, but marks syllabus content with one symbol and non-syllabus content with another. For example, some Service Strategy processes are included in the Foundation syllabus but others aren't, so they're in the same chapter but marked differently. My book's available in various electronic formats - check this site or its UK partner (ITIL Lifecycle Essentials). Kind regards Claire

mjfisher208

Thanks. I will check out your book. I have another question. I have seen some phone apps listed in various threads before. Can't seem to find them with a quick search. Correct me if I am wrong Claire, but you may have mentioned or are possibly affiliated with IT-Words by IT training zone.

My question is, how helpful is this app to know how much knowledge of itil I have? I ask because I have played with it some, maybe 30 or 40 questions and have been able to answer all but 2 or 3 with my first answer. I know I am not ready to take the test, but that app is making me feel like my knowledge is more than I thought. Either that or the questions are just easy so far.

Claire Agutter

Hi mjfisher, it is my organisation that published the IT Words app. It's good fun and useful as part of your revision and study, but not enough to get you ready for the ITIL Foundation on it's own. The sample exam on the ITIL Official Site is a much better tool for assessing your readiness, that's also a free download. Claire