I have earlier shared some ITIL Intermediate Examination Taking Tips in an earlier post. This is an updated post.
PRE-EXAMINATION PREPARATION
•Study hard but rest well the day before. Get to the examination venue ahead of time.
•Relax a little and be calm. By the time you get to the examination you will have had the best possible preparation. This is especially if you had signed for ITIL Intermediate courses with a certified and authorised training center.
•Read and be sure to follow the notes for candidates on the front of the examination paper.
TAKING THE EXAMINATION
Since time is short and there is a lot of reading and analysis to do within the 90 minutes given, I suggest the following approach to tackling each Question.
Time Management
•Don't spend more than 11 minutes per question.
•There is a lot to read - 1 page scenario and 4 possible answers (1 paragraph per answer).
•If you feel you are struggling with a particular question, SKIP it first (especially the first one). Come back to it later if you have time at the end. You can still pass the examination if you have answered the remaining 7 questions well.
Reading the Scenarios and Questions and Answers
There will be two booklets issued – a Scenario booklet and a Question booklet.
•Start by making sure you got the right Scenario for that Question! The Scenario to use is stated above the Question in the Question booklet. Sometimes a scenario can be used for more than one question!
•Quickly browse through the Question first (not the Scenario!). This will give you a sense of what to look for when reading the case study scenario.
- Is the question focusing on processes, roles and responsibilities, tools or implementation approach?
- Which Service Management process area?
- What is your role in the scenario?
•Then read the scenario or case study.
Reading the Scenario or Case Study
•Underline or highlight keywords or phrases.
•Underline or highlight issues in the case study. Often the answers will need to address these issues and the best answer is the one that addresses all or most of the issues.
•Underline the business needs and company objectives/priorities/policies. Often the best answer will need to be aligned with these.
•Colour markers may help. I gave my students a set of markers with yellow, orange and green colour for use in mock examinations (and also actual examinations). Use the green colour highlighter to highlight good points, orange to highlight issues and yellow to highlight business needs, priorities, policies, goals and objectives that needs to be fulfilled.
Choosing the BEST answer
To pass this examination, you need to focus on choosing the BEST answer for each question. You risk failing the examinations if you do not have more than 5 BEST answers to the 8 questions asked. Getting the second best answer is NOT good enough! 2 marks may be all it takes to fail or pass your examination.
• Eliminate the obvious wrong answer(s) first, so as to focus your time on the best 2 answers shortlisted. If you can, pick out the distractor answer first, upon first pass through the 4 answers.
•Use process of elimination to further narrow down the answers to the final 2 or final one.
•Differentiating between the best and second best answers may require you to read the Question and Answers again and again. Do it within the time limit allocated.
•Each Answer may be make up by a few statements. As you read each statement, “Score" the answer using a series of + and – or even a ? (if you are unsure). Often, you will find the BEST answer is the one with the all pluses (or ?) and no minuses. Or use your colour markers. Green for good or correct statements, Orange for not so good or incorrect statements.
• “Spot the Difference” – sometimes, a minor difference in one of the sentence in the Answer is the key between the best and second best.
•Generic vs Specific Answers - Read the Question and understand what the Question is seeking to test you.
• Sometimes, the generic answer containing all the right ITIL statements may seems like the best answer BUT if the question asked for "your recommendation," "what specific actions would you take," then the Generic answer may not be the best answer. Also, if your role is that of a consultant, specific answers or solutions to solve issues highlighted in the case study would be the better answer. Remember the colour markers?
•Underline or highlight keywords in the Answers, if appropriate. You should look for the Answer that is more specifically related to the case study or scenario. i.e. addresses issues and objectives (as mentioned earlier).
•In general, Choose Answers that are
- Based on ITIL
- Customer focused - Think Business before IT, Customer before IT
- Focused on improving Quality, mitigating Risk, reducing cost etc.
- Based on systematic approach, not “cowboy” or “shooting from the hip” or gung-ho type of answers.
Good luck and hopefully the above tips will help you score a few more marks in your examination.
