ITIL Foundation Exam Study Guide Study Guide Edition

Having worked for a few years in the Infrastructure space, one thing became clear - leadership has big ideas, but often there is a lack of a proven, demonstrated path to "how do we get there?" For implementing Service Management, this is where ITIL takes the cake, and since that is one of our initiatives in 2014, I figured I'd better get this done sooner rather than later.As others have said before, if you are the type that can read a book and take a test, don't waste your time with expensive seminars if you have some Infrastructure background. This book and signing up at a testing facility for ~$145 USD were all that were needed, with a passing score of 37/40 (and it was my "skimming" of a couple of chapters that led to missing those 3).The book itself does have several typos, most notably in a couple of the test questions, one of which was the EXACT question that appeared on my test today (answered correctly). Some others have stated the book could be pared down a bit, which is definitely the case if it is targeted only to those that have some Infra background, but I do not believe that is the total target audience here. It does an excellent job of relating the ITIL methodology to real-world scenarios and explaining what the background thought processes are behind each knowledge area, not just blabbing a bunch of definitions.In summary, if you are looking for THE ONE BOOK to get you past the ITIL 2011 Foundations test, and impart additional in-depth knowledge on the way, this would be it!

I've been in IT for about 10 years and decided that the ITIL exam was the next logical next step in my career. A lot of people have said the material is easy and you don't need much time to study for it, however, I wanted to take my time with this since I wanted to really learn the material and not just cram to pass a test. I passed the test on my first try about a month after starting the book. I took the pre-assessment which I failed miserably and then read every chapter highlighting important points and completing the end of chapter questions at the end of each chapter. I then reviewed the highlighted material and re-read all the exam essential information at the end of each chapter. I then took the two practice tests at the end of the book and passed the test with a 93% (got three questions wrong). Below are the pros and cons of the book.Pros:It prepares you for what is going to be on the exam. This book is all you need to pass the test.It easy to read with minimal typos and does a good job of covering the material that will be on the test.The practice exams at the end of the book are very accurate on what the test is going to be like. They are gold.Cons:There aren't enough examples of the concepts they cover and the ones that are there are not very good.There aren't enough visuals to reinforce the examples being explained.The end of the chapter questions are not a good representation on what the test questions will be like. If you don't take several practice exams before the real test you will fail.

A bit of background: I work in a company that utilizes ITIL, but not completely. Roughly 80-90% of our infrastructure is built off of what ITIL is.I purchased the book to get a clear understanding of the Service Lifecycle, to understand how our business works, and how to better improve it. Reading through this book, using a supplementary video course, and the practice tests provided in the book, I was able to pass over the mark by quite a bit.The book isn't perfect, as a lot of it I found to be wasted space. Sentence rewritten in a different format to fill space was pretty common, but sifting through the wasted space wasn't too bad. Some of it shoots past what is required for the exam, which I consider to be helpful as I'll keep hold of it as future reference material if I ever need to revisit it.I am quite satisfied with the book, and can highly recommend it to people not only taking the exam, but also for an ITIL reference when it is needed.

I studied about a chapter per day and scheduled my test to take place a week after I finished. I got 39/40 correct, and I wasn't surprised by any questions.The material in this book is presented straightforwardly and requires no prior IT knowledge or experience to make sense. The chapters are short enough that you don't feel overwhelmed when you take the end-of-chapter assessments. ITIL has a clear, defined structure and this book mirrors that wonderfully. You don't have to skip between 3 different chapters to get the full picture of a technology, as I'm having to do on Sybex's CASP study guide. Only chapter 12 of this book I felt was a touch confusing.I would caution test preppers that the practice tests in the back of the book are deceptively easy. Download the 2 additional practice tests to get a more accurate feel for what the Foundations exam is really like. They should help you identify what areas of the book you need to read again.This should be the only study guide you need to pass the ITIL Foundations exam.

At a minimum I can say that it got me through the exam. When I was buying the book one of the reviews I read said it was the most boring book ever. I wasn't too worried considering the subject matter. Having completed the book, I have to say that I don't know any way to have made it less boring. More real world examples could have been used but that only would have added time to the slog. I did a chapter each day. Depending on how much time you have and how susceptible you are to headaches you may want to go faster. The two sample tests were good prep. I'd recommend not referring back to the material while you take them. But, here's a secret I didn't know until too late: The test is open book and open note! Had I known that while I was studying I think I'd have done better. Be sure to highlight key parts, have a written key of acronyms, and notes for the most important concepts.