For anyone or organizations planning to do ITIL Certifications in 2023, be advised that PeopleCert raised prices effective January 1, 2023 and has a second price increase planned for April 1, 2023.
ITIL exam vouchers are valid for 1 year from the date of purchase so if you are planning to take an ITIL certification this year, you will want to purchase before April 1, 2023, to avoid the second price increase.
By Jim Ragle
When preparing to take an IT-related certification exam, one needs to decide whether to self-study using free content found online or to pay for an accredited, on-demand training course specifically designed to prepare you for the relevant certification exam.
I’ve had to make this choice several times. And while I like to think of myself as resourceful and adept at filtering through online nonsense to find the good stuff, when it comes to certification exam prep it’s not worth the effort and risk to go it alone with free online content.
Choose the accredited training. You’ll get certified much easier and faster. Why?
First, let’s talk about the certification program content – the stuff that you will be tested on. For most certification programs, that content is copyrighted by the owner of the certification program. ITIL certification content, for example, is developed and maintained by Axelos, which is owned by PeopleCert. Axelos/PeopleCert protect their copyright, as any commercial company developing content would do. They make money by licensing that content to accredited training organizations and selling the certification (via an exam) to would-be practitioners like us. As such, non-accredited training programs that do not license the ITIL content from Axelos/PeopleCert are prohibited from using the copyrighted content in their training offerings.
So, how can a free, unaccredited ITIL training program do a good job of training you for the exam if they aren’t allowed to share with you the copyrighted ITIL principles, practices, and methodologies?
One way they try to get around this is to simply provide free (or even paid) “practice exams” or sets of test questions you can review. Just test questions and answers – no theory, no context, nothing taken from the copyrighted material (or not enough to raise any copyright issues). I’ve seen plenty of these free exam prep questions and they are often terribly written. Here are some issues I’ve repeatedly seen in free exam prep questions:
I’m not saying all the free exam prep content out there is bad. It probably isn’t. But how do you know if it’s good or bad if you don’t know the subject matter? After all, you are admittedly a beginner if you are seeking a training course in ITIL Foundation V4, for example.
If you have a lot of time and are willing to wade through an abundance of ad-supported sites offering free sample test questions and can spot the red-flag test questions as described earlier, then maybe it will work for you. However, you still have to pay for the certification exam, and there is a risk that you fail the exam and have to pay to retake it. Are you willing to take that risk?
I’d rather pay for an accredited training program and save the time, hassle, and significantly reduce the risk of failing the test. What you get when you select an accredited training program is the following:
When I was preparing to take the ITIL Foundation V4 exam, I reviewed some of the free content (mostly free mini quizzes) and quickly realized this was a minefield. After some research into accredited training programs, I chose the ITIL Foundation V4 training program offered by GogoTraining. The course is structured as a series of modules (all on-demand) that include video presentations with accompanying slides, delivered by Dr. Suzanne Van Hove, who is a seasoned expert in IT Service Management and ITIL. She brings vast, real-world Service Management experience to the training and does a fantastic job of adding context to the sometimes seemingly abstract concepts in ITIL. Even with this additional context, the presentations were quickly paced – fast enough that I didn’t feel like I was wasting time but slow enough to follow (also, you can always pause and go back). Dr. Hove’s delivery is enthusiastic and animated, which helped make the training interesting and engaging. Also, after every couple of modules, there are quizzes to gauge your progress and two full practice exams to take after finishing the course. All helpful. Most importantly, after taking the training, I immediately took the ITIL Foundation V4 certification exam and passed quite easily.
Accredited is the way to go, in my opinion. And GogoTraining worked great for me.
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*Offer Rules: This offer is valid for the first 100 people to join or until February 29th – whichever comes first. This offer may not be combined with other offers.
All ITIL classes are Accredited by PeopleCert and PeopleCert requires that individuals purchase exam vouchers prior to training. As a valued member of the ITSMS Program you will receive a $150 exam voucher discount and a free Take2 with every ITIL exam you purchase. The discount is based on PeopleCert’s published pricing. All program discounts and instructions will be sent to you in your welcome letter.
ITIL migrated from version 3 to version 4 in 2019 with the release of the Foundation course and the Managing Professional Transition course. The subsequent courses will be released throughout 2020 so if you are in service management, involved in ITIL v3 or looking to get into the area, now is a good time to understand what it’s all about.
ITIL V3 is alive and well for at least a year and 60 to 70% of ITIL 4 comes from ITILV3. In ITIL 4 there are two tracks, Managing Professional and Digital Leader. The first path to be developed by AXELOS is Managing Professional. It consists of 4 courses and AXELOS created a bridge course for V3 certification holders with 17 or more credits called the Managing Professional Transition course. It allows V3 credit holders to take 1 course instead of 4 to receive the Managing Professional certification.
If you are ready to dip your feet into the ITIL 4 world, there are several ways to start depending on your position. Here is a quick look at the best way to get started. If you don’t see a category that fits your background, Contact Us.
The ITIL 4 Executive Review Course is the one for you. It is a 3 hour video course by Dr. Suzanne Van Hove and Doug Tedder. Quick and easy and the price is right – Only $95 Buy Now – (List Price $495/You Save $400)
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Axelos is giving everyone who holds 17 or more ITIL V3 credits the opportunity to take just 1 course and become an ITIL 4 Managing Professional. Why is this good? Because…
Then you can go straight to the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition course. 1 course, 1 exam and you are an ITIL 4 Managing Professional. This package includes the PeopleCert Accredited course, 1 Exam Voucher AND 1 Free Exam Retake for only $865 – (List Price is $1,353/You Save $488)
NOTE: These offers are valid January 2020 only and may not be combined with other offers. Have questions? Email us or call us at 877.546.4446.
I was speaking with some ITIL Experts last week and they asked me if there is any value in someone getting V3 certified since ITIL 4 releases in 2019. Here is my answer. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.
First off, great question. There is a lot of confusion over the ITIL 4 release as many of the details are still under wraps. From a 10,000 foot look we all know that we live in a world of updates and change does not happen overnight. Companies have infrastructures and processes and systems in place and they don’t throw them away when a new version is released. And most new versions include key elements of the current version, so the baby is not being thrown out with the bath water.
Right now, ITIL is V3. V3 is alive and well and will be maintained until at least June 2020. The ITIL 4 Foundation is being released Q1 2019 – or sometime in the next 4 months. The remainder of the ITIL 4 courses are scheduled to be released sometime June 2019 to December 2019.
If I were new to ITIL and had funds for exams, I would get V3 Foundation and ITIL 4 Foundation Certified. ITIL V3 Foundation is required for many positions and I don’t see that requirement going away for the next 12 months minimum. ITIL 4 Foundation is new and takes ITIL to the next level and if I wanted to be fully prepared to help my company transition from ITIL V3 to ITIL 4 or have certifications that helped me stand out, get promoted or get a new job, then I would get ITIL 4 Foundation Certified too. If I was already ITIL V3 Foundation Certified, I would get ITIL 4 Foundation Certified for the same reasons.
For the more advanced V3 certificate holders I would come up to speed on ITIL 4 by reading the book when it is released or taking a class. In my opinion there is no need for advanced certificate holders to get the ITIL 4 Foundation certificate. Advanced ITIL 3 Certificate holders (17 V3 credits or more) will be able to take the ITIL 4 Managing Professional transition course when it is released second half of 2019 and achieve the new ITIL 4 Managing Professional Certification. This enables individuals with 17 or more ITIL V3 credits to take 1 course instead of 4 to become ITIL 4 Managing Professional Certified. If you are on your way to 17 credits in ITIL V3, keep going as it will allow you accelerated access to the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Certification.
I hope this article has been informative. If you have any questions, we are here to help.
1. The sale begins today so you don’t have to interrupt Thanksgiving to SAVE BIG.
2. You don’t have to wait outside in the cold and get pushed and shoved by thousands of people to get this deal.
3. When your boss comes in and asks you what ITIL is all about, you will know the answer.
4. When ITIL 4 is released the price will be 4x more expensive because it is new and training companies will not need to discount.
5. ITIL credentials look great on your resume and help with raises and promotions.
AND – Click Here to secure your ITIL 4 Foundation Voucher during during the Black Friday 2018 Sale!
This Month ONLY – October 2018 ALL ITIL Exam Vouchers are $100 off the PeopleCert List Price.
ITIL Exam Voucher Valid for 1 Year
You have 1 year after the date of purchase to use your ITIL Exam Voucher. If you are planning to take ITIL exams in the next 12 months, then now is the time to purchase your exam vouchers.
How to Purchase and SAVE!
ITIL Exam Background
As of January 1, 2018, AXELOS made PeopleCert the only ITIL Exam Institute in the world. Prior to this date there were several including PeopleCert, EXIN and APMG. So, this means that you can only take your ITIL Exams from PeopleCert.
PeopleCert in turn accredits training organizations and exam providers who in turn are allowed to sell ITIL exam vouchers. So, when it comes to purchasing ITIL exams you can purchase them from PeopleCert directly or you can purchase them from an accredited training organization (ATO) or an accredited exam organization (AEO). Each operates under the rules and regulations of PeopleCert and are able to sell ITIL exams under the guidelines set for them by PeopleCert.
Step 1: When you are ready to buy your ITIL exam voucher, look for ITIL ATO or AEO as they almost always will offer you a lower price than the Exam Institute. Exam institutes typically have resellers that offer their exams, so you will find that the resellers usually offer better prices.
Step 2: To find an exam reseller do a Google search. If the deals you see are too good to be true, like get certified for $29, then it is too good to be true. There are no ITIL exams anywhere in the world that you can purchase for $29.
For example, here is the 2018 List Price for ITIL Exams:
Step 3: Make sure that the organization selling you the exam is authorized to do so. That means they need to be an ITIL ATO or an AEO.
Remember – ITIL Exam Vouchers are valid for use for 1 year from the date of purchase. So, if you know you are taking your exam within 365 days, you can buy your exam voucher now and know that you have 365 days to use it. And, PeopleCert will let you extend the voucher for 6 months for a small fee as long as you contact them before the 1 year from date of purchase is up.
To check out GogoTraining’s current ITIL Foundation Exam Deal, Click Here. To get prices on ITIL Practitioner, Intermediate or MALC exams, Contact US.
Good News! AXELOS and PeopleCert have just announced that your current ITIL certifications will remain valid following the ITIL 4 Update. Other than that bit of news, there is nothing more to report. Throughout the rest of the year AXELOS will be sharing what they are doing and getting feedback. A major announcement is expected from AXELOS in August 2018. The bottom line:
We will update you as more news is released.
If you have specific questions, send them to customerservice@gogotraining.com or call us at 877.546.4446.
ITIL is an acronym for the Information Technology Infrastructure Library that was created in the 1980s by the UK Government’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency. The agency understood that a set of standardized service management practices was necessary to align service management delivery from one agency to another. What started out as a set of recommendations grew into ITIL V1. ITIL has had several versions with V1 arriving in late 80s, V2 in late 90s, V3 in 2007 and then ITIL 2011. ITIL is currently undergoing another revision to include how ITIL relates to other frameworks and standards including Agile, DevOps, Lean, ISO 20000 and more.
The figures vary. In Europe it is suggested that up to 70% of European business leaders consider ITIL a must have in their organizations . Outside of the UK the number of organizations that have adopted and adapted ITIL is estimated to be around 33%.
When organizations adopt and adapt ITIL, they ensure that their services are delivered according to well defined best practices that allows them to increase customer satisfaction and better manage their processes and reduce costs.
No doubt certifications assist in higher paying jobs and raises. Most report that holding an ITIL Foundation Certification can jump your salary $5,000 to as much as $13,000. The 2016 Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report shares that the average salary for ITIL-certified professionals ranges from $92,000 to $105,842 and that more than 90 percent of respondents to their survey reported their average salary with an ITIL Foundation certificate exceeded $98,000.
You start with the Foundation Certification. It is a TON of information. There is no requirement to take an accredited course to pass the exam, however it is HIGHLY recommended. The exam is 100% on the content in the course. When you take an Accredited ITIL Foundation course then you know for sure you are getting all the info you need to pass. Courses are available live at training organization location, live online and On-Demand to give you ultimate flexibility.
After ITIL Foundation Certification you can go on to become ITIL Practitioner Certified or move into the ITIL Intermediate courses.
ROUTE 1 = ITIL Practitioner
This is a relatively new certification that was released about 2 years ago and it is the only course out of 12 that actually shows students how to adopt and adapt ITIL. ITIL Practitioner like ITIL Foundation has no formal training requirement, however, it has the lowest pass rate of all 12 exams. There is a great deal of knowledge and practical experience required to pass this exam and we do not recommend students take this exam without having (1) taken the ITIL Practitioner course and (2) taken at least one of the ITIL Intermediate courses. The exam requires you to adopt and adapt what you learned. It is not repeating concepts. It is the most expensive ITIL exam retailing at $469 from PeopleCert.
Route 2 = The ITIL Intermediate Path
This is the second option and the more common path following ITIL Foundation Certification. AND – YOU MUST hold an ITIL Foundation certificate to take these exams. To take any of these exams you MUST have taken an Accredited Course and hold a Certificate of Completion. The Intermediate series is made up of 9 courses split into a Lifecycle track and a Capability track. You can stick with one path or mix and match from the both.
i. Intermediate Service Lifecycle Courses – Managers take this path
1. Service Strategy
2. Service Transition
3. Service Design
4. Service Operation
5. Continual Service Improvement
ii. Intermediate Capability Courses – The people who do the work/implement ITIL take this path
1. Service Offerings and Agreements
2. Planning, Protection and Optimization
3. Release, Control and Validation
4. Operational Support and Analysis
After Foundation and completing 17 credits in one of these paths or a combination of courses (some people like to mix and match), then the student has enough points to take the Managing Across the Lifecycle course (MALC) which allows them to sit for the MALC exam. You need a minimum of 17 credits to take MALC.
a. Foundation is 2 credits
b. Lifecycle course are 3 each
c. Capability are 4 each
d. MALC is 5
Once you have prepared for an exam and hold the required Certificate of Completion for the Intermediate and MALC courses, then you are ready to purchase and take your exam. The official exam provider for all ITIL exams as of January 1, 2018 is PeopleCert. You can purchase your ITIL Exams from PeopleCert directly or from an Authorized Exam Organization. Exams can be taken at exam centers and Online so you can take them from the comfort of your home or office.
We hope this article on ITIL Certification has been informative and helpful. If you have any questions, we are here to help. You can reach us by phone at, 877.546.4446 or via email at, customerservice@gogotraining.com
