ServiceNow CSA Certification, fully named Certified System Administration, is the entry point to the ServiceNow learning universe. In most cases, this certification is preceded by a CSA training, which makes it easier to pass the exam, since all the information are still fresh in your head, and you just came out of a several hours course, dedicated just for that goal.
The issue might be more relevant for people who didn’t pass the training or didn’t get the chance to pass the certification directly after that. Things can get a little complicated in that case because:
- CaseĀ 1: Since the training have ended, if you had any, you’ve been working on some precise ServiceNow module, and forgot about all the other tiny details;
- Case 2: And it’s worse, you’ve completely drifted away from the ServiceNow technology, and now it’s all foggy to you.
I’ve been there, I lived that!
I had a quick training when I was an intern but didn’t get the chance to pass the exam. After three years working as a full-time ServiceNow consultant, I decided to pass the ServiceNow CSA Certification. I can assure you, I wasn’t really sure from where to start, but I managed to prepare myself, and by the last day, I was more than ready to pass it, and I got it with no sweat.
Allow me to share the 5 tips that will grant you the green “PASS” you all want to get.
1- Know what to expect
The ServiceNow CSA Certification is multiple choice exam. It has 60 questions and you’ll need to get a score of 70% or higher to pass. Some questions accept many correct answers, so you’ll have to check them all because an incomplete answer is considered as a wrong one. You’ll have 90 minutes to complete the exam, if you handle it right, it will be more than enough.
2- Find a preparation partner
That’s an important point if there’s another colleague, friend, an acquaintance who is willing to pass the ServiceNow CSA Certification, partner up!
I found it really helpful to have a preparation partner, it allows you to cover more ground. While sharing a cup of coffee or on your way to work, just start talking about the subject and challenging your partner’s knowledge. You’ll be amazed by the amount of new information you can learn that way. You’ll ask a question, thinking that you already know the answer, the partner will reply with a different idea, uncovering a whole new interpretation that you were neglecting.
3- Read the ‘ServiceNow Fundamentals – Participant Guide’
It’s the official guide used by ServiceNow as training support, it has been given to you if you already passed it. If not, try to ask all your acquaintances for it, even if it’s an old ServiceNow release, just read it. There are only some tiny changes in the core modules, and on the CSA exam questions, they won’t be asking you a lot, if not any, about a new release’s abilities. The major questions are about common modules and some basic notions that have been there in the last four or five releases.
The participant guide is not free, and cannot be bought separately.
This document is a must-read before the exam, your preparation will be very much easier if you have it.
4- Don’t rush it
ServiceNow is a tricky technology, its learning curve is really fast in the beginning, but becomes slower as time goes, and as you gain more experience. And that’s the trick, sometimes we underestimate the platform, and we think that, because we passed the last three weeks working on it, and have seen the biggest part of its fundamentals, we think that we are ready to pass the ServiceNow CSA Certification, and that’s not the case. That’s a big mistake that unfortunately a lot of people make.
Take your time, try to go in-depth about the ServiceNow platform, become familiar with the core table names, get ahold of the workflow mechanism and how it’s working, know your way around the Access Control Lists (ACL) and understand the behavior of the Now Platform. Then, and only then, think about passing the CSA Certification.
5- Review Flashcards and take a Practice Exam
Flashcards are very helpful when preparing for the ServiceNow CSA Certification. It’s a quick way to refresh your memory and makes you answer questions you were not thinking of. Try not to just answer and pass to the next card, but think about every information you reveal, especially if you missed it. Search on the official documentation and the community until you fully comprehend the answer.
Practice exams will prepare your time management and make you measure how prepared you really are.
I’ll share two links. First one for the flashcards, and the second for a Practice Exam. But as a disclaimer, some of the questions and the flashcards are outdated and incorrect. Also, the given links are not verified by ServiceNow, so don’t consider everything you read as sacred axioms, and feel free to challenge every bit of information that doesn’t seem correct.
Conclusion
I hope that the shared tips help you build a preparation plan and ease your anxiety about the exam.
Prepare yourself and know the material before heading there, and you’ll find that it was easier than what you thought. Don’t stress it out, take your time and keep learning until you start feeling confident that you can win it.
If this article was helpful to you, you want to share your experience or you have a recommendation to make, don’t hesitate to leave a comment and help each other learn about this sublime platform.
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