Certification guide
ITIL Foundation (Version 5) is the entry point to PeopleCert’s rebuilt ITIL scheme, released in February 2026. It replaces ITIL 4 Foundation as the framework’s first rung, and it is the prerequisite that every higher ITIL designation now builds on. The exam tests whether you can speak the language of modern service management: the terms and definitions the framework rests on, the ITIL Value System that ties demand to realised value, and the four dimensions that keep a service honest across people, information, partners and value streams.
The headline change from ITIL 4 is a shift of centre of gravity. ITIL 4 was organised around services; Version 5 is organised around products and services together, and it treats AI as part of the operating landscape rather than an appendix. The 34 management practices survive, but they are regrouped, and two areas that were previously scattered through other topics (the product and service lifecycle, and value stream mapping) are now examinable sections in their own right.
Which exam should you sit? Both are live. PeopleCert has said the current plan is to sunset all ITIL 4 modules on 31 December 2027, so ITIL 4 Foundation remains a valid, examinable credential for now and stays current under the normal three-year renewal cycle. If you already hold an ITIL 4 certification, you do not need to retake a full exam, a short ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) of 20 questions in 30 minutes awards the full Version 5 credential. If you are starting fresh in 2026, Version 5 is the exam with the longer runway.
Level · Foundation 40 questions 60 minutes 75 minutes if English is not your first language Pass · 26 of 40 · 65% Closed book Online proctored Prerequisites · none Renew every 3 years · 60 CPD points From $690 USD exam bundle
All 40 questions are multiple choice and carry one mark each, with no negative marking, so an unanswered question costs exactly what a wrong one does, never leave a blank. Twenty-six correct answers pass. The paper is closed book and delivered under web-based online proctoring, and candidates sitting in a second language receive an additional 25% of time.
Seven syllabus sections structure the exam, and their weights are strikingly uneven. Two sections, key terms and the ITIL Value System, account for 70% of the paper between them. Studying the syllabus evenly is the most common way to fail a Foundation exam that is this lopsided.
The ITIL Value System
Section 4 · 40%The largest section by a wide margin, and the conceptual spine of Version 5. How demand becomes value: the guiding principles and how they shape decisions, governance, the practices as a system rather than a list, and continual improvement as a property of the whole rather than a separate activity. Expect questions that describe a situation and ask which principle applies, or which part of the system a described activity belongs to.
Key ITIL terms and definitions
Section 1 · 30%The vocabulary the rest of the framework is written in, service, product, outcome, output, cost, risk, utility, warranty, value, and the relationships between them. Foundation exams reward precision here: the distinction between an output and an outcome, or between utility and warranty, is exactly the kind of thing a Foundation paper tests directly rather than by inference.
The ITIL Four Dimensions of Product and Service Management
Section 2 · 10%Organizations and people, information and technology, partners and suppliers, and value streams and processes. The four dimensions are a completeness check: neglect one and the service degrades in a predictable way. Questions typically hand you a failure and ask which dimension was under-served.
The ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle
Section 3 · 10%New as a standalone section in Version 5. How a product or service moves from concept through to retirement, and what service management owes it at each stage. This is where the version’s product-centric reframing is most visible: ITIL 4 covered lifecycle ideas, but scattered rather than as an examinable topic of its own.
Value stream identification, mapping, and management
Section 5 · 5%Also elevated in Version 5. Identifying the steps by which work actually turns into value, mapping them honestly rather than aspirationally, and managing the result. A small section by weight, but the practical skill the framework increasingly leans on.
ITIL and AI
Section 6 · 2.5%Version 5 is described by PeopleCert as AI-native by design, and this section is where that shows up as examinable content: where AI sits within service management, and what it changes about how practices operate. One question in a typical paper, but a section with no ITIL 4 equivalent at all.
ITIL and other frameworks
Section 7 · 2.5%How ITIL sits alongside the other frameworks an organization is likely to be running, rather than in competition with them. The smallest section, and generally the last thing worth studying.
A free 15-question ITIL Foundation (Version 5) sample is live now, weighted to the official syllabus percentages, scored instantly against the same 65% threshold as the real exam’s 26 of 40, no account needed. Full-length 100-question practice sets are in development and will follow the same weights: 40 questions from the ITIL Value System, 30 from key terms and definitions, 10 each from the four dimensions and the product and service lifecycle, 5 from value streams, and the two 2.5% sections alternating between three and two questions across sets so the bank as a whole averages the published weight. Questions are original throughout and written to test whether you can apply a definition, not whether you have memorised its wording.
Frequently asked questions about ITIL Foundation (Version 5)
What is ITIL Foundation (Version 5)?
It is the entry-level certification in PeopleCert’s ITIL Version 5 scheme, released in February 2026, and the prerequisite for every higher ITIL designation. It tests understanding of ITIL’s key terms and definitions, the ITIL Value System, the four dimensions of product and service management, the product and service lifecycle, value stream mapping, and how ITIL relates to AI and to other frameworks.
How many questions are on the exam and how long is it?
Forty multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, each worth one mark, with no negative marking. Candidates taking the exam in a language that is not their first receive an additional 25% of time, giving 75 minutes.
What is the passing score?
Twenty-six of 40, which is 65%. Because every question carries one mark and there is no penalty for a wrong answer, there is never a reason to leave one blank.
Are there any prerequisites?
None. ITIL Foundation (Version 5) is open to anyone, and accredited training is not required at Foundation level, unlike the Practice Manager modules higher up the scheme, which do require accredited training.
What are the syllabus sections and their weights?
Seven sections: the ITIL Value System (40%), key ITIL terms and definitions (30%), the ITIL Four Dimensions of Product and Service Management (10%), the ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle (10%), value stream identification, mapping and management (5%), ITIL and AI (2.5%), and ITIL and other frameworks (2.5%). The first two sections are 70% of the paper between them.
Should I take ITIL 4 Foundation or Version 5?
Both are currently examinable. PeopleCert has stated that the current plan is to sunset all ITIL 4 modules on 31 December 2027, so a candidate starting fresh in 2026 gets a longer runway from Version 5. ITIL 4 Foundation remains fully valid and renews on the normal three-year cycle, and it still counts as a prerequisite for higher Version 5 modules.
I already hold ITIL 4, do I have to retake the whole exam?
No. The ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) is a 20-question, 30-minute exam at the same 65% pass mark, and passing it awards the full Version 5 Foundation certificate. It is open to holders of ITIL 4 certifications, with the exception of the Acquiring and Managing Cloud Services and Sustainability in Digital and IT extension modules. The bridge itself is available until the 31 December 2027 sunset.
What actually changed from ITIL 4?
The framework moved from a service-centric to a product-and-service-centric model, and PeopleCert describes Version 5 as AI-native by design. The 34 management practices are retained but regrouped. The product and service lifecycle and value stream mapping became examinable sections in their own right, and the ITIL 4 extension modules are not carried forward.
How long is the certification valid?
Three years. Renewal requires 60 CPD points across the cycle, or you can renew by passing another ITIL certification, all ITIL certificates sit within the same product suite, so passing any Version 5 exam also renews ITIL 4 certificates you hold.
How should I prepare?
Study to the weights rather than evenly. The ITIL Value System and key terms are 70% of the paper, so they deserve most of the time; ITIL and AI plus ITIL and other frameworks together account for one question in a typical paper. Then drill with blueprint-weighted practice sets until you are clearing 65% comfortably, and read the explanation on every miss: Foundation questions punish approximate definitions more than anything else.
Trademark notice & independence. Certifym.net is operated by Certifym Exam Services, LLC and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PeopleCert. ITIL® is a registered trade mark of PeopleCert group companies, used here only to identify the certification these study materials are intended for. The ITIL Foundation (Version 5) syllabus and its section weights are the property of PeopleCert; candidates should always confirm the current syllabus, exam format, pricing and scheme dates directly with PeopleCert before booking, as scheme details and the announced ITIL 4 sunset arrangements may change.
All questions, answers, and explanations on Certifym are original content written for practice purposes. They are not actual PeopleCert examination questions and are not represented as such. Practicing with these materials does not guarantee a passing result on any live certification exam.