ITIL 4 Foundation exam: format, pass mark and taking it online
The ITIL 4 Foundation exam is 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, closed book, and you need at least 65% to pass. You can take it online from home under remote proctoring, you see a preliminary result as soon as you finish, and the certification is renewed every 3 years.
See the ITIL 4 Foundation practice questions →
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certification exam
ITIL stands for the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, and the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certification starts with the Foundation exam. People also search it the other way round, as the ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library certification — it is the same exam.
PeopleCert examines it. In 2021 PeopleCert completed its acquisition of AXELOS, the company that managed ITIL and PRINCE2, so booking, exam rules and certificates all sit with PeopleCert today.
Source: PeopleCert — PeopleCert completes Axelos acquisition. Checked 9 October 2026.
ITIL 4 Foundation exam format
PeopleCert publishes the format on its ITIL 4 Foundation page: 40 questions, multiple choice, 60 minutes, closed book. That is 90 seconds per question with no notes or books allowed.
The exam is offered in 12 languages: English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish and Thai. PeopleCert states no prerequisites, so you can book it without a course or a prior certificate.
Source: PeopleCert — ITIL 4 Foundation. Checked 9 October 2026.
ITIL 4 passing score
The ITIL 4 passing score is set as a percentage: PeopleCert states a minimum required score of 65%. With 40 questions, that means at least 26 correct answers.
Because the ITIL pass mark is a straight percentage rather than a scaled score, your results on full-length practice sets are easy to read against it. Aim to score clearly above 65% across every topic, consistently, before you book — not once on a single set.
The same ITIL passing score applies to ITIL Foundation (Version 5): PeopleCert lists 40 questions, 60 minutes, closed book and 65% for that exam too.
Source: PeopleCert — ITIL 4 Foundation. Checked 9 October 2026.
Taking the ITIL Foundation exam online
You can sit the ITIL Foundation exam online, from home, under PeopleCert’s online proctoring. PeopleCert’s FAQ lists what you need: a quiet room with sufficient light and a clean desk, with no other person present; a single web camera you can rotate (embedded or external, not a mobile phone); a broadband connection of at least 4 Mbps; and a screen of at least 15 inches at 1024×768 or higher.
Your exam voucher is valid for 12 months from purchase. Rescheduling is free up to 48 hours before the start; after that PeopleCert charges an administrative fee. PeopleCert’s Take2 re-sit option, which lets you re-sit after an unsuccessful attempt, is available exclusively through online proctoring.
Source: PeopleCert — Help & Support FAQs. Checked 9 October 2026.
ITIL 4 Foundation exam objectives: AXELOS and PeopleCert
Since PeopleCert took over AXELOS, the exam objectives live on PeopleCert’s ITIL 4 Foundation page, listed as what you will learn:
- Service management concepts
- The service value system
- The four dimensions of service management
- The guiding principles
- The service value chain
- ITIL practices
- Continuous improvement
- Service level agreements
- Key metrics and performance indicators
Source: PeopleCert — ITIL 4 Foundation. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is there an ITIL 4 Foundation exam objectives PDF?
Not on PeopleCert’s ITIL 4 Foundation page, checked 9 October 2026: the topics are listed on the page itself, with no separate syllabus download there. Copies of an ITIL 4 Foundation exam objectives PDF circulating elsewhere may be older; compare any such file with the list above.
For practice under exam conditions, PeopleCert’s eLearning+ bundle includes auto-marked sample papers and an Official Mock Exam.
Source: PeopleCert — ITIL 4 Foundation. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is ITIL certification hard?
PeopleCert publishes no pass rate, so nobody can answer is ITIL certification hard with a number. What the format tells you is where the difficulty lies: 40 definitional questions in 60 minutes, closed book, where the wrong options are usually real ITIL terms that sit next to the right one.
That rewards precise knowledge of the official definitions over general IT experience. Certsqill’s ITIL 4 Foundation practice questions are expert-developed, explain every answer option so you learn where one concept ends and the next begins, and give you a readiness score per domain. Access comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Source: PeopleCert — ITIL 4 Foundation. Checked 9 October 2026.
How long does it take to get ITIL certification?
The exam itself takes 60 minutes. PeopleCert issues preliminary results automatically when you finish and announces final results within 2 business days; the official results and eCertificate are then uploaded to your PeopleCert account, and your digital badge is issued automatically.
Study time is the variable. PeopleCert sets no study-hours figure; its official eLearning lists 9 hours of interactive content, to which you add reading and practice. So how long does it take to get ITIL certified depends mostly on how quickly you can learn the definitions — with no prerequisites, nothing else stands in the way.
Source: PeopleCert — Help & Support FAQs. Checked 9 October 2026.
How long does ITIL certification last?
PeopleCert’s ITIL 4 Foundation page states certification renewal every 3 years, with 60 CPD points needed for renewal. You can also renew by completing another course in the same product suite and passing its exam before your renewal date.
PeopleCert’s ITIL FAQ adds that ITIL 4 certifications are also renewed by passing any ITIL (Version 5) certification, and that ITIL (Version 5) certificates are issued with a three-year renewal date. The current plan is to sunset all ITIL 4 modules on 31 December 2027.
Source: PeopleCert — ITIL FAQ. Checked 9 October 2026.
ITIL 4 Foundation exam: questions people ask
What is the ITIL pass mark?
65% — at least 26 of 40 questions. Source: PeopleCert, checked 9 October 2026.
Can I take the ITIL Foundation exam online?
Yes. PeopleCert offers online proctored exams; you need a quiet room, a rotatable web camera (not a phone) and broadband of at least 4 Mbps. Source: PeopleCert FAQ, checked 9 October 2026.
Does the online ITIL Foundation exam lead to the same certificate?
Yes. It is the same ITIL 4 Foundation exam — 40 questions in 60 minutes, 65% to pass. PeopleCert’s Take2 re-sit option is available only for online proctored exams.
How long does it take to get ITIL certified after the exam?
Preliminary results appear on screen when you finish; PeopleCert announces final results within 2 business days. Source: PeopleCert FAQ, checked 9 October 2026.
How long does ITIL certification last?
PeopleCert states renewal every 3 years, with 60 CPD points or by passing another exam in the same product suite. Checked 9 October 2026.
Where are the ITIL 4 Foundation exam objectives?
On PeopleCert’s ITIL 4 Foundation page, under what you will learn. PeopleCert completed its acquisition of AXELOS in 2021.
