ITIL

The ITIL certification scheme changed in February 2026: PeopleCert, which owns ITIL, launched ITIL Version 5, with ITIL Foundation (released 12 February 2026) as the mandatory entry point and eight higher-level modules grouped into three streams. Practice Manager (Foundation, one of three practice bundles - Monitor Support and Fulfil, Plan Implement and Control, or Collaborate Assure and Improve - plus Transformation), Managing Professional (Foundation plus Product, Service, Experience, and Transformation), and Strategic Leader (Foundation plus Strategy and Transformation). Earning all three designations qualifies you for ITIL Master. ITIL 4 certificates stay valid as prerequisites, but ITIL 4 modules retire on 31 December 2027.

Start with ITIL Foundation (Version 5): 40 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, closed book, 65% to pass (26 of 40). PeopleCert sells the Foundation exam bundle (voucher, official eBook, learning resource kit) for 649 euros, with eLearning packages from 1,369 euros; standalone voucher pricing varies by country. Every ITIL certificate is now valid for 3 years - renew by earning 20 CPD points per year through PeopleCert Plus, passing another ITIL certification, or retaking the exam. If you already hold ITIL 4 Foundation, the shorter ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) exam upgrades you without repeating the full syllabus.

CertCompanion carries a 699-question practice bank for ITIL Foundation (Version 5), with the first 30 questions free. The bank mirrors the v5 syllabus: the ITIL Value System, the four dimensions of service management, the seven guiding principles, the new eight-activity Product and Service Lifecycle (Discover through Optimize), and the core management practices such as incident, problem, and change enablement. Each question includes an explanation, which matters on an exam where roughly 70% of items are scenario-based and the wrong answers sound plausible.

Deciding between ITIL 4 and Version 5? If you are starting from zero, go straight to Version 5 - it is the scheme PeopleCert is building on, and it adds AI-era service management content that ITIL 4 lacks. If you are mid-way through an ITIL 4 designation, you have until 31 December 2027 to finish those modules before they retire, and your ITIL 4 credits carry into the v5 scheme as prerequisites.