Failed ITIL 4 Foundation twice — what am I missing here? — Forums

Tyler B.OP

May 27, 2026

So I'm sitting here feeling pretty defeated. I've taken the ITIL 4 Foundation exam twice now and scored 62% both times — passing is 65%, so I'm right on the edge and it's driving me crazy. I've been using a study guide I bought on Amazon and watching YouTube videos, but clearly something isn't clicking. I've got about 6 weeks before my company's deadline to get certified (it's required for my new role in service management).

The parts that keep tripping me up are the service value chain activities and understanding when to apply which guiding principle. The questions feel deliberately tricky — like two answers always seem correct and I can never figure out which one ITIL actually prefers. Has anyone found a good ITIL practice test resource that actually mirrors the real exam difficulty? I need something that explains WHY an answer is wrong, not just marks it incorrect.

Any study tips from people who passed on their third attempt or after struggling would mean a lot right now. What finally made things click for you?

Amanda H.

May 27, 2026

I was in almost the exact same boat — failed once at 63% and was losing my mind. What changed it for me was stopping all the reading and switching exclusively to practice questions for the last two weeks. The official Axelos sample questions are decent but limited. I found that drilling 20-30 questions a day with detailed explanations helped me internalize the ITIL "way of thinking" rather than just memorizing terms. The guiding principles section is worth really hammering — it shows up constantly on the real exam.

Jordan L.

May 28, 2026

The tricky thing about ITIL questions is they're testing whether you understand the philosophy, not just the definitions. Whenever I saw two plausible answers, I'd ask myself: which one sounds more like a consultant optimizing for value and less like someone following a rigid process? That mental filter got me through a lot of coin-flip moments. Also — don't sleep on the four dimensions model. I underestimated it and it cost me points. Passed with 78% on my second attempt after about three weeks of focused prep.

Alex G.

May 28, 2026

Six weeks is plenty of time, don't panic. Focus on the service value chain and guiding principles — that's probably 40% of the exam right there. Make flashcards for the four dimensions. And honestly, get some sleep the night before. I crammed until 2am before my first attempt and bombed it. Rested properly for my second and passed. You've got this.

Failed ITIL 4 Foundation twice — what am I missing here?

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