What courses do I need for CSA?

Required courses: ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals, Welcome to ServiceNow. Recommended: Flow Designer Fundamentals, ServiceNow Platform Implementation.

What is on the CSA exam?

The CSA exam covers 8 domains: User Interface & Navigation (15%), User Administration & Security (15%), Database Administration (12%), Self-Service & Automation (15%), Incident Management (12%), Problem Management (8%), Change Management (10%), Reporting & Dashboards (13%).

CSA Exam Preparation

Certified System Administrator

Official Exam Page ↗Official Study Guide ↗Practice Questions (100+)

Exam Details

Questions

90 min

Duration

70%

Passing Score

$210

Exam Fee

Exam Blueprint

ServiceNow Official Exam Blueprint

Domain	Weight
User Interface & Navigation • Navigate using lists, forms, and the Application Navigator • Personalize lists and forms • Understand the difference between global and scoped applications • Use filters and breadcrumbs effectively • Configure homepage and dashboard layouts	15%
User Administration & Security • Create and manage users, groups, and roles • Configure Access Control Lists (ACLs) • Understand role inheritance and delegation • Implement security best practices • Manage authentication and SSO basics	15%
Self-Service & Automation • Configure Service Catalog items and categories • Create and manage Knowledge articles • Build flows with Flow Designer • Configure notifications and events • Set up the Service Portal basics	15%
Reporting & Dashboards • Create and configure reports • Build interactive dashboards • Schedule and distribute reports • Use Performance Analytics basics • Create homepage gauges and widgets	13%
Database Administration • Work with tables and the data dictionary • Create and modify fields and field types • Understand table inheritance and extensions • Manage data imports and exports • Configure table indexes and performance	12%
Incident Management • Create and manage incidents • Configure incident states and workflows • Understand priority calculation • Implement escalation rules • Link incidents to other ITSM processes	12%
Change Management • Create and manage change requests • Understand change models and types • Configure CAB approval workflows • Use change schedules and conflict detection	10%
Problem Management • Differentiate between incidents and problems • Create and manage known errors • Document workarounds and root causes • Link problems to related incidents	8%

Study Plan

Focus on high-weight topics first for maximum impact. Topics are ordered by exam weight.

User Interface & Navigation

15% weight

Master the ServiceNow user interface including lists, forms, navigation, and the Application Navigator. Learn to customize your workspace for maximum productivity.

Key Concepts to Master:

Application NavigatorLists and list controlsForms and form sectionsRelated listsFilters and breadcrumbs+3 more

Practice (15 questions)Learn Concepts

User Administration & Security

15% weight

Learn to manage users, groups, and roles in ServiceNow. Understand Access Control Lists (ACLs) and how to implement security best practices.

Key Concepts to Master:

User records and profilesGroups and group membershipRoles and role hierarchiesAccess Control Lists (ACLs)Security rules+3 more

Practice (15 questions)Learn Concepts

Self-Service & Automation

15% weight

Configure self-service portals, Service Catalog, Knowledge Management, and automation tools like Flow Designer to improve user experience.

Key Concepts to Master:

Service CatalogCatalog items and variablesRecord producersOrder guidesKnowledge Base+3 more

Practice (15 questions)Learn Concepts

Reporting & Dashboards

13% weight

Create powerful reports and dashboards to visualize ServiceNow data. Learn report types, scheduling, and Performance Analytics basics.

Key Concepts to Master:

Report typesReport BuilderList reportsCharts and graphsDashboards+3 more

Practice (13 questions)Learn Concepts

Database Administration

12% weight

Understand the ServiceNow data model, tables, fields, and the data dictionary. Learn to extend tables and manage data effectively.

Key Concepts to Master:

Tables and table relationshipsFields and field typesData dictionaryTable inheritanceReference fields+3 more

Practice (12 questions)Learn Concepts

Incident Management

12% weight

Master ServiceNow Incident Management to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible. Learn incident states, priority, escalation, and resolution.

Key Concepts to Master:

Incident lifecyclePriority calculationImpact and urgencyAssignment rulesEscalation+3 more

Practice (12 questions)Learn Concepts

Change Management

10% weight

Manage IT changes safely with ServiceNow Change Management. Learn change models, CAB approvals, risk assessment, and change schedules.

Key Concepts to Master:

Change types (Standard, Normal, Emergency)Change modelsChange Advisory Board (CAB)Risk assessmentChange schedule+3 more

Practice (10 questions)Learn Concepts

Problem Management

8% weight

Learn to identify and manage the root cause of incidents through Problem Management. Understand known errors, workarounds, and permanent fixes.

Key Concepts to Master:

Problem vs IncidentRoot cause analysisKnown errorsWorkaroundsProblem tasks+3 more

Practice (8 questions)Learn Concepts

Required Courses

Official Now Learning courses that cover the exam content.

REQUIRED16 hours

ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals

Core admin skills including UI navigation, user admin, database management, and platform configuration

ui-navigationuser-administrationdatabase-administration

↗

REQUIRED2 hours

Welcome to ServiceNow

Platform overview and core concepts introduction

ui-navigation

↗

Recommended Courses

RECOMMENDED4 hours

Flow Designer Fundamentals

Automation and workflow building without code

↗

RECOMMENDED8 hours

ServiceNow Platform Implementation

Implementation best practices and methodology

↗

Official Documentation

ServiceNow docs pages that map to the exam domains.

📄

Platform User Interface

Access Control Rules (ACLs)

database-administration

↗

📄

Service Catalog

self-service-automation

↗

📄

Knowledge Management

self-service-automation

Prerequisites

•6-12 months hands-on ServiceNow experience
•Completion of ServiceNow Fundamentals course (recommended)
•Access to a Personal Developer Instance (PDI)

Real Experiences

Insights from 3 real test-takers who took this exam.

📊Difficulty

Moderate

Fundamentally a terminology memorization test, but scenario questions trip people up.

⏱️Time Pressure

Moderate

Most users finish with time to review. Straightforward if prepared.

Key Insights

What test-takers wish they knew before the exam.

1Table names are tricky — plural vs singular, abbreviations vs full names
2Platform navigation questions: 'which tab to do XYZ', button locations
3Roles and permissions are heavily scenario-based
4CMDB and Service Catalog need extra focus — common weak spots
5The 'Additional ServiceNow Fundamentals Content' section is exam gold

Common Gotchas

Watch out for these tricky areas.

⚡Table name gotchas: task vs tasks, incident vs inc

⚡Similar menu paths with subtle differences

⚡Role questions with overlapping permissions

⚡Multi-select questions where options look similar

Pro Tips from Those Who Passed

✓Complete free developer learning paths BEFORE the paid course

✓Don't skip the eBook — it contains different content than videos

✓Pay extra attention to 'Additional ServiceNow Fundamentals Content' section

✓Use a PDI constantly — look at actual tables, not just slides

✓Focus extra time on CMDB and Service Catalog

✓Know your table names precisely — plural/singular matters

What Test-Takers Are Saying

Honest feedback from people who took the exam.

I was familiar with vocabulary and concepts, but the test was heavily scenario-based... This is where I fell short.

Did not pass2025-11

via Reddit

Coming from a web dev background, I struggled with CMDB concepts and CSDM framework. A lot came down to pure memorization which I'm not too happy about.

✓

Passed2024-04

via Reddit

You have to read the ebook. Video and eBook content are different streams. The e-book is the only thing you need to study to ace this exam.

✓

Passed2025-03

via Reddit

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