Domain 1 · GRC Overview
11.7% of the exam- GRC Positioning and Framework
- Key Terminology
- Technical Details
CIS-RC exam blueprint, explained
Certified Implementation Specialist - Risk and Compliance
ServiceNow's blueprint lists what the exam tests and how much each area counts. This page restates it in plain language, with the domains ordered as published and every objective as a checklist.
Official source: KB0011655, updated January 2026. Open the official CIS-RC blueprint
The original is a ServiceNow University knowledge article and may ask you to sign in to Now Learning. If anything here disagrees with it, the official blueprint wins.
At a glance
- Domains
- 7
- Heaviest domains
- Policy and Compliance and Risk and Advanced Risk (25% each)
- Top two domains
- 50% of the exam
- Objectives listed
- 26
Where the marks are
Each domain's share of the exam, and what that means for every 10 hours you study.
| Domain | Weight | Of every 10 study hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1. GRC Overview | 11.7% | 1 h 15 min |
| 2. Implementation Planning | 5% | 30 min |
| 3. Entity Framework | 20% | 2 h |
| 4. Policy and Compliance | 25% | 2 h 30 min |
| 5. Risk and Advanced Risk | 25% | 2 h 30 min |
| 6. Common Elements and Extended Capabilities | 8.3% | 45 min |
| 7. Audit and Advanced Audit | 5% | 30 min |
Weights as published in KB0011655. The study-time column only applies the weight; spend more on domains you're weaker in.
What each domain covers
The blueprint's objectives for each domain. Tick them off as you can explain and do each one in a Personal Developer Instance.
Domain 2 · Implementation Planning
5% of the exam- Use Cases
- Implementation Team and Checklist
- Risk and Compliance Personas, Groups and Roles
Domain 3 · Entity Framework
20% of the exam- Entity Scoping Overview
- Entity Type Approach
- Entity Class Approach
- Entity Architecture
Domain 4 · Policy and Compliance
25% of the exam- Policy and Compliance Record Lifecycles
- Policy and Compliance Architecture
- Policy and Compliance Configuration
- Compliance Supporting Processes
Domain 5 · Risk and Advanced Risk
25% of the exam- Risk and Advanced Risk Record Lifecycles
- Risk and Advanced Risk Architecture
- Risk and Advanced Risk Configuration
Domain 6 · Common Elements and Extended Capabilities
8.3% of the exam- Integrations
- Content Packs
- Other Platform Capabilities
- Regulatory Change Management
- Common Elements
- Continuous Monitoring
Domain 7 · Audit and Advanced Audit
5% of the exam- Audit and Advanced Audit Lifecycles
- Audit and Advanced Audit Architecture
- Audit and Advanced Audit Personas, Groups, and Roles
Before you book
- Prerequisites: Our transcription of the blueprint lists no mandatory prerequisite certification. Check the exam registration page to confirm.
- Exam fee: $450.
- Passing score: ServiceNow does not publish the cut score, and the official exam blueprint says it is not always 70%.
- Booking, retake waits and exam format are covered on the CIS-RC page.
Courses the blueprint points to
Recommended on the blueprint
The blueprint lists these as recommended preparation.
- Welcome to ServiceNow
- ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals
- UI Builder Essentials
- Flow Designer Essentials
- Get Started with Now Create · 48m
- ServiceNow Platform Implementation
- CMDB Fundamentals
- GRC: Integrated Risk Management (IRM) Fundamentals
- GRC: Integrated Risk Management (IRM) Implementation
- GRC: Classic Risk Assessment Fundamentals · 48m
- GRC: Audit Management Essentials
- GRC: Regulatory Change Management Essentials · 1h 50m
- GRC: Integrated Risk Management (IRM) Simulator
Additional resources on the blueprint
Listed as further reading, not core preparation.
Also on the Now Learning credential path
Optional practice listed on the credential path, not in the blueprint.
- UI Builder Fundamentals
- Flow Fundamentals · 8h 8m
Courses without a link are named in the blueprint but we haven't recorded a course URL for them; search for them in Now Learning.
How to use this blueprint
- Go through the objectives above and mark each one: done for real, only read about, or new.
- Start where heavy weight meets the most “new” marks. Policy and Compliance and Risk and Advanced Risk are 25% each.
- Build each objective in a Personal Developer Instance rather than only reading about it.
- Use practice questions to find weak domains, then go back to those objectives and their documentation.