Domain 1 · Software Asset Core Overview & Fundamentals
14% of the exam- Software Asset Management Basics
- Process Architecture
- Application introduction and Recommendation Practices
CIS-SAM exam blueprint, explained
Certified Implementation Specialist - Software Asset Management
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: KB0011570, updated January 2026. Open the official CIS-SAM 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
- 5
- Heaviest domain
- Practical Management of Software Compliance (30%)
- Top two domains
- 58% of the exam
- Objectives listed
- 15
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. Software Asset Core Overview & Fundamentals | 14% | 1 h 30 min |
| 2. Data Integrity – Attributes and Sources for the Data | 28% | 2 h 45 min |
| 3. Practical Management of Software Compliance | 30% | 3 h |
| 4. Operational Integration of Software Processes | 13% | 1 h 15 min |
| 5. Extending SAM | 15% | 1 h 30 min |
Weights as published in KB0011570. 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 · Data Integrity – Attributes and Sources for the Data
28% of the exam- Importing Data
- Software Discovery and Normalization
- Content Services
Domain 3 · Practical Management of Software Compliance
30% of the exam- Products and Models
- License Metrics, Entitlements and Allocations
- Software Reconciliation
Domain 4 · Operational Integration of Software Processes
13% of the exam- Contract and Change Management
- Service Catalog and Procurement
- Software Remediation
Domain 5 · Extending SAM
15% of the exam- Software Model Lifecycle and Retirement
- Software Installation Optimization
- Reporting, Implementation and Maintenance
Before you book
- Prerequisites: CIS – Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) is a mandatory prerequisite for CIS-SAM.
- 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-SAM page.
Courses the blueprint points to
Recommended on the blueprint
The blueprint lists these as recommended preparation.
- Welcome to ServiceNow
- ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals
- Get Started with Now Create · 48m
- ServiceNow Platform Implementation
- Software Asset Management (SAM) Professional Fundamentals, OR
- Software Asset Management (SAM) Professional Fundamentals On Demand
Additional resources on the blueprint
Listed as further reading, not core preparation.
- Software Asset Management (SAM) Simulator
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. Practical Management of Software Compliance alone is 30% of the exam.
- 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.