Domain 1 · SPM Implementation Overview
2% of the exam- SPM implementation preparation
- General configurations
- Now Create methodology
CIS-SPM exam blueprint, explained
Certified Implementation Specialist - Strategic Portfolio 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: KB0011561, updated January 2026. Open the official CIS-SPM 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
- 9
- Heaviest domain
- Project Management (30%)
- Top two domains
- 53% of the exam
- Objectives listed
- 51
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. SPM Implementation Overview | 2% | 15 min |
| 2. SPM Financials | 10% | 1 h |
| 3. Resource Management | 23% | 2 h 15 min |
| 4. Idea and Demand | 18% | 1 h 45 min |
| 5. Project Management | 30% | 3 h |
| 6. Timecard Management | 5% | 30 min |
| 7. Portfolio Planning Workspace | 8% | 45 min |
| 8. SPM Platform Analytics & Dashboards | 2% | 15 min |
| 9. SPM Better Together | 2% | 15 min |
Weights as published in KB0011561. 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 · SPM Financials
10% of the exam- Properties and tables
- Financial planning
- Cost types
- Rate types
- Expense lines
- Rate model
Domain 3 · Resource Management
23% of the exam- Personas, properties, and roles
- Resource Management Workspace
- Resource assignments
- Planning attributes
- Capacity planning
- Schedules
Domain 4 · Idea and Demand
18% of the exam- Roles and tables
- Idea Portal
- States
- Innovation Management integration with Universal Request
- Idea and demand conversion
- Demand form
- Demand Workbench
- Defining stakeholders
- Assessments
Domain 5 · Project Management
30% of the exam- Properties, roles, and tables
- Project Workspace
- States
- Subprojects
- Tasks
- Relationships (tasks and dependencies)
- Project templates
- Importing projects
- RIDAC
- Baselines
- Status reports
- Schedules
- Diagnostics
Domain 6 · Timecard Management
5% of the exam- Plugins, roles, and tables
- Categories
- Policies
- Rate types
Domain 7 · Portfolio Planning Workspace
8% of the exam- Plugins, roles, tables, and properties
- Portfolio Planning Workspace
- Lenses
- Planning items
- Display limits
- Integrating Portfolio Planning with PPM
- Scenario Planning
Domain 8 · SPM Platform Analytics & Dashboards
2% of the exam- Platform Analytics
- Dashboards
Domain 9 · SPM Better Together
2% of the exam- ServiceNow applications that integrate with SPM
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-SPM 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 (On Demand) · 48m
- ServiceNow Platform Implementation
- Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) Fundamentals
- Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) Implementation
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. Project Management 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.