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Exam Blueprint & Registration

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • What the CSA exam is, and what it looks like
  • The six exam domains, and which ones matter most
  • How to register and get ready

1 The CSA certification

You’ve finished the whole course. 🎓 The next step many admins take is the Certified System Administrator (CSA) exam. It shows employers that you can configure and look after a ServiceNow instance.

Exam fact Details
Questions 60, multiple choice and multiple select (“choose two”)
Time 90 minutes
Where Online with a remote proctor, or at a test center
Based on A recent ServiceNow release. The blueprint is updated over time
Fee Check the current price when you register. Employers or partners sometimes give vouchers

2 The six domains

The exam blueprint splits the exam into six areas, called domains. Some are much bigger than others.

The six CSA exam domains, from biggest to smallest. Database Management and Platform Security is the biggest: users and roles, tables, fields, ACLs, importing data, and CMDB. Configuring Applications for Collaboration and Self-Service and Automation are both big: lists, forms, tasks, reporting, notifications, knowledge, service catalog, and flows. Data Migration and Integration covers policies, scripts, update sets, and integrations. Data Migration and Integration, Instance Configuration, and Platform Overview and Navigation are smaller. Each domain shows the course chapters that cover it.
Figure 1. Spend the most time on the biggest domains.
Domain Size Course chapters
Database Management and Platform Security Biggest 6, 29–32, 42–44
Configuring Applications for Collaboration Big 11–24
Self-Service & Automation Big 25–28, 37
Data Migration and Integration Medium 33–36, 38–41, 45–48
Instance Configuration Smaller 7–10
Platform Overview and Navigation Smallest 1–5

⚠️ Heads up: ServiceNow updates the blueprint from time to time. Before you study, download the current CSA blueprint from ServiceNow University and check the exact domain weights.

3 Registering

  1. Sign in to ServiceNow University with your ServiceNow ID.
  2. Complete the recommended training, such as ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals.
  3. Find the Certified System Administrator exam and start registration. Apply a voucher if you have one.
  4. Schedule a date and time with the testing partner. For online exams, run their system check well before exam day.

💡 Good to know: Nothing beats hands-on practice. Do every “Let’s try it” in this course on your PDI. The exam asks how things work, not just what they’re called.

⭐ Remember: 60 questions, 90 minutes, six domains. The biggest is Database Management and Platform Security. Always check the current blueprint.

4 Let’s try it: make your plan

  1. Download the current CSA blueprint from ServiceNow University.
  2. For each domain, rate yourself: 😀 confident, 😐 okay, 😟 needs work.
  3. Pick a target exam date 3 to 6 weeks away. Put the 😟 domains first in your plan.

5 Quick recap

  • The CSA exam has 60 questions in 90 minutes
  • Six domains. The biggest is Database Management and Platform Security
  • Register through ServiceNow University, then schedule with the testing partner
  • Always check the current blueprint and price

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 How many questions are on the CSA exam, and how long do you have? Show answer

60 questions in 90 minutes.

2 Which domain is the biggest? Show answer

Database Management and Platform Security.

3 Where do you find the official blueprint? Show answer

ServiceNow University.

Nice work! You finished this lesson. 🎉

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