Certified Implementation Specialist - Service Mapping (CIS-SM) Mainline Exam Blueprint


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Updated November 2025

 

Introduction

The ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist – Service Mapping Exam Specification document defines the purpose, audience, testing options, exam content coverage, test framework, and prerequisites for earning the Certified Implementation Specialist – Service Mapping certification.

 

Exam Purpose

The Certified Implementation Specialist – Service Mapping exam confirms you have the knowledge and skills to configure, implement, and maintain the ServiceNow Service Mapping application. This certification validates their ability to design and troubleshoot patterns, configure service maps, integrate with Discovery and Event Management, and maintain the CMDB. Certified individuals enhance IT operations by providing accurate service visibility and readiness.

 

Exam Audience

The ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist – Service Mapping exam is available to ServiceNow customers, partners, employees, and others interested in becoming a ServiceNow becoming a ServiceNow Implementer or Administrator. Here is the recommended experience:

    • Six months of field experience and/or participation in at least two ITOM deployments predominantly Service Mapping
    • Intermediate or above Windows and Unix administration skills

Exam Prerequisites 

Prerequisite Certification 

  • Candidates must hold the Certified Implementation Specialist – Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) Certification before registering for this exam. 

 

Exam Preparation

Exam questions are based on official ServiceNow training materials, the ServiceNow Product documentation site, and the ServiceNow developer site. Study materials posted elsewhere online are not official and should not be used to prepare for the examination.

ServiceNow recommends completing these training course(s) in preparation for the Certified Implementation Specialist – Service Mapping exam.

    • Welcome to ServiceNow
    • ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals
    • ServiceNow Platform Implementation 
    • Get Started with Now Create
    • ITOM Overview
    • Service Mapping Fundamentals
    • Service Mapping Advanced
    • Service Mapping Extras


Additional Recommended Resources

In addition to the above, these additional resources are valuable in preparation for the exam.

    • Credentialing Program Guide – a resource to guide you through the entire certification process
    • Common Service Data Model (CSDM) Fundamentals
    • Configuration Management Database (CDMB) Fundamentals
    • MID Server Fundamentals
    • Discovery Fundamentals
    • Event Management Fundamentals

Exam Scope

This table shows the exam domains, weightings, sub-topics, and the percentage of questions represented in each domain. The listed sub-skills should NOT be considered an all-inclusive list of the exam content. 

 

Number of Domains 

Exam Domain 

Percent of Exam 

1 

Service Mapping Pattern Design 

  • Pattern Designer (Debug, Steps, Temp variables, Command Line Console) 
  • Operations (Match, Parse variable, Parse file, Parsing strategies) 
  • Scripting (WMI, SSH, Regex, Command Line, SNMP) 
  • Application Identification and Connection Sections (Patterns, Identification and Connection Sections, Troubleshooting)

30% 

2 

 Service Mapping Configuration 

  • Setup and Configuration (Configuration files, Tuning, Applications, IP ranges, MID Servers, Icons) 
  • Service Configuration (Entry points, CI Types, Credentials, Service Maps, Schedules, Service Groups, Technical Services, Service creation) 
  • Service Mapping Process Flow (Process flow, Troubleshooting, Discovery Log) 

20%

3 

Discovery Configuration

  • Discovery Setup and Config (Behaviors, Clusters, IP Services, Schedules, MID Servers) 
  • Discovery Process Flow (PCIE Phases, ECC Queue, Status, Discovered Device) 
  • Discovery Troubleshooting (Discovery Errors, Authentication Errors, Duplicates, Credentials) 

15%

4 

 Machine Learning

  • Service Mapping Methods (Guidance on Service Mapping Methods)  
  • ML Powered Mapping (Service Mapping Workspace, Implementation, Mapping Service Candidates)  

10%

5 

Configuration Management Database

  • CI Class Management (CMDB Health Dashboard, CI Class Manager, CMDB Tables, Reclassification, CMDB Relationships) 
  • CMDB Identification and Reconciliation (Identification Rules, Reconciliation Rules, Datasource Precedence Rules, CMDB De-duplication Tasks)

15%

6

Service Mapping Engagement Readiness

  • Scoping (Service definition, Shared services, Licensing, Supported Applications) 
  • Planning (Implementation Skill Sets, MID Server Requirements, Implementation Requirements, Security Requirements) 
  • Operationalizing IT (Measurable KPI improvements, Service Mapping Benefits, Service Mapping Use Cases) 

10%

Total 

100% 

 


Exam Registration

Step 1: Register for your exam 

  • Registration = payment. This step secures your exam attempt. Learning credits and credit card payments are accepted. Instructor-led training completion includes one free exam attempt. Discounted exam pricing may be available through associated company benefits.  
  • You can register at any time. Once registered, you have 90 days to schedule and complete your exam. 
  • Exam fees are non-refundable. Register only when you are prepared to schedule your exam. 

Step 2: Schedule your exam 

  • Click here to register for the CIS-SM exam. Note: ServiceNow provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities or English as a Second Language (ESL) while taking the certification exam. 

  • Schedule within 90 days. After registration, you must schedule your exam appointment and complete your exam within 90 days. 
  •  

Step 3: Choose your exam delivery method 

  • From the My Exams page, you will be directed to Pearson. 
  • Choose to take your exam at a Pearson test center or online with OnVUE, where proctors observe via a webcam. 

Step 4: Complete your exam  

  •  If you do not complete your exam within 90 days, your registration will expire, and you will need to register and pay the full exam fee again (start at step 1 again). 

 

Exam Structure

Exam Duration

The exam duration is 90 minutes.

Number of Items

The exam consists of 60 questions. 

 

Multiple Choice (single answer)

For each multiple-choice question on the exam, there are at least three possible responses. Select the correct response. 

Multiple Select (select all that apply)

There are at least four possible responses for each multiple-select question on the exam. The question will state how many responses should be selected. Select ALL correct responses. Partial credit is not provided.

 

Exam Result

An exam result notification is immediately displayed as a *conditional pass or fail after completing and submitting the exam.  

In addition, an exam result report is available and shows your exam result and the percentage of items in each section you answered correctly. Your exam result is conditional, meaning your results are preliminary and may be updated upon final review.  

*A conditional result means the exam can be audited and reviewed at any time, and the certification may be revoked after investigation if it is found that the ServiceNow Test Security Policies have been violated.    

 Understanding Your Results: 

 
Each question on the exam is worth one point. Your total score is compared to a predetermined cut score - this score is not publicly shared and is not always 70%  - to determine a pass or fail outcome. The section percentages on the exam result notification show how you performed in each domain, but they do not determine your overall result, should not be averaged, and do not indicate expertise. 

If You Pass: 

  • You will earn the Certified Implementation Specialist – Service Mapping certification and receive a Credly digital badge to showcase your achievement.

  • To maintain your certification, complete annual maintenance exams (deltas) and pay the yearly Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) fee. 

If You Do Not Pass: 

  • Review the exam blueprint and the recommended training before retaking the exam.
  • The retake policy requires a waiting period between attempts and payment of the exam fee for each attempt. 

 

Sample Questions

Sample Question #1:

In Service Mapping, what causes an application to be identified as a Generic application?

A. No Pattern Identification Section matches

B. No Connection Section matches

C. No Identification and Connectivity Section matches

D. No CI Identifier exists

E. No Credentials are configured

Answer: A

 

Sample Question #2:

After executing Service Mapping discovery, you find that there is a credential error. Which one of the following icons displays on the service map that represents the credential error?

A. Red stop sign

B. Yellow triangle

C. Generic application

D. Question mark

Answer: B

 

Sample Question #3:

Which one of the following Discovery phases do authentication errors occur on?

A. Port Scan

B. Classification

C. Identification

D. Exploration

Answer: B

 

Sample Question #4:

In Event Management, which one of the following does an Event Rule create?

A. Alert

B. Event

C. CI Remediation

D. Event Field Mapping

Answer: A

 

Sample Question #5:

When a Server is reclassified from Server table [cmdb_ci_server] to the Windows Server table [cmdb_ci_win_server], which one of the following describes the process that occurred?

A. Class Upgrade

B. Class Downgrade

C. Class Switch

D. Class Change

Answer: A

 

Sample Question #6:

Which one of the following ServiceNow application KPIs would improve most as a direct result of having visibility to a service map created through Service Mapping?

A. Problem Management: Number of Incidents per Known Problem

B. Incident Management: Mean Time to Resolve

C. Change Management: Number of Major Changes

D. Event Management: Signal to Noise Ratio

Answer: B

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