CIS-ITSM Incident Management — Timed 20 Questions

Question 1

An enterprise requires that when a Major Incident is declared, a dedicated Child Incident task is automatically created for each affected business service found in the Business Service CI relationship. Which out-of-the-box feature supports this specialized workflow?

20 minute time limit — choose an answer to begin.

Accepted Answer

Major Incident Management (MIM) Workbench. The Major Incident Management (MIM) Workbench is the out-of-the-box feature that supports specialized workflows for major incidents, including the automatic creation of child incident tasks for each affected business service. It provides a centralized console for managing major incidents and their related tasks.

Answer

Service Level Agreement Engine

Answer

Data Lookup Definitions

Answer

Incident Templates

Answer

Outbound REST Message

Question 2

An administrator needs to track how many times an incident has been reassigned between different assignment groups to measure process efficiency. Which feature or field type natively captures and displays this movement?

Accepted Answer

The Reassignment count field on the Task table.. The Reassignment count field on the Task table is a native, out-of-the-box integer field that increments each time the assignment group changes on a task record. It is automatically maintained by the platform and can be displayed on forms, lists, and reports without any custom scripting or configuration. This makes it the direct, purpose-built mechanism for measuring how often an incident bounces between groups.

Answer

Audit Log History (sys_audit)

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Metric Definition (Metrics)

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SLA Breach Counter

Question 3

An IT team wants to prevent agents from closing an incident unless the 'Resolution code' and 'Resolution notes' fields are populated. Which configuration tool is best suited to enforce this requirement upon clicking 'Resolve'?

Accepted Answer

UI Policy. UI Policies in ServiceNow are specifically designed to dynamically enforce field-level behavior on forms, such as making fields mandatory, read-only, or visible based on conditions. In this case, a UI Policy can be configured to trigger when the 'Resolve' button is clicked (via a UI Policy action or a client script) to ensure that 'Resolution code' and 'Resolution notes' are populated before allowing the incident to be resolved. This directly addresses the requirement to prevent closure without those fields.

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Dictionary Overrides

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Access Control Lists (ACLs)

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Assignment Rules

Question 4

An incident is associated with a Parent incident. What behavior does ServiceNow exhibit regarding state changes between parent and child incidents out of the box?

Accepted Answer

Resolving the parent incident can automatically resolve child incidents via business rules.. In ServiceNow, parent-child incident relationships support automatic state propagation through out-of-the-box business rules. When a parent incident is resolved, the system can cascade that resolution to associated child incidents, ensuring consistent lifecycle management across related records. This behavior is governed by the 'Resolve Parent and Children' related link and associated business rules that synchronize state transitions.

Answer

Parent and child incidents must always have identical priority values.

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Child incidents automatically inherit the assignment group of the parent upon creation only.

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Child incidents must be manually closed one by one before the parent can close.

Question 5

A problem has been investigated, and a permanent fix has been identified. When the problem coordinator creates a known error article from the problem record, how does this workflow assist Incident Management?

Accepted Answer

It populates knowledge base articles with workarounds that agents can reference to resolve or workaround active incidents.. When a Known Error Article is created from a Problem record, it is published to the Knowledge Base and becomes available to Incident Management agents. Agents can search for and reference the article to find workarounds for active incidents that match the problem's symptoms, enabling faster resolution or workaround application while the permanent fix is pending. This is the core value of the Known Error Article in the ITIL problem-to-incident feedback loop.

Answer

It triggers an automatic change request to deploy the fix to production.

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It removes the incident-to-problem relationship and creates a parent-child incident hierarchy.

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It automatically closes all active incidents matching the problem category.

Question 6

Which TWO methods can be used to escalate an incident to a Major Incident in ServiceNow? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Clicking the 'Promote to Major Incident' UI action on the Incident form.. Option A is correct because ServiceNow provides a 'Promote to Major Incident' UI action on the Incident form that, when clicked, creates a major incident record (typically on the Major Incident [mim] table or via the Major Incident Management plugin) and links it to the original incident. Option B is correct because Major Incident Candidate rules are configurable conditions evaluated on insert or update of an incident; when the criteria match, the system automatically flags the incident as a major incident candidate and can promote it, enabling automated escalation. Option C is wrong because deleting and recreating an incident on a different table breaks record continuity, loses audit history, and is not a supported escalation mechanism. Option D is wrong because Data Policies enforce field-level mandatory/read-only rules on task records and have nothing to do with major incident escalation. Option E is wrong because a dictionary override merely changes attribute behavior (such as default value or read-only) for a field on a child table and does not escalate incidents.

Answer

Deleting the original incident and recreating it on the Major Incident table.

Answer

Modifying the Data Policy table definitions.

Answer

Modifying the dictionary override for the priority field.

Question 7

Which TWO fields are mandatory on the Incident form out of the box when creating a new incident manually? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Short description. Option D (Short description) is mandatory because ServiceNow's out-of-the-box Incident form requires a brief summary of the issue before the record can be saved, and it is enforced by the dictionary attribute mandatory=true on the short_description field. Option E (Caller) is also mandatory out of the box, since the incident must be associated with the user reporting or affected by the issue, and the caller_id field carries the mandatory flag by default. Option A (Configuration item) is not required at creation—it can be left empty and populated later during investigation. Option B (Work notes) is optional free-text documentation and is never enforced as mandatory. Option C (Assignment group) is not mandatory on the base form; incidents can be created unassigned and routed afterward.

Answer

Configuration item

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Work notes

Answer

Assignment group

Question 8

An administrator needs to modify the priority lookup rules to ensure that incidents created with an Impact of 2 (Medium) and Urgency of 2 (Medium) automatically result in a Priority of 3 (Moderate). Where should the administrator navigate to configure this matrix in ServiceNow?

Accepted Answer

System Policy > Data Lookup Definitions > Priority Data Lookup Rules. Priority in ServiceNow is derived from the Impact/Urgency matrix, which is implemented as a Data Lookup Rule (a lookup table keyed on Impact and Urgency). To change the resulting Priority value, the administrator must edit the priority data lookup definition found under System Policy > Data Lookup Definitions. This is where the Impact=2/Urgency=2 combination maps to Priority=3.

Answer

System Definition > Dictionary > Incident > Priority

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Incident > Administration > Priority Matrix

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Service Level Management > SLA > Priority Calculation

Question 9

A service desk manager wants to ensure that when an incident is assigned to the Hardware group, the Assignment group field automatically populates the Assigned to field with a specific default handler if left empty, or dynamically limits the list of assignees. Which core ServiceNow feature should be configured to automatically populate or route incident assignment within a specific group?

Accepted Answer

Assignment Rules. Assignment Rules in ServiceNow are designed to automatically populate the 'Assigned to' field or limit the assignee list based on conditions such as assignment group. They are specifically configured to route incidents to the appropriate handler when a group is selected. This feature ensures that incidents are assigned efficiently without manual intervention.

Answer

Data Lookup Definitions

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SLas definition conditions

Answer

Business Services Management

Question 10

A service desk technician attempts to close an incident, but the system prevents the closure and displays a mandatory error message requiring the 'Close code' and 'Close notes' fields to be populated. Which component of the Incident Management application enforces these fields upon state change to Closed?

Accepted Answer

Out-of-the-box UI Policy or Client Script. Out-of-the-box UI Policies and Client Scripts on the Incident table enforce mandatory fields like 'Close code' and 'Close notes' when the state changes to Closed or Resolved. These client-side components make fields mandatory and display the error message before the record is submitted, which matches the described behavior.

Answer

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

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Workflow Engine

Answer

Dictionary Overrides

Question 11

A problem coordinator wants to create a new Problem record directly from an existing major Incident while retaining a bi-directional link so that updates to the Incident's workaround are automatically copied to the related Problem. How should the administrator achieve this relationship natively?

Accepted Answer

Use the 'Create Problem' UI Action on the Incident form. The 'Create Problem' UI Action on the Incident form is the native ServiceNow mechanism that creates a Problem record and automatically establishes a bi-directional relationship between the Incident and the Problem. It populates the Problem's 'Parent incident' field and creates the task relationship so that workaround updates flow between records. This is the out-of-box (OOB) approach designed specifically for this scenario.

Answer

Configure a Data Policy from Problem to Incident

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Write a custom database trigger

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Manually populate the Parent incident field on the Problem form

Question 12

An IT support team member needs to quickly communicate a known workaround to all active incidents related to a specific active Problem record. Which related link or related list on the Problem form enables the propagation of the workaround to all associated incidents?

Accepted Answer

Communicate Workaround UI Action. The 'Communicate Workaround' UI Action on the Problem form is the related link that pushes the workaround text to all incidents associated with that Problem record. It updates the work notes or workaround field on each linked incident so agents see the fix immediately. This is the built-in mechanism for propagating a workaround from Problem to its related Incidents.

Answer

Global Incident Synchronizer

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Push Updates Business Rule

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Broadcast Incident Action

Question 13

An administrator is configuring Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for the Incident table. Which THREE elements are required components of a standard SLA definition (contract_sla) record in ServiceNow? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Duration. In a ServiceNow contract_sla record, the Duration field (B) is a required component because it defines the total elapsed time allowed for the SLA to be met, expressed as a duration value such as 4 hours or 2 business days. The Start condition (D) is required because it determines the trigger that begins the SLA timer, for example when the Incident is created or when it enters a specific state. The Target (E) is also required because it specifies the goal field and value that must be reached to satisfy the SLA, such as resolving the incident before the duration expires. The Assigned to user mandatory script (A) is not a standard required element of an SLA definition, and Workflow (C) is not a mandatory component of a contract_sla record, as SLAs can operate without attaching a workflow.

Answer

Assigned to user mandatory script

Answer

Workflow

Question 14

Which TWO actions occur automatically when a Major Incident Candidate is promoted to a Major Incident using the Major Incident Management workbench? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

A dedicated Major Incident Workbench is populated with relevant timeline and stakeholder tasks.. Option C is correct because promoting a Major Incident Candidate in the Major Incident Management workbench automatically populates the dedicated Major Incident Workbench with the relevant timeline entries and stakeholder tasks, giving responders a centralized view for coordination and communication. Option E is correct because the promotion drives the incident through the configured state model, automatically moving it to 'In Progress' or a custom major incident state flow defined in the configuration. Options A, B, and D are incorrect: promotion never grants the caller admin access, does not automatically close associated child incidents (they remain linked and are managed separately), and does not downgrade priority to Low—major incidents typically retain or raise priority.

Answer

The caller of the incident is automatically granted admin access.

Answer

All associated child incidents are automatically closed.

Answer

The priority of the incident is automatically downgraded to Low.

Question 15

A Major Incident is declared. Which THREE of the following actions are automatically performed or enabled by the Major Incident Management plugin?

Accepted Answer

Access to the Major Incident Workbench.. Option A is correct because the Major Incident Management plugin provides the Major Incident Workbench, a dedicated console that gives responders a consolidated view of the major incident, its child incidents, affected services, and communication status. Option C is correct because the plugin automatically generates communication plan tasks, which drive the notifications and updates that must be sent to stakeholders during a major incident. Option D is correct because the plugin creates a Major Incident Candidate record when a candidate is promoted, allowing the incident to be managed through the major incident lifecycle. Option B is not correct because the plugin does not automatically assign the major incident to the Service Desk manager; assignment is driven by configured assignment rules or manual action. Option E is not correct because the plugin does not automatically close all related incidents; related incidents are linked and managed, but closure remains a controlled process.

Answer

Automatic assignment to the Service Desk manager.

Answer

Automatic closure of all related incidents.

Question 16

An incident is created via email. The system identifies a matching CI, but the 'Incident State' remains 'New' instead of 'In Progress' despite the assignment group being populated. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The business rule or email action lacks a script to trigger the 'In Progress' state transition.. When an incident is created via email, the inbound email action or a business rule is responsible for parsing the email, matching the CI, and setting fields like assignment group and state. If the assignment group is populated but the state remains 'New', the most likely cause is that the script responsible for the state transition to 'In Progress' is missing or not executing — the OOB inbound action sets the state, but a custom or modified action may omit that step.

Answer

The CI record lacks an 'Assigned To' field.

Answer

The 'Incident State' field does not have an 'In Progress' choice.

Answer

The incident state is read-only for the system user.

Question 17

You need to ensure that an incident automatically moves to 'Resolved' state when all associated tasks are closed. Which approach utilizes the native ServiceNow engine?

Accepted Answer

Use an Incident Business Rule to query related tasks and set the state to Resolved.. A Business Rule on the Incident table is the native server-side engine that can query related task records (via GlideRecord on the task table filtered by the parent incident) and set the incident state to Resolved when all tasks are closed. Business Rules execute on database operations and are the standard ServiceNow mechanism for enforcing conditional state transitions based on related records.

Answer

Create an Assignment Rule to update the state.

Answer

Configure a SLA Definition to trigger resolution.

Answer

Set up a Flow Designer flow to execute a client-side script.

Question 18

Which THREE of the following are valid ways to trigger the Major Incident Management workflow?

Accepted Answer

Clicking the 'Propose Major Incident' button on an incident record.. Option A is correct because the 'Propose Major Incident' UI action on an incident record is a supported manual trigger that initiates the Major Incident Management workflow. Option B is correct because Major Incident Trigger Rules evaluate incident conditions and can automatically start the workflow when predefined criteria are met. Option D is correct because promoting a child incident to a major incident is a valid trigger path that launches the Major Incident Management workflow. Option C is not correct because a scheduled job checking incident volume is not a defined trigger mechanism for this workflow. Option E is not correct because a direct CMDB integration is not a supported trigger for the Major Incident Management workflow.

Answer

A scheduled job that checks for incident volume.

Answer

Via a direct integration with the CMDB.

Question 19

An Incident is related to a Problem record. When the Problem is resolved, the related Incidents should be updated automatically. How is this typically managed?

Accepted Answer

UI Action on the Problem table. A UI Action on the Problem table is the correct mechanism because when a Problem is resolved, the action of resolving it is a user-initiated event on the Problem record. A UI Action can be configured to run on the Problem form (e.g., when the 'Resolve' button is clicked) and include a script that updates all related Incident records. This directly ties the update of Incidents to the resolution action of the Problem, ensuring automatic synchronization. Other options like Business Rules or Flow Designer triggers on the Incident table would not be triggered by a change on the Problem record, and a Scheduled Job would not be event-driven.

Answer

Business Rule on the Incident table

Answer

Flow Designer trigger on Incident table

Answer

Scheduled Job

Question 20

When configuring an 'Incident Record Producer', what is the purpose of the 'Script' field?

Accepted Answer

To map variables to fields on the target record. In an Incident Record Producer, the 'Script' field is used to map variables from the record producer to fields on the target Incident record. This script runs when the record is submitted and determines how the data entered by the user is transferred to the incident fields.

Answer

To hide fields from the end user

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To trigger an email notification

Answer

To define the Incident assignment group