CIS-ITSM Problem Management Practice Test 4 — 15 Questions

Question 1

An organization requires that when a Problem goes to 'Resolved', all related active incidents must be updated with the workaround text and moved to 'Awaiting User Info' state. How should this be configured for optimal performance?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

A Script Include combined with a Problem Business Rule to batch-update related incidents. A Script Include combined with a Problem Business Rule is the correct approach because Business Rules execute server-side on the Problem table when the state changes to 'Resolved'. The Script Include encapsulates the batch update logic (using GlideRecord or GlideMultipleUpdate) to efficiently update all related active incidents, setting the workaround field and changing state to 'Awaiting User Info'. This server-side approach ensures data integrity and optimal performance by avoiding client-side loops and leveraging the platform's bulk update capabilities.

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An Access Control List script with update capabilities

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A Dictionary Client Script on the Incident table

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A Client Script running on the Problem form with synchronous GlideRecord loops

Question 2

What is the primary objective of reactive Problem Management?

Accepted Answer

To identify and eliminate the underlying causes of incidents that have already occurred. Reactive Problem Management focuses on investigating incidents that have already occurred to determine and eliminate their root cause, preventing recurrence. Its primary objective is to reduce the number and impact of future incidents by addressing the underlying cause rather than just restoring service. This is distinct from proactive Problem Management, which seeks to identify problems before incidents occur.

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To build the initial Configuration Management Database (CMDB)

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To review change request risk before deployment

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To handle password reset requests from end users

Question 3

An administrator is tasked with ensuring that Problem records cannot be deleted by anyone except users with the 'admin' role. Where should this security rule be configured?

Accepted Answer

A delete Access Control List (ACL) on the Problem table. A delete ACL on the Problem table is the correct place to enforce that only users with the 'admin' role can delete problem records. ACLs in ServiceNow control record-level and field-level access for read, write, create, and delete operations, and a delete ACL specifically governs who can delete records. Configuring the ACL with a role condition of 'admin' ensures only admins can perform the delete operation.

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A Before Delete Business Rule on the Task table

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Problem Administration Properties

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Dictionary Overrides for the sys_id field

Question 4

A company has a requirement that when a Problem is created from an incident, all attachments on the incident must be automatically copied over to the new Problem record. Which ServiceNow feature facilitates attachment copying between related tasks?

Accepted Answer

Sys_attachment glide utility methods triggered via Business Rule or script. ServiceNow does not provide a native declarative 'copy attachments' feature for related records; attachment copying must be scripted. The GlideSysAttachment API (e.g., copy() or write()) invoked from a Business Rule on the Incident-to-Problem creation event is the correct approach. This allows the script to read all attachments on the source incident and write them to the newly created problem record.

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Knowledge Base attachment synchronization rules

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UI Policy attachment actions

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Data Lookup definitions for binary streams

Question 5

What is the definition of a 'Known Error' in ITIL and ServiceNow Problem Management?

Accepted Answer

A problem that has a documented root cause and a temporary workaround, but no permanent fix yet. A Known Error in ITIL and ServiceNow Problem Management is a problem whose root cause has been identified and documented, and for which a workaround exists, but a permanent fix has not yet been implemented. This state is reached after the problem investigation phase confirms the underlying cause. It is distinct from a resolved problem, which has a permanent fix applied.

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A software bug that has been successfully patched and deployed to production

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An expired knowledge base article

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An incident that has been rejected by the service desk three times

Question 6

An analyst wants to search for problems that mention a specific error code in their description or workaround notes. Which ServiceNow search feature indexes and searches across all Problem records efficiently?

Accepted Answer

Global Text Search (Zing / AI Search). Global Text Search (backed by Zing in older releases and AI Search in newer ones) indexes searchable fields across all records, including Problem short descriptions, descriptions, and workaround notes, so an analyst can find records by keyword or error code without building a filtered list query. It is the platform's cross-table full-text search engine.

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Database Views builder

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Metric Definition report generator

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Data Archiving search query tool

Question 7

A company integrates Problem Management with an external bug tracker. When a Problem state changes in ServiceNow, an outbound REST message must be sent asynchronously. Which ServiceNow feature should trigger this outbound REST call?

Accepted Answer

An asynchronous Business Rule or Flow Designer action invoking a REST message. An asynchronous Business Rule or Flow Designer action invoking a REST message is the correct feature to trigger an outbound REST call asynchronously when a Problem state changes. Business Rules can be configured to run asynchronously, meaning they execute in a separate thread after the transaction commits, preventing user delay. Flow Designer actions can also make REST calls asynchronously as part of a flow. This ensures the external bug tracker is notified without impacting the user's session.

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A UI Policy with an inbound webhook script

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A Dictionary Override on the REST endpoint field

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A synchronous Client Script using XMLHttpRequest

Question 8

Which related list on a Problem form displays incidents that have been associated with that specific problem?

Accepted Answer

Child Incidents. The Child Incidents related list on a Problem record displays incidents that have been associated with that problem, either manually or through the problem's incident correlation process. This is the standard related list used to view and manage the incidents tied to a specific problem.

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Problem Tasks

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Outages

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Knowledge Articles

Question 9

What is the purpose of the 'Outages' related list on a Problem record?

Accepted Answer

To record periods of service unavailability associated with the problem's impact. The 'Outages' related list on a Problem record in ServiceNow is specifically designed to capture and display periods of service unavailability that are linked to the problem. This allows IT teams to document when a service was down, correlate it with the problem's impact, and analyze the duration and frequency of outages. It is a key part of problem management, helping to assess the business impact and prioritize fixes.

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To schedule future maintenance windows

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To log network printer connection drops

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To track employee vacation schedules

Question 10

An organization wants to restrict problem creation so that only users assigned to the 'Problem Management' group can create new problem records. How should this be implemented?

Accepted Answer

A create Access Control List (ACL) on the Problem table checking group membership. A create ACL on the Problem table that checks group membership is the correct implementation because ACLs are the only server-side security mechanism that can restrict who can create records. By configuring the create ACL with a condition that the user is a member of the 'Problem Management' group, only those users can create problem records. This enforces security at the database level, not just the UI.

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A Dictionary entry attribute 'no_create'

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A Client Script hiding the 'New' button for unauthorized users

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A UI Policy enforcing mandatory user groups

Question 11

A custom workflow is designed for High Priority problems. When priority is 1 - Critical, the workflow must spawn a parallel set of problem tasks for Infrastructure, Security, and Database teams simultaneously. Which Flow Designer flow logic component accomplishes parallel execution?

Accepted Answer

Do in Parallel flow logic block. Flow Designer's 'Do in Parallel' flow logic block is specifically designed to execute multiple branches simultaneously, which is exactly what is needed to spawn Infrastructure, Security, and Database tasks at the same time. Each branch runs independently and the flow waits for all branches to complete before continuing. This is the native parallel execution primitive in Flow Designer.

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For Each loop logic

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Wait for condition activity

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If / Else condition branches

Question 12

An IT manager wants to ensure that whenever a Problem is resolved, a survey is automatically sent to the caller of each associated active incident. Which ServiceNow feature manages survey triggers upon task resolution?

Accepted Answer

Assessments / Trigger Conditions. ServiceNow's Assessments (Survey) module uses Trigger Conditions to define when a survey is dispatched. An administrator configures a trigger condition on the survey (e.g., Problem state changes to Resolved) and a recipient source, which can include callers of associated incidents, so surveys fire automatically on resolution.

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Email Client Template rules

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Data Lookup definitions for surveys

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UI Action Survey buttons

Question 13

A company uses ServiceNow Domain Separation. A global Problem record needs to be visible across child domains while allowing child domains to create local problem tasks. How should domain scoping be configured on the Problem Task table?

Accepted Answer

Ensure domain visibility and reference cascading are configured properly for parent-child domain hierarchies. For a global Problem record to be visible across child domains while allowing child domains to create local Problem Tasks, the Problem Task table must have proper domain visibility and reference cascading configured for the parent-child domain hierarchy. This ensures the global problem is readable in child domains and that tasks created in a child domain inherit the correct domain.

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Disable domain separation entirely on the task table

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Create duplicate problem records in every child domain manually

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Use Access Control Lists with domain bypass scripts

Question 14

Which module allows problem managers to review unassigned problems that require triage and assignment?

Accepted Answer

Open - Unassigned. The 'Open - Unassigned' module in ServiceNow Problem Management is a default list view that filters problems with a state of Open and no assigned user, specifically designed for problem managers to perform triage and assign resources. It provides a centralized queue of new or unassigned problems that require immediate attention. This module is part of the standard Problem Management application and is essential for managing the problem lifecycle.

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Closed Problems

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Known Errors

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My Work

Question 15

An administrator wants to configure SLA definitions specifically for Problem Management. Where should the SLA definition be targeted so it only applies to Problem records?

Accepted Answer

By selecting 'Problem [problem]' in the Table field of the SLA Definition record. SLA Definitions in ServiceNow are stored in the 'contract_sla' table and include a 'Table' field that determines which task type the SLA applies to. Selecting 'Problem [problem]' in that field scopes the SLA definition exclusively to Problem records, so it will not fire on Incidents, Changes, or other task types. This is the standard, out-of-the-box way to target SLAs at a specific table.

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By writing a Client Script on the Incident table

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In the Problem Properties module

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Via Dictionary Overrides on the Task SLA table