CIS-ITSM Problem Management Practice Test 5 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A customized Problem workflow utilizes legacy workflow engine. During testing, a workflow timer activity fails to resume after a server restart. What is the most likely cause related to workflow engine execution?

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

Accepted Answer

The system scheduler (sys_trigger) or workflow event queue processing encountered an issue. Legacy workflow timers in ServiceNow are driven by the system scheduler (sys_trigger) and the workflow event queue. If a timer activity fails to resume after a server restart, the most likely cause is that the scheduler or event queue processing was interrupted or not properly restored. This prevents the timer from firing and resuming the workflow.

Answer

The browser cache needs clearing

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The user session expired

Answer

The Problem form layout was modified

Question 2

What is the primary purpose of the 'Description' field on a Problem record?

Accepted Answer

To provide a detailed explanation of the symptoms and issue observed. The 'Description' field on a Problem record is a free-text field used to capture a detailed explanation of the symptoms and the issue observed. It provides the problem analyst with the context needed to understand what is happening, when it started, and how it impacts users, forming the basis for investigation and root cause analysis.

Answer

To hold the XML payload of inbound emails

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To log the license key of the software

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To store the administrator's login credentials

Question 3

A company wants to implement a multi-stage approval for Problem records where the total estimated financial impact exceeds $10,000. Which ServiceNow feature should be used to orchestrate this conditional approval routing?

Accepted Answer

Flow Designer with Approval activities and conditional branching based on financial impact. Flow Designer supports conditional branching and Approval activities, allowing a flow to evaluate the estimated financial impact and route through multi-stage approvals only when the amount exceeds $10,000. This is the platform's orchestration tool for conditional, multi-step approval routing on Problem records.

Answer

A Client Script validation check

Answer

An Email Notification template

Answer

A Dictionary Override on the Approval field

Question 4

Which action should a problem coordinator take when a permanent fix has been successfully deployed and verified?

Accepted Answer

Transition the Problem state to Resolved / Closed. When a permanent fix has been deployed and verified, the problem coordinator should transition the Problem record to Resolved, and then typically to Closed after a verification period. This reflects that the root cause has been eliminated and no further investigation is needed, while preserving the record for audit and knowledge management.

Answer

Change the priority to 1 - Critical

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Delete the problem record immediately to save database storage

Answer

Reassign the problem to the Service Desk as a new incident

Question 5

An administrator wants to add a custom field called 'Root Cause Category' to the Problem table. What is the recommended best practice for naming the column name in ServiceNow?

Accepted Answer

The system automatically prefixes custom fields with 'u_' (e.g., u_root_cause_category). ServiceNow automatically prefixes custom fields created on any table with 'u_' to distinguish them from out-of-box (OOB) system fields. This convention prevents naming collisions with future platform upgrades and makes it easy to identify customizations during cloning or upgrade reviews. So a custom field named 'Root Cause Category' becomes 'u_root_cause_category' on the Problem table.

Answer

It must match an existing incident table column exactly

Answer

It must contain uppercase spaces for readability

Answer

It must start with 'sys_' to ensure system privileges

Question 6

A Problem task is assigned to a vendor group. The vendor updates the task via an inbound email action. The administrator wants to ensure that the inbound email sender is validated against the vendor company record before updating the task. Where should this validation be implemented?

Accepted Answer

In the script of the Inbound Email Action record. Inbound Email Actions in ServiceNow contain a script field where you can inspect the sender (email.from) and validate it against the vendor company record before allowing the task update. This is the correct place because the Inbound Email Action is the processing logic that runs when the email is received and decides whether to update the target record.

Answer

In a Client Script running on the Email form

Answer

In the Dictionary entry for email body

Answer

In a UI Policy Action

Question 7

What is the primary purpose of the 'Known Error Article' integration with Knowledge Management?

Accepted Answer

To publish known errors and workarounds to a knowledge base for searchability and incident deflection. The Known Error Article integration with Knowledge Management publishes documented known errors and their workarounds into the knowledge base so they are searchable and reusable. This supports incident deflection — users and agents can find the workaround without logging a new incident, and agents can attach the article to incidents. It is a knowledge-sharing mechanism, not an automation or procurement tool.

Answer

To automatically order replacement hardware from vendors

Answer

To generate annual financial audit reports

Answer

To reset user passwords automatically

Question 8

An organization wants to ensure that when a Problem record is created, its priority is automatically calculated based on Impact and Urgency using a data lookup matrix. Which ServiceNow feature provides this capability?

Accepted Answer

Data Lookup Definitions and Matchers. Data Lookup Definitions and Matchers in ServiceNow allow administrators to define a matrix that maps input values (Impact and Urgency) to an output value (Priority). This is the standard feature for automatically calculating Priority based on a lookup table, and it is commonly used in Problem, Incident, and Change Management. The lookup executes on the server side when the record is created or updated, ensuring consistent priority assignment.

Answer

Client Script onLoad calculation

Answer

Dictionary Overrides for Priority

Answer

UI Policy Action matrix

Question 9

A high-volume enterprise experiences thousands of problem state updates daily. To optimize database performance, an administrator wants to archive closed Problem records older than 3 years. Which feature should be configured?

Accepted Answer

Archiving Rules (Data Archiving plugin). ServiceNow's Data Archiving plugin provides Archiving Rules that let administrators define conditions (such as 'Closed Problem records older than 3 years') and schedule automated archival of matching records to the archive tables. This is the supported, upgrade-safe mechanism for reducing active table size and improving query performance on high-volume tables like Problem.

Answer

Dictionary entry attribute 'auto_purge'

Answer

A scheduled job running manual SQL DELETE statements

Answer

Client script cleanup routine

Question 10

Which THREE actions can be performed directly from a Problem record form using baseline UI Actions or related lists? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Create a Known Error Article. Option A (Create a Known Error Article) is correct because the Problem form includes a baseline UI Action that lets an agent create a Known Error article, typically by generating it from the problem's information and linking it back to the Problem record. Option B (Create a Problem Task) is correct because the Problem form provides a baseline UI Action and a Problem Tasks related list that allow agents to add child Problem Task records to break the investigation into work items. Option D (Create a Change Request) is correct because the baseline Problem form offers a UI Action to create a Change Request when a fix requires a change, linking the change to the problem for traceability. Option C is not correct because rebooting linked server CIs is not a baseline Problem UI Action or related-list function; that would require orchestration, workflow, or a custom action. Option E is not correct because converting a Problem directly into an HR Case is not a baseline capability of the Problem form and would require custom configuration.

Answer

Automatically reboot all linked server CIs

Answer

Convert the problem directly into an HR Case

Question 11

When configuring Problem Management properties (Problem Administration > Properties), which TWO behaviors can typically be controlled or enabled? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Require root cause to be filled in before closing or resolving a problem. Option C is correct because Problem Management properties commonly include a setting that mandates the Root Cause field be populated before a problem can be resolved or closed, enforcing proper root cause analysis discipline. Option E is correct because these properties typically allow enabling automatic notification or communication of known workarounds to related active incidents, helping service desk agents apply interim fixes quickly. Option A is incorrect because provisioning AWS cloud infrastructure is an orchestration/automation task, not a Problem Management property. Option B is incorrect because payroll deduction rates belong to HR/payroll systems, not Problem Administration. Option D is incorrect because forcing Active Directory password resets is an identity management function, unrelated to Problem Management configuration.

Answer

Automatically provision AWS cloud infrastructure upon problem creation

Answer

Configure bi-weekly payroll deduction rates

Answer

Force all end users to reset their Active Directory passwords

Question 12

Which TWO methods can be used to navigate to Problem Management modules in the ServiceNow application navigator? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Navigating via Problem > Open or Problem Administration > Properties. Option B is correct because the ServiceNow application navigator organizes Problem Management under the Problem menu (e.g., Problem > Open, Problem > Assigned to me) and the Problem Administration module (e.g., Problem Administration > Properties), so navigating those paths reaches Problem Management modules. Option E is correct because the Filter navigator box at the top of the application navigator accepts typed text and performs a live search, so typing 'Problem' filters the menu to display the Problem-related modules for direct navigation. Option A is incorrect because System Security > Certificates belongs to certificate management, not Problem Management. Option C is incorrect because Facilities > Work Orders is part of Facilities Management, unrelated to Problem records. Option D is incorrect because the Incident menu contains incident-related modules, and 'Payroll Runs' is not a Problem Management module.

Answer

Clicking on System Security > Certificates

Answer

Accessing Facilities > Work Orders

Answer

Opening the Incident menu and selecting 'Payroll Runs'

Question 13

An enterprise is auditing its ServiceNow instance for ITIL compliance in Problem Management. Which TWO core metrics or practices are typically evaluated to measure Problem Management effectiveness? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Reduction in recurring incidents linked to known problems. Option A is correct because a primary measure of Problem Management effectiveness is the reduction in recurring incidents tied to known problems, demonstrating that root cause analysis and permanent fixes are working. Option C is correct because documenting known errors with workarounds in the Known Error Database (KEDB) is a core ITIL practice that directly supports faster incident resolution and is measured as a percentage of known errors properly recorded. Options B, D, and E are incorrect because toner cartridge ordering, employee commute distance, and firewall firmware update frequency are unrelated to Problem Management metrics and do not reflect ITIL Problem Management practices.

Answer

Total number of printer toner cartridges ordered annually

Answer

Average employee commute distance

Answer

Frequency of firewall firmware updates

Question 14

Which TWO types of records can be directly linked to a Problem record in standard ServiceNow ITSM? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Incident. Option B (Incident) is correct because in standard ServiceNow ITSM a Problem record can be directly linked to one or more Incidents via the related Incidents related list, allowing multiple incidents with a common root cause to be grouped under a single problem. Option D (Change Request) is correct because a Problem can be directly associated with a Change Request through the related Change Requests related list, typically to implement the fix or workaround identified during problem investigation. Options A (Bank Account), C (Airplane Flight Plan), and E (Real Estate Deed) are not standard ServiceNow ITSM record types and have no native relationship to Problem records, so they cannot be directly linked in the base platform.

Answer

Bank Account

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Airplane Flight Plan

Answer

Real Estate Deed

Question 15

Which THREE fields on a Problem record are typically editable when the problem is in the 'Assess' state, prior to root cause analysis? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Short description. In the 'Assess' state of a Problem record, the team is still triaging and scoping the issue before formal root cause analysis begins, so the Short description (A) remains editable to refine the problem statement as understanding improves. The Assignment group (B) is also editable because ownership often shifts during assessment as the problem is routed to the correct resolver group. The Configuration item (D) is editable as well, since identifying or correcting the affected CI is part of the assessment and scoping work. The Sys_created_on timestamp (C) is a system-maintained audit field set at record creation and is never user-editable, and the sys_id (E) is a read-only unique system identifier that cannot be modified.

Answer

Sys_created_on timestamp

Answer

System sys_id (read-only system identifier)