ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
A monitoring tool detects that a server's CPU usage has exceeded 90% for 10 minutes. According to ITIL 4, this event is classified as which type?
⚠ Common exam trap
ITIL4F often tests the three event types (informational, warning, exception) and candidates frequently select 'critical' because it is a familiar severity term from incident management, even though it is not an ITIL 4 event classification.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Warning
In ITIL 4 event management, events are classified by significance: informational events are routine notifications, warnings indicate a threshold has been approached or exceeded but service is not yet critically impacted, and exceptions indicate a service has failed or breached a critical threshold. A CPU exceeding 90% for 10 minutes is a threshold breach that signals potential degradation but not yet a service failure, which maps to a warning. Critical is not a standard ITIL 4 event classification — ITIL uses informational, warning, and exception.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Exception
Why it's wrong here
An exception event signifies that a service component has already failed, is severely degraded, or is operating outside acceptable parameters, directly impacting service delivery. While high CPU usage is a concern, it typically precedes a full exception, acting as a precursor rather than the exception itself, which would manifest as a service outage or critical performance failure. Therefore, simply exceeding a CPU threshold does not yet constitute an exception event.
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Critical
Why it's wrong here
The ITIL 4 framework for event classification primarily utilizes three distinct categories: informational, warning, and exception. The term 'critical' is not a standard, distinct event type within this ITIL model, although an exception event might be considered critical in its impact. Relying on non-standard classifications can lead to inconsistencies in event management processes and response prioritization, making it an unsuitable classification within ITIL's defined structure.
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Informational
Why it's wrong here
Informational events are routine, non-threatening occurrences that simply confirm the normal operation or status of a service component, requiring no immediate action. A server's CPU usage exceeding an established threshold is not a routine or expected event; instead, it signals a potential deviation from normal performance that warrants attention, distinguishing it from benign informational logs such as a successful backup completion.
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Warning
Why this is correct
A warning event is specifically designed to indicate that a predefined threshold has been breached, signaling a potential issue that requires attention before it escalates into a service degradation or failure. Detecting high CPU usage falls precisely into this category, as it provides an early alert, enabling proactive intervention to prevent a more severe incident. This allows operations teams to investigate and mitigate the cause before an actual service impact occurs, aligning with proactive service management principles.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PeopleCert exam blueprint
This ITIL4F practice question is part of Courseiva's free PeopleCert certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ITIL4F exam.