ITIL4F ITIL Service Value System Practice Question
A user requests a new laptop as part of their onboarding. According to ITIL 4, what type of request is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse a Service Request with a Change Request, but ITIL 4 explicitly distinguishes them: a Service Request is for a standard, pre-approved service action (like a new laptop), while a Change Request is for altering a service or CI, which requires formal evaluation and authorization.
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
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Service Request
A request for a new laptop during onboarding is a pre-defined, standardized request for a new service or service action, which ITIL 4 defines as a Service Request. This is not an unplanned interruption (Incident), a root cause analysis (Problem), or a modification to an existing service (Change Request). The user is requesting a standard asset as part of a normal business process.
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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Problem
Why it's wrong here
A problem is a cause of one or more incidents, not a request for something new. In this scenario, the user is requesting a new laptop as part of onboarding, which is a standard service request for a pre-defined item. A problem would be correct only if the user reported a recurring failure or an unknown underlying cause affecting existing laptops, such as repeated hard-drive crashes.
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Incident
Why it's wrong here
An Incident, as defined by ITIL 4, is an unplanned interruption to a service or a reduction in the quality of a service, requiring prompt restoration to normal operation. The objective of incident management is to minimize business impact by resolving these disruptions quickly. A request for a new laptop for an onboarding employee is a planned, anticipated activity, not an unexpected disruption or degradation of an existing service, thus it does not fit the definition of an incident.
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Service Request
Why this is correct
A Service Request, according to ITIL 4, is a formal request from a user for information, advice, a standard change, or access to a service. These requests are typically pre-defined, low-risk, and frequently occurring, often fulfilled through automated processes or with minimal approval. Providing a new laptop as part of an employee's onboarding process is a classic example of a standard, pre-approved service offering, making it the correct classification for a service request.
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Change Request
Why it's wrong here
A Change, in ITIL 4, is defined as the addition, modification, or removal of anything that could have a direct or indirect effect on IT services. Changes require formal assessment, authorization, and management to ensure risks are understood and mitigated, preventing adverse impacts on service quality. While a new laptop involves equipment, its provision for a new employee is a standard operational activity, not a modification to the IT infrastructure or a service itself that requires formal change control, unlike, for instance, upgrading the entire fleet's operating system or deploying a new server.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.