This ITIL4F practice question tests your understanding of itil management practices. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A user requests a new laptop for a new employee. According to ITIL 4, how should this request be classified?
Problem
Why wrong: A problem is the cause of one or more incidents.
Service request
Service requests are for standard, pre-approved requests like hardware provisioning.
Emergency change
Why wrong: An emergency change is a type of change for urgent fixes; this request is not urgent.
Incident
Why wrong: An incident is an unplanned interruption; this is a planned request.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Service request
The request for a new laptop for a new employee is a pre-defined, standardized request for a service or service component, which ITIL 4 classifies as a Service Request. This is because it follows an established procedure (e.g., ordering, provisioning, and configuring hardware) and does not involve restoring an unexpected outage or fixing a failure. The ITIL 4 Service Request Practice specifically covers such routine, low-risk, and low-cost requests that are part of normal service delivery.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Problem
Why it's wrong here
A problem is the cause of one or more incidents.
Service request
Why this is correct
Service requests are for standard, pre-approved requests like hardware provisioning.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Emergency change
Why it's wrong here
An emergency change is a type of change for urgent fixes; this request is not urgent.
Incident
Why it's wrong here
An incident is an unplanned interruption; this is a planned request.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse a 'Standard Change' with a 'Service Request,' but ITIL 4 explicitly separates them: a Service Request is for requesting something (e.g., a laptop), while a Standard Change is a pre-approved change to an existing service (e.g., modifying a configuration), and the question's phrasing ('requests a new laptop') clearly fits the Service Request definition.
Detailed technical explanation
Under ITIL 4, Service Requests are typically fulfilled via a Service Request Model, which defines specific workflows, approval paths, and fulfillment steps (e.g., automated provisioning via SCCM or JAMF for laptops). The distinction between a Service Request and a Standard Change is subtle: a Standard Change is a pre-authorized change with a defined procedure (e.g., adding a firewall rule), while a Service Request is specifically for requesting a service or service component, such as a new laptop, software license, or access rights. In real-world ITSM tools like ServiceNow, this request would trigger a catalog item with a predefined fulfillment process, not a change ticket or incident record.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the ITIL4F exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
ITIL Management Practices — This question tests ITIL Management Practices — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Service request — The request for a new laptop for a new employee is a pre-defined, standardized request for a service or service component, which ITIL 4 classifies as a Service Request. This is because it follows an established procedure (e.g., ordering, provisioning, and configuring hardware) and does not involve restoring an unexpected outage or fixing a failure. The ITIL 4 Service Request Practice specifically covers such routine, low-risk, and low-cost requests that are part of normal service delivery.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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