ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are considered events in the Monitoring and Event Management practice?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse user-initiated communications (requests, incident reports) with system-generated events, leading candidates to incorrectly select A or B because they think any 'notification' qualifies as an event.
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
✓
A server CPU utilization exceeding a threshold
In the Monitoring and Event Management practice, an event is any change of state that has significance for the management of a service or configuration item. Option C is correct because a server CPU utilization exceeding a threshold is a predefined condition that triggers an event, often an 'alert' or 'warning' event, which is automatically detected by monitoring tools (e.g., SNMP traps, Prometheus alerts) and requires attention or automated response.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A user requesting a password reset
Why it's wrong here
A user requesting a password reset constitutes a service request. This is a formal request from a user for something that is part of normal service delivery, typically handled by the service desk and following predefined procedures. It is not an event, which is an alert or notification generated by a service, configuration item, or monitoring tool indicating a change of state or an impending situation.
- ✗
A user reporting an application crash
Why it's wrong here
A user reporting an application crash is classified as an incident. An incident represents an unplanned interruption to a service or a reduction in the quality of a service, requiring restoration to normal operation as quickly as possible. While an underlying system event might have caused the crash, the user's report itself is the detection of the service disruption, not the automated notification of a state change.
- ✓
A server CPU utilization exceeding a threshold
Why this is correct
A server CPU utilization exceeding a predefined threshold is a classic example of a warning event. This notification, typically generated by monitoring tools, indicates a change in the state of a configuration item that could potentially lead to a service degradation or incident if not addressed. It serves as an early alert, allowing proactive intervention before a critical failure occurs.
- ✓
A disk drive failure alert
Why this is correct
A disk drive failure alert is categorized as an exception event. This type of event signifies an abnormal situation or a critical change in the state of a configuration item, demanding prompt investigation and action. It directly indicates a component is failing or has failed, posing an immediate threat to service availability and data integrity, and often triggers an incident.
- ✓
A backup job completing successfully
Why this is correct
The notification of a backup job completing successfully is an informational event. This type of event confirms the successful execution of a planned activity, providing assurance that a critical operational task has been performed as expected. While it doesn't indicate a problem, it is still a significant state change generated by an IT system, contributing to the overall monitoring and control of services.
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JA
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.