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.
Which TWO of the following are key metrics for the Service Desk practice?
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
Why wrong: MTBF is used in Availability Management.
First Call Resolution (FCR)
FCR measures the percentage of issues resolved on the first call.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
Why wrong: RTO is used in ITSCM.
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
CSAT measures user satisfaction with the Service Desk.
Mean Time to Restore Service (MTTR)
Why wrong: MTTR is a metric for Incident Management.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
First Call Resolution (FCR)
First Call Resolution (FCR) is a key metric for the Service Desk practice because it measures the percentage of incidents resolved during the first interaction with the user, without the need for escalation or follow-up. A high FCR directly indicates the efficiency and effectiveness of the Service Desk in resolving issues promptly, reducing user downtime and operational costs. This metric is critical for assessing the quality of first-level support and the knowledge base's adequacy.
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.
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
Why it's wrong here
MTBF is used in Availability Management.
First Call Resolution (FCR)
Why this is correct
FCR measures the percentage of issues resolved on the first call.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
Why it's wrong here
RTO is used in ITSCM.
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
Why this is correct
CSAT measures user satisfaction with the Service Desk.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Mean Time to Restore Service (MTTR)
Why it's wrong here
MTTR is a metric for Incident Management.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse operational metrics like MTTR (which is for Incident Management) with Service Desk-specific metrics, or they mistakenly think MTBF (a reliability metric) applies to the Service Desk's daily performance rather than to infrastructure components.
Detailed technical explanation
FCR is often calculated as (Number of incidents resolved on first call / Total number of incidents) × 100%, and it requires integration with the ITSM tool to track whether an incident was reopened or escalated within a defined period (e.g., 24 hours). A subtle behavior is that a high FCR can sometimes mask poor documentation if agents resolve issues without logging them properly, leading to inaccurate reporting. In real-world scenarios, a Service Desk with a 70% FCR may still have high CSAT if the unresolved calls are handled with empathy and clear follow-up commitments.
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: First Call Resolution (FCR) — First Call Resolution (FCR) is a key metric for the Service Desk practice because it measures the percentage of incidents resolved during the first interaction with the user, without the need for escalation or follow-up. A high FCR directly indicates the efficiency and effectiveness of the Service Desk in resolving issues promptly, reducing user downtime and operational costs. This metric is critical for assessing the quality of first-level support and the knowledge base's adequacy.
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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