CIS-ITSM · domain
Problem Management
Problem Management on the CIS-ITSM exam covers the ServiceNow Problem record lifecycle, Problem Tasks used to split root cause investigation, state transitions, vendor assignment with inbound email validation, conditional multi-stage approvals, and the roles needed to create, manage, and close Problem records. Questions are scenario-based, asking you to pick the correct ServiceNow feature or configuration.
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What to know about Problem Management
Be able to configure Problem states, Problem Task gating, vendor inbound email validation, and conditional multi-stage approvals. The single most important thing is knowing which ServiceNow feature and role controls each Problem lifecycle action, especially state transitions and closing authority.
Problem Task states and gating of Problem state transitions such as Fix In Progress
Inbound email action validation of senders against vendor company records
Conditional multi-stage approval routing using Workflow or Flow Designer
Default roles required to create, manage, and close Problem records
Watch out for
Common Problem Management exam traps
- ▸Assuming any fulfiller can close Problems; the default problem role or assignment is what actually grants create, manage, and close rights.
- ▸Treating Problem Tasks as optional child records; requirements can block the parent Problem state until all tasks reach Closed Complete or Closed Skipped.
- ▸Overlooking inbound email sender validation, so vendor replies update tasks without confirming the sender matches the vendor company record.
Question index
All Problem Management questions (64)
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Which THREE methods can be used to assign incoming Problem records to the correct assignment group automatically? (Choose three.)
Medium2A problem manager wants to ensure that when a problem is moved to the 'Fix in Progress' state, a specific approval from the change manager is automatically requested before any fix tasks can be created. Which configuration should be used to enforce this requirement?
Medium3A problem coordinator wants to analyze the effectiveness of the problem management process. They need to see how many problems were reopened after being closed in the last quarter. Which metric or report should they use?
Medium4Which TWO types of records can be directly linked to a Problem record in standard ServiceNow ITSM? (Choose two.)
Easy5Which module allows service desk agents to view problems that have been published as known errors?
Easy6Which THREE actions can be performed directly from a Problem record form using baseline UI Actions or related lists? (Choose three.)
Medium7Which tab or related list on a Problem record displays the individual tasks assigned to various groups to investigate specific components of the root cause?
Easy8An IT manager wants to ensure that whenever a Problem is resolved, a survey is automatically sent to the caller of each associated active incident. Which ServiceNow feature manages survey triggers upon task resolution?
Medium9What does the 'Root cause summary' field on a Problem record typically capture?
Easy10What is the primary objective of reactive Problem Management?
Easy11A custom integration creates Problem records in ServiceNow via REST API. The integration payload occasionally omits the 'Assignment group', but company policy requires all problems to have an assignment group before reaching the 'Assess' state. Where should this default assignment logic be robustly implemented?
Hard12When configuring Problem Management properties (Problem Administration > Properties), which TWO behaviors can typically be controlled or enabled? (Choose two.)
Hard13Which related list on a Problem form displays incidents that have been associated with that specific problem?
Easy14What is the primary role of the 'Configuration Item' (CI) field on a Problem record?
Easy15A customized Problem workflow requires integrating with an external CMDB discovery tool. When a Problem is resolved, the integration must verify CI attributes via REST. Which TWO ServiceNow features support making outbound REST calls and parsing JSON responses? (Choose two.)
Hard16What is the primary purpose of the 'Known Error Article' integration with Knowledge Management?
Easy17An administrator is designing a custom Flow Designer action to process Problem records. Which TWO types of inputs can be configured for a custom Flow Designer action? (Choose two.)
Hard18Which TWO benefits are gained by linking related Incidents to a Problem record? (Choose two.)
Easy19A custom workflow is designed for High Priority problems. When priority is 1 - Critical, the workflow must spawn a parallel set of problem tasks for Infrastructure, Security, and Database teams simultaneously. Which Flow Designer flow logic component accomplishes parallel execution?
Hard20A high-volume enterprise experiences thousands of problem state updates daily. To optimize database performance, an administrator wants to archive closed Problem records older than 3 years. Which feature should be configured?
Hard21An organization wants to restrict problem creation so that only users assigned to the 'Problem Management' group can create new problem records. How should this be implemented?
Medium22A company integrates Problem Management with an external bug tracker. When a Problem state changes in ServiceNow, an outbound REST message must be sent asynchronously. Which ServiceNow feature should trigger this outbound REST call?
Hard23An enterprise uses Agile Development in tandem with Problem Management. When a root cause points to a software defect, the team wants to create a Defect record in ServiceNow Agile Development directly from the Problem form. How is this integration typically achieved?
Hard24Which TWO methods can be used to navigate to Problem Management modules in the ServiceNow application navigator? (Choose two.)
Easy25An organization wants to track problem metrics using Performance Analytics. Which plugin must be active to utilize out-of-the-box Performance Analytics content packs for Problem Management?
Medium26An organization requires that when a Problem goes to 'Resolved', all related active incidents must be updated with the workaround text and moved to 'Awaiting User Info' state. How should this be configured for optimal performance?
Hard27An enterprise is auditing its ServiceNow instance for ITIL compliance in Problem Management. Which TWO core metrics or practices are typically evaluated to measure Problem Management effectiveness? (Choose two.)
Hard28What is the primary purpose of the 'Description' field on a Problem record?
Easy29An analyst wants to search for problems that mention a specific error code in their description or workaround notes. Which ServiceNow search feature indexes and searches across all Problem records efficiently?
Medium30An administrator is configuring UI Policies on the Problem table to streamline user entry. Which TWO properties or configurations can a UI Policy modify on form fields without scripting? (Choose two.)
Hard31A company wants to implement a multi-stage approval for Problem records where the total estimated financial impact exceeds $10,000. Which ServiceNow feature should be used to orchestrate this conditional approval routing?
Hard32An administrator is tasked with ensuring that Problem records cannot be deleted by anyone except users with the 'admin' role. Where should this security rule be configured?
Medium33An organization uses Domain Separation in ServiceNow. Problem records must be segregated by region. Where must an administrator verify domain separation configurations to ensure proper record visibility and visibility rules for Problem tasks?
Hard34What is the primary benefit of linking multiple recurring Incidents to a single Problem record?
Easy35A company uses ServiceNow Domain Separation. A global Problem record needs to be visible across child domains while allowing child domains to create local problem tasks. How should domain scoping be configured on the Problem Task table?
Hard36A company implements proactive Problem Management. They want to automatically generate a Problem record when more than 5 incidents with the exact same Configuration Item and Category are logged within a 2-hour window. Which ServiceNow feature should be configured to achieve this automation?
Hard37An ITIL process owner wants to review the effectiveness of problem resolution by analyzing how often problems are reopened after being closed. Which field on the Problem record should be used to track the number of times a problem has been reopened?
Easy38A problem manager is configuring the Problem Management process and needs to define how known errors are managed. Which TWO statements accurately describe the 'Known Error' functionality in ServiceNow ITSM? (Choose two.)
Medium39A Problem record is associated with a Change Request via the 'Caused by change' field. When the Change Request is cancelled, a stakeholder wants the linked Problem record to automatically transition back to the 'Assess' state and notify the problem assignee. How should this be configured?
Hard40An IT manager wants to report on the average time it takes problems to move from the 'Assess' state to 'Root Cause Analysis'. Which reporting feature in ServiceNow should be used to track this stage duration?
Medium41What is the primary function of the 'Workarounds' field on a Problem record?
Easy42Which action should a problem coordinator take when a permanent fix has been successfully deployed and verified?
Easy43A problem manager needs to ensure that when a problem is closed, the resolution information is captured and can be reused for future incidents. Which TWO actions should be taken to meet this requirement? (Choose two.)
Hard44An organization wants to ensure that when a Problem record is created, its priority is automatically calculated based on Impact and Urgency using a data lookup matrix. Which ServiceNow feature provides this capability?
Medium45Which module allows problem managers to review unassigned problems that require triage and assignment?
Easy46A problem manager notices that many problem records are created from incident records but the link between the incident and the problem is not automatically established. The manager wants to ensure that whenever an incident is promoted to a problem, the incident is automatically associated with the new problem record. Which action should be taken?
Medium47Which state indicates that a Problem has completed root cause analysis and investigation, and a fix is currently being implemented via Change Management?
Easy48A Problem task is assigned to a vendor group. The vendor updates the task via an inbound email action. The administrator wants to ensure that the inbound email sender is validated against the vendor company record before updating the task. Where should this validation be implemented?
Hard49Which THREE fields on a Problem record are typically editable when the problem is in the 'Assess' state, prior to root cause analysis? (Choose three.)
Medium50A team uses Problem Tasks to divide root cause investigations. A requirement states that a Problem record cannot be moved to 'Fix In Progress' until all child Problem Tasks are in either 'Closed Complete' or 'Closed Skipped' state. How should an administrator configure this validation?
Hard51Which user role is required by default to create, manage, and close Problem records in ServiceNow?
Easy52An administrator wants to add a custom field called 'Root Cause Category' to the Problem table. What is the recommended best practice for naming the column name in ServiceNow?
Medium53When managing known errors, what is the primary purpose of a Known Error Article in ServiceNow Problem Management?
Easy54An administrator wants to configure SLA definitions specifically for Problem Management. Where should the SLA definition be targeted so it only applies to Problem records?
Medium55What is the definition of a 'Known Error' in ITIL and ServiceNow Problem Management?
Easy56A customized Problem workflow utilizes legacy workflow engine. During testing, a workflow timer activity fails to resume after a server restart. What is the most likely cause related to workflow engine execution?
Hard57What is the purpose of the 'Outages' related list on a Problem record?
Easy58Which THREE entities can be associated as 'Affected CIs' or related configuration items in ServiceNow ITSM problem handling? (Choose three.)
Medium59What is the primary function of the 'Known Error Database' (KEDB) module in ServiceNow ITSM?
Easy60A service desk manager wants to identify which problems are currently being investigated by the network team. Which field on the Problem record should be used to filter the list view to show only those problems?
Easy61An ITIL practitioner needs to view the standard baseline workflow for Problem Management in ServiceNow. Which state comes immediately after the 'Assess' state in the baseline Problem lifecycle?
Easy62A Problem Coordinator wants to create a Problem record from an existing Incident. By default, which UI Action on the Incident form initiates this relationship and populates related fields?
Hard63A company has a requirement that when a Problem is created from an incident, all attachments on the incident must be automatically copied over to the new Problem record. Which ServiceNow feature facilitates attachment copying between related tasks?
Hard64A Problem record is linked to multiple incidents. When the Problem is resolved, a custom requirement dictates that an email notification must be sent to the callers of all associated active incidents. Which ServiceNow component is best suited to trigger this efficiently?
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Frequently asked questions
- What does the Problem Management domain cover on the CIS-ITSM exam?
- Be able to configure Problem states, Problem Task gating, vendor inbound email validation, and conditional multi-stage approvals. The single most important thing is knowing which ServiceNow feature and role controls each Problem lifecycle action, especially state transitions and closing authority.
- How many questions are in this domain?
- This page lists all 64 Problem Management questions in the CIS-ITSM question bank. The actual exam draws from this domain proportionally to its weighting in the official exam blueprint.
- What is the best way to practise this domain?
- Start with a short focused session (10 questions) to identify gaps, then work through explanations. Repeat with a longer session once the weak areas feel solid.
- Can I practise only Problem Management questions?
- Yes — the session launcher on this page filters questions to this domain only. Choose any session length for inline explanations and scoring.