ITIL (Version 5) Advanced Certifications: What Open Book Exams Really Mean for Learners

There’s a meaningful shift happening across ITIL (Version 5) advanced certifications - and it’s one worth paying attention to.

Advanced courses now include open-book exams.

It may feel like a shortcut at first. In reality, it’s a different kind of challenge. One centered on application, not recall.

Why Open Book? A Shift Toward Real-World Application

Open-book exams reflect a deeper evolution in how capability is assessed and how professionals are expected to apply what they learn. They focus on:

Applying concepts in context
Navigating and interpreting guidance quickly
Making informed decisions using trusted sources

This aligns directly with the direction of ITIL (Version 5): a move toward digital product and service management (DPSM), where success depends on how well you use knowledge, not just memorize it.

In practice, this means learners need to be comfortable working with the official publications during the exam, just as they would on the job.

What This Means for Your Preparation

Preparation now looks a little different.

Yes, you still need to understand the material, but you also need to know:

Where to find key concepts quickly
How topics connect across the guidance
How to interpret and apply recommendations in scenario-based questions

In short, familiarity with the official publications becomes a critical success factor.

Where PeopleCert Plus (PC+) Comes In

If you’re considering an ITIL (Version 5) advanced course, PeopleCert Plus (PC+) becomes more than a “nice to have” - it’s a practical advantage. Your membership gives you immediate access to the official digital publications aligned to the certifications (ITIL Foundation excluded), so you can begin preparing well before class begins.

Explore PeopleCert Plus Annual Membership

With PC+, you can:

Access official publications anytime through the VitalSource Bookshelf App
Save, search, and highlight key content for easy reference
Use a second device during your exam to access the official publication, in line with exam guidelines

In addition to the official publications, PC+ includes:

The official syllabus
Sample exams to support your preparation
The official glossary

There’s also a timing advantage.

ITSM Academy issues exam vouchers once a final class roster is set. PC+ gives you advanced access to key materials, so you can begin preparing before your course begins - showing up ready to engage, not just absorb.

The Learner Experience

During your open book exam, you may use either the hard copy of the Official Book or your Official eBook on a second device through the VitalSource Bookshelf app. Your second device must be set to airplane mode.

Both formats allow you to:

Annotate and tabulate the text, including adding personal notes and using sticky or colored post-it notes to navigate the Official Book.
Utilize notes or annotations created during your exam preparation, written on the blank pages of the Official Book.
Use the "annotation" functionality provided by the Official e-Book reader (Bookshelf) to mark text and take notes.

Important note:

Loose-leaf papers containing additional notes are not permitted.
Unofficial printed copies of the Official Book or any other books (e.g., the ITSM Academy Learner Manual) are not allowed.

Hardcopy books: If you are interested in obtaining hardcopy versions of the books, they can be ordered here.

Digital books: As discussed above, if you have PeopleCert Plus, the books associated with each certification course are available under the ‘Books’ option.

What This Means for Organizations

For organizations investing in ITIL (Version 5), this shift reinforces an important point:

Training is no longer just about certification. It’s about capability building.

Open-book exams encourage:

Better alignment between learning and real-world work
Stronger adoption of practices post-training
More confident, resourceful practitioners

And when learners come prepared, the classroom experience becomes more interactive, practical, and outcome-focused.

Final Thought

Open-book exams don’t lower the bar. They move it.

From memorization → to application
From theory → to practice
From knowledge → to capability

For ITIL (Version 5), that’s exactly the point.

And for learners stepping into advanced certifications, the smartest approach is clear: come prepared to work with the guidance, not just study it.

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