CIS - Strategic Portfolio Management (CIS-SPM) Mainline Exam Blueprint


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Updated January 2026


Introduction

The ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist – Strategic Portfolio Management Exam Specification document defines the purpose, audience, testing options, exam content coverage, test framework, and prerequisites for earning the Certified Implementation Specialist – Strategic Portfolio Management certification.

 

Exam Purpose

The Certified Implementation Specialist – Strategic Portfolio Management exam confirms you have the knowledge and skills to configure, implement, and maintain ServiceNow SPM applications. This certification validates their ability to manage financials, resource planning, idea and demand processes, project management, and portfolio planning. Certified individuals optimize decision-making and enhance portfolio performance with analytics and integrated solutions. 

 

Exam Audience

The ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist – Strategic Portfolio Management exam is available to ServiceNow customers, partners, employees, and others interested in becoming a ServiceNow SPM Certified Implementation Specialist. Here is the recommended experience: 

    • Six months of field experience participating in ServiceNow deployment projects or maintaining ServiceNow instances 

 

Exam Preparation

Exam questions are based on official ServiceNow training materials, the ServiceNow Product documentation site, and the ServiceNow developer site. Study materials posted elsewhere online are not official and should not be used to prepare for the examination.


ServiceNow recommends completing these training course(s) in preparation for the Certified Implementation Specialist—Strategic Portfolio Management exam.  

    • Welcome to ServiceNow
    • ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals
    • Get Started with Now Create (On Demand)  
    • ServiceNow Platform Implementation
    • Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) Fundamentals 
    • Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) Implementation

 

Additional Resources

In addition to the above, these additional resources are valuable in preparation for the exam. 

    • Credentialing Program Guide – a resource to guide you through the entire certification process
    • Official practice exams are available through our trusted partner, MeasureUp — please refer to Knowledge Article KB0013408 for more information on how to access them.

  

Exam Scope

This table shows the exam domains, weightings, sub-topics, and the percentage of questions represented in each domain. The listed sub-skills should NOT be considered an all-inclusive list of the exam content.  

Number of Domains

Exam Domain

Percent of Exam

1

SPM Implementation Overview

  • SPM implementation preparation
  • General configurations
  • Now Create methodology

2%

2

SPM Financials 

  • Properties and tables 
  • Financial planning
  • Cost types 
  • Rate types
  • Expense lines 
  • Rate model

10%

3

Resource Management  

  • Personas, properties, and roles 
  • Resource Management Workspace
  • Resource assignments
  • Planning attributes
  • Capacity planning 
  • Schedules

23%

4

Idea and Demand

  • Roles and tables 
  • Idea Portal
  • States
  • Innovation Management integration with Universal Request
  • Idea and demand conversion
  • Demand form
  • Demand Workbench
  • Defining stakeholders
  • Assessments

18%

5

Project Management 

  • Properties, roles, and tables
  • Project Workspace 
  • States 
  • Subprojects 
  • Tasks
  • Relationships (tasks and dependencies)
  • Project templates
  • Importing projects
  • RIDAC
  • Baselines
  • Status reports
  • Schedules
  • Diagnostics

30%

6

Timecard Management  

  • Plugins, roles, and tables
  • Categories
  • Policies  
  • Rate types 

5%

7

Portfolio Planning Workspace

  • Plugins, roles, tables, and properties
  • Portfolio Planning Workspace 
  • Lenses
  • Planning items
  • Display limits
  • Integrating Portfolio Planning with PPM
  • Scenario Planning 

8%

8

SPM Platform Analytics & Dashboards 

  • Platform Analytics 
  • Dashboards

2%

9

SPM Better Together 

  • ServiceNow applications that integrate with SPM

2%

Total

100%

 

Exam Registration

Step 1: Register for your exam 

  • Registration = payment. This step secures your exam attempt. Learning credits and credit card payments are accepted. Instructor-led training completion includes one free exam attempt. Discounted exam pricing may be available through associated company benefits.  
  • Click here to register for the CIS – SPM exam. 
  • You can register at any time. Once registered, you have 90 days to schedule and complete your exam. 
  • Exam fees are non-refundable. Register only when you are prepared to schedule your exam. 

Step 2: Schedule your exam 

  • Click here to schedule the CIS –SPM exam. Note: ServiceNow provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities or English as a Second Language (ESL) while taking the certification exam. 
  • Schedule within 90 days. After registration, you must schedule your exam appointment and complete your exam within 90 days. 

Step 3: Choose your exam delivery method 

  • From the My Exams page, you will be directed to Pearson. 
  • Choose to take your exam at a Pearson test center or online with OnVUE, where proctors observe via a webcam.

Step 4: Complete your exam  

  •  If you do not complete your exam within 90 days, your registration will expire, and you will need to register and pay the full exam fee again (start at step 1 again). 

  

Exam Structure

Exam Duration

The exam duration is 90 minutes.

Number of Items

The exam consists of 60 questions.

 

Multiple Choice (single answer)

For each multiple-choice question on the exam, there are at least three possible responses. Select the correct response. 

Multiple Select (select all that apply)

There are at least four possible responses for each multiple-select question on the exam. The question will state how many responses should be selected. Select ALL correct responses. Partial credit is not provided. 

 

Exam Result

An exam result notification is immediately displayed as a *conditional pass or fail after completing and submitting the exam.  

In addition, an exam result report is available and shows your exam result and the percentage of items in each section you answered correctly. Your exam result is conditional, meaning your results are preliminary and may be updated upon final review.  

*A conditional result means the exam can be audited and reviewed at any time, and the certification may be revoked after investigation if it is found that the ServiceNow Test Security Policies have been violated.   

 

 Understanding Your Results: 

 
Each question on the exam is worth one point. Your total score is compared to a predetermined cut score - this score is not publicly shared and is not always 70%  - to determine a pass or fail outcome. The section percentages on the exam result notification show how you performed in each domain, but they do not determine your overall result, should not be averaged, and do not indicate expertise. 

  

If You Pass: 

  • You will earn the Certified Implementation Specialist – Strategic Portfolio Management certification and receive a Credly digital badge to showcase your achievement. 
  • To maintain your certification, complete annual maintenance exams (deltas) and pay the yearly Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) fee. 

 

If You Do Not Pass: 

  • Review the exam blueprint and the recommended training before retaking the exam. 
  • The retake policy requires a waiting period between attempts and payment of the exam fee for each attempt. 

 

Sample Questions

Sample Item #1:  

Learning Domain 1 – SPM Implementation Overview

Which plugins are installed with PPM Standard?  (choose two)

    1. Project Portfolio Suite  
    2. Financial Planning  
    3. Resource Management Workspace 
    4. Portfolio Planning Workspace 

Answers: A, B  

 

Learning Domain 2 – SPM Financials

Sample Item #2:  

Which options can a user select in the Expense type field on the Expense line form? (choose two)

    1. Capex 
    2. Opex 
    3. Gl account 
    4. Cost centers 

Answers: A, B  

 

Learning Domain 3 – Resource Management 

Sample Item #3:  

What is used to define the planning attribute values? 

    1. Scheduled job
    2. Capacity
    3. Employee profile  
    4. Resource group

Answer: C  

 

Learning Domain 4 – Idea and Demand 

Sample Item #4:  

What is the central location for idea collection, evaluation, and promotion?  

    1. Idea Portal  
    2. Demand Workbench  
    3. Portfolio Planning Workspace 
    4. Idea module 

Answer: A

 

Learning Domain 5 – Project Management 

Sample Item #5:  

Which property must be set to True so that budgets can be allocated for projects in Project Workspace?  

    1. sn_invst_pln.budget_allocation_attribute 
    2. com.snc.project.move_project.wip  
    3. sn_invst_pln.enable_budget_allocation_v2  
    4. com.snc.project.rollup.cost  

Answer: C  

 

Learning Domain 6 – Timecard Management Configuration 

Sample Item #6:  

What is the purpose of a time sheet policy? 

    1. To record the time worked on a task by a task  
    2. To group all the time cards for a user for the given week 
    3. To provide managers with reports of time sheet exceptions 
    4. To define the requirements for time card users to record their time worked 

Answer: D  

 

Learning Domain 7 – Portfolio Planning Workspace

Sample Item #7:   

Which role should be given to a user so they can create planning items in Portfolio Planning Workspace?  

    1. [sn_align_core.apw_admin] 
    2. [sn_align_core.apw_user] 
    3. [sn_align_core.ap_read_onlystate]  
    4. [it_portfolio_manager] 

Answer: B  

 

Learning Domain 8 – SPM Platform Analytics and Dashboards

Sample Item #8: 

Which dashboard gives an overview of investments, provides a pipeline view of upcoming intake, and a calendar view of upcoming dates?  

    1. PMO dashboard   
    2. Resource Management Workspace Overview dashboard 
    3. Analytics Time Sheet
    4. Idea Manager dashboard  

Answer: A  

 

Learning Domain 9 – SPM Better Together

Sample Item #9:  

How does SPM interact with ServiceNow Security Operations? (choose two)

    1. Vulnerabilities
    2. By managing asset costs 
    3. Problems, defects, and enhancements 
    4. Security incidents

Answer: A, D 

 


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