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ITIL Foundation Syllabus
Axelos/PeopleCert certification in IT service management best practice, widely required in UK IT operations.. The complete ITIL Foundation outline — 7 subjects, 27 chapters and 91 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
ITIL Foundation subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
4 chapters · 14 topics · 24 sub-topics
The Four Dimensions of Service Management5 chapters · 17 topics · 21 sub-topics
The ITIL Service Value System and Service Value Chain4 chapters · 15 topics · 16 sub-topics
The Seven Guiding Principles3 chapters · 10 topics · 16 sub-topics
Continual Improvement3 chapters · 10 topics · 10 sub-topics
ITIL Practices Overview and the Concept of Practices3 chapters · 9 topics · 11 sub-topics
Key Practices Examined in Detail5 chapters · 16 topics · 27 sub-topics
ITIL Foundation flashcard decks
361 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Service Management Foundations and Key Concepts — 59 cards
- The Four Dimensions of Service Management — 49 cards
- The ITIL Service Value System and Service Value Chain — 50 cards
- The Seven Guiding Principles — 51 cards
- Continual Improvement — 51 cards
- ITIL Practices Overview and the Concept of Practices — 51 cards
- Key Practices Examined in Detail — 50 cards
How to work through the ITIL Foundation syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: The Four Dimensions of Service Management carries 17 topics while ITIL Practices Overview and the Concept of Practices carries 9. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for ITIL Foundation.
The ~95 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
ITIL Foundation syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the ITIL Foundation syllabus?
ITIL Foundation covers 7 subjects: Service Management Foundations and Key Concepts, The Four Dimensions of Service Management, The ITIL Service Value System and Service Value Chain, The Seven Guiding Principles, Continual Improvement, ITIL Practices Overview and the Concept of Practices and Key Practices Examined in Detail. Together they contain 27 chapters and 91 named topics.
How much do you have to study for ITIL Foundation?
The full ITIL Foundation outline breaks down into 27 chapters, 91 topics and 125 sub-topics. The Four Dimensions of Service Management is the largest single subject with 17 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole ITIL Foundation syllabus?
Roughly 95 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there ITIL Foundation flashcards?
Yes — 361 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this ITIL Foundation syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the ITIL Foundation syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United Kingdom and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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