The ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist – Risk and Compliance (CIS-RC) exam checks that you can configure, implement and maintain ServiceNow’s Risk, Policy and Compliance, and Audit Management applications. This guide covers who it is for, how the exam is booked and delivered, the seven official domains and a way to prepare.
CIS-RC at a glance
| Detail | CIS-RC |
|---|---|
| Full name | ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist – Risk and Compliance |
| Prerequisite certification | None listed for the exam |
| Recommended experience | 6 months on at least two ServiceNow deployment projects, or maintaining ServiceNow instances |
| Duration | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE, at a test centre or online with OnVUE |
| Booked through | ServiceNow University |
| Price | 450 learning credits on ServiceNow University |
| Result | A conditional Pass or Did Not Pass, shown straight after the exam |
| Passing score | Not stated on ServiceNow’s exam page |
| Keeping it | Annual maintenance exams and a yearly maintenance fee |
Who it is for
ServiceNow says the certification shows you can manage entity frameworks, configure compliance processes and support audits. Its intended audience is ServiceNow customers, partners, employees and anyone else who wants to become a ServiceNow Risk and Compliance implementer.
ServiceNow recommends six months of field experience, either taking part in at least two ServiceNow deployment projects or maintaining ServiceNow instances.
Prerequisites
The exam’s prerequisite data on ServiceNow University lists no prerequisite certification for CIS-RC. Unlike some other implementation specialist exams, it does not require CIS-Data Foundations.
ServiceNow’s credential path for CIS-RC lists suggested pre-requisites: Welcome to ServiceNow, ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals/CSA, UI Builder Fundamentals, Flow Designer Essentials, Get Started with the Now Create Methodology and ServiceNow Platform Implementation. They are recommended, not required.
Booking and taking the exam
- Register on ServiceNow University. Registering is paying: the exam costs 450 learning credits, and both learning credits and credit cards are accepted. Exam fees are non-refundable, so register only when you are ready to schedule. Completing an instructor-led course includes one free exam attempt.
- Schedule and sit it within 90 days. If you do not complete the exam within 90 days of registering, the registration expires and you have to register and pay again.
- Choose how to sit it. You are passed to Pearson VUE and can take the exam at an authorised Pearson test centre or online with OnVUE, where a proctor watches by webcam.
- Get your result. A conditional Pass or Did Not Pass appears straight after the exam. If you pass, you receive the certification and a Credly digital badge.
If you do not pass: ServiceNow requires a waiting period between attempts, and you pay the exam fee for each attempt. The full retake rules are in ServiceNow’s Credentialing Program Guide.
The seven official domains
The CIS-RC exam blueprint on ServiceNow University sets out the domains, their weightings and the objectives. You need to sign in to ServiceNow University to read it. The domains and weights are:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Policy and Compliance | 25% |
| Risk and Advanced Risk | 25% |
| Entity Framework | 20% |
| GRC Overview | 11.67% |
| Common Elements and Extended Capabilities | 8.33% |
| Implementation Planning | 5% |
| Audit and Advanced Audit | 5% |
Policy and Compliance, Risk and Advanced Risk, and Entity Framework together carry 70% of the weight.
Official study resources
ServiceNow’s exam page says the recommended courses are not required, but it strongly recommends finishing them before you register, because they are designed to align with the exam blueprint. The credential path recommends:
- GRC: Integrated Risk Management (IRM) Fundamentals: an on-demand course on the GRC suite from the user’s side, including entity frameworks, policy and compliance, and risk.
- GRC: Integrated Risk Management (IRM) Implementation: a 3-day instructor-led or self-paced on-demand course on implementing Policy and Compliance Management, Risk Management and Advanced Risk. The course asks you to complete IRM Fundamentals, Welcome to ServiceNow and ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals first.
- GRC: Audit Management Essentials: an on-demand course on Audit Management and Advanced Audit Management.
- GRC: Regulatory Change Management (RCM) Essentials and GRC: Classic Risk Assessment Fundamentals: shorter on-demand courses.
- GRC: Integrated Risk Management (IRM) Simulator: self-paced configuration tasks for risk, policy and compliance, and audit, designed for CIS-RC candidates. Take it after the other courses.
Alongside the courses, use the ServiceNow product documentation for Governance, Risk, and Compliance at servicenow.com/docs, and a free Personal Developer Instance from developer.servicenow.com for hands-on practice, as the exam page suggests.
A suggested 6-week study plan
This is our suggested plan if you can study 6–8 hours a week. It follows the domain weights, so the largest domains get the most time.
- Week 1: GRC Overview (11.67%) and Implementation Planning (5%). Work through IRM Fundamentals and read the CIS-RC blueprint once from start to finish.
- Week 2: Entity Framework (20%). Start IRM Implementation and focus on entity scoping, entity types and entity classes.
- Week 3: Policy and Compliance (25%). Policies, controls and the compliance lifecycle.
- Week 4: Risk and Advanced Risk (25%). Risk records, risk appetite and advanced risk assessments.
- Week 5: Audit and Advanced Audit (5%) and Common Elements and Extended Capabilities (8.33%). Take Audit Management Essentials, then work through the IRM Simulator.
- Week 6: practice exams. Take full-length timed practice exams, read every explanation, and go back to the documentation for the domains where you score lowest.
Keeping your certification
To keep CIS-RC current, ServiceNow requires you to complete annual maintenance exams (deltas) and pay the yearly Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) fee.
I run ExamCrest, where this guide first appeared. Try 10 free CIS-RC practice questions: https://examcrest.com/exam/sn-rc/free-questions?utm_source=devto&utm_campaign=cis-rc-guide-copy
Top comments (0)