The ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist – Third-party Risk Management (CIS-TPRM) exam checks that you can configure, implement and maintain ServiceNow’s Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) application. This guide covers who it is for, how the exam is booked and delivered, the six official domains and a way to prepare.
CIS-TPRM at a glance
| Detail | CIS-TPRM |
|---|---|
| Full name | ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist – Third-party Risk Management |
| Earlier name | Certified Implementation Specialist – Vendor Risk Management (older release versions) |
| Prerequisite certification | None listed for the exam |
| Recommended experience | 6 months on ServiceNow implementations, or an administrator role with customising capability |
| 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 third-party risk processes, configure assessments, set up the third-party portal and support the related workflows, connecting third-party risk with the wider Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) suite. Its intended audience is ServiceNow customers, partners, employees and anyone else who wants to become a ServiceNow Third-party Risk Management implementer.
ServiceNow recommends six months of field experience, either taking part in ServiceNow implementations or in an administrator role with the ability to customise.
If you are searching for older material, note that ServiceNow University lists the earlier release versions of this exam under the name Certified Implementation Specialist – Vendor Risk Management.
Prerequisites
The exam’s prerequisite data on ServiceNow University lists no prerequisite certification for CIS-TPRM. It does not require CIS-Data Foundations.
ServiceNow’s credential path for CIS-TPRM lists suggested pre-requisites such as Welcome to ServiceNow, ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals/CSA, UI Builder Fundamentals, Flow Designer Essentials 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 six official domains
The CIS-TPRM 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 |
|---|---|
| Assessment Configuration | 33% |
| Third-party Risk Management Fundamentals and Third-party Risk Management Review | 23% |
| Core Configuration | 14% |
| Third-party Portal | 12% |
| Third-party Supporting Processes | 12% |
| Other Application Relationships | 6% |
Assessment Configuration alone carries a third of the weight, more than any other domain.
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 main courses on the credential path are:
- GRC: Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) Fundamentals: a self-paced on-demand introduction to the TPRM application, covering the third-party portfolio, assessments, the third-party portal and how TPRM connects to other GRC applications.
- GRC: Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) Implementation: a self-paced on-demand course with lectures, demonstrations and hands-on labs. Its topics include Core Configuration, Assessment Configuration, Approval and Workflow Changes, Third-party Portal Configuration, Application Relationships, and Dashboards and Reports. ServiceNow advises setting aside at least two full days for it, and lists TPRM Fundamentals as a required prerequisite for the course.
- GRC: Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) Implementation Simulator: about 4 hours 20 minutes of tasks that mirror the implementation course labs, built to help you prepare for CIS-TPRM. ServiceNow says to finish the implementation course first.
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 Assessment Configuration gets two weeks.
- Week 1: TPRM Fundamentals and Review (23%). Work through TPRM Fundamentals and read the CIS-TPRM blueprint once from start to finish.
- Week 2: Core Configuration (14%). Start TPRM Implementation and cover the core data: third parties, contacts and the portfolio.
- Weeks 3–4: Assessment Configuration (33%). Work through the assessment modules and labs, then repeat the parts you found hardest.
- Week 5: Third-party Portal (12%), Third-party Supporting Processes (12%) and Other Application Relationships (6%). Finish the course, then complete the TPRM Implementation 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-TPRM current, ServiceNow requires you to complete annual maintenance exams (deltas) and pay the yearly Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) fee.
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