TL;DR: ServiceNow has changed how certification works. Exam vouchers are gone, and eligibility now comes first: you complete the required course, then buy and schedule the exam through ServiceNow University and Pearson VUE. The change with the shortest fuse is CIS-DF (Certified Implementation Specialist, Data Foundations for CMDB and CSDM). Community posts describe it as a prerequisite for seven IT-focused CIS exams, and the latest post we found, published July 1, 2026 by a ServiceNow MVP, says existing holders of those certifications must earn CIS-DF by December 31, 2026 or their current CIS certifications expire. That is 80 days from October 12. The free first attempt at CIS-DF was extended to December 31, 2026 for holders of an “at-risk” CIS certification, and exams carry a 90-day window after registration. Retakes now follow a 3-day, 30-day and 6-month wait pattern. Most of these details come from community posts and not from ServiceNow’s own documentation, and several posts disagree, so this guide labels each claim and tells you what to confirm.
If you hold a CIS certification today, the question is not “should I care?” It is “can I pass CIS-DF in time, and how many retakes can the calendar afford?” The countdown below answers that.
Quick Facts
| Item | What we found |
| Exam vouchers | Reported as discontinued. The rule is “no eligibility, no exam” |
| How you get eligible | Complete the required course on ServiceNow University, usually the Implementation or Advanced course. Fundamentals courses are usually not mandatory (reported) |
| Where exams are bought and scheduled | ServiceNow University, delivered through Pearson VUE (reported) |
| Registration window | Sit the exam within 90 days of registering, or the attempt is forfeited (reported) |
| CIS-DF | Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) exam, a prerequisite for seven IT CIS exams (reported) |
| Existing CIS holders | Must earn CIS-DF by December 31, 2026 or related CIS certifications expire (reported, from a July 1, 2026 MVP post citing an official knowledge article) |
| Free first CIS-DF attempt | Extended to December 31, 2026 for holders of an at-risk CIS certification (reported) |
| Exam fees | CSA, CAD and CAS: US300.CISexams:US450 (reported) |
| Retake fees | US150forCSA,CADandCPOA.US225 for CIS exams (reported) |
| Retake waits | 3 days before the second attempt, 30 days before the third, 6 months before each later attempt (reported) |
| Passing score | ServiceNow does not publish it (reported by a prep site) |
| Validity | Release-linked, with maintenance through a delta assessment (reported) |
Everything marked “reported” comes from ServiceNow Community posts, written by community members, MVPs and consultants, or from prep sites. We could not open ServiceNow’s own knowledge articles, which the posts cite as KB0013315, KB0013272, KB0013242 and KB0013252. Confirm every date and fee in ServiceNow University before you pay.
The December 31 Clock
Most articles on the new rules list what changed. This one starts with the date that matters most to current CIS holders and works backward.
Who is on the clock
| Your situation | Does the December 31 date affect you? |
| You hold one or more of the seven IT CIS certifications and have not passed CIS-DF | Yes, according to the July 1, 2026 post |
| You hold only CSA, CAD or another non-CIS certification | The posts describe the deadline for CIS holders, so check your own record |
| You are mid-path, with a course done and a CIS exam not yet taken | You must pass CIS-DF before scheduling your CIS exam (reported) |
| You are new to ServiceNow | CIS-DF comes before the seven affected CIS exams (reported) |
| You hold a CTA or are pursuing one | A post notes it may be affected indirectly, because keeping a CTA requires two active CIS certifications (reported) |
The seven exams (reported)
The seven CIS exams that community posts name as requiring CIS-DF are Discovery, Hardware Asset Management, IT Service Management, Service Mapping, Security Incident Response, Software Asset Management and Vulnerability Response. One community answer first refers to “six” mainline certifications before listing seven, so the count is not perfectly consistent. Check ServiceNow’s official list.
What happens on January 1 if you miss it (reported)
The July 1, 2026 post says that if you have not earned CIS-DF by December 31, 2026, your existing implementation specialist certifications will expire, even if you have a CIS-DF exam scheduled for 2027. It also says no exceptions or complimentary attempts will be granted after that date. An earlier December 2025 post adds that regaining the lapsed certifications would require passing both CIS-DF and the original CIS exam.
The countdown, from October 12
Our arithmetic, based on the reported rules and an assumption stated below.
| Days left | Date | What to have done |
| 80 | October 12 | You are reading this. Confirm your status in ServiceNow University |
| About 60 | Late October to early November | Finish your study plan and register for CIS-DF |
| 49 | November 12 | Be at least halfway through your study plan |
| 33 | November 28 | Latest date for a first attempt if you want room for a second and a third attempt |
| 4 | December 27 | Latest date for a first attempt if you want room for one retake |
| 0 | December 31 | Deadline to have earned CIS-DF |
How we built the retake rows
The retake waits are reported as 3 days before the second attempt and 30 days before the third. We assume each wait is counted from the previous attempt. If a first attempt falls on November 28, the second could fall on December 1 and the third could fall on December 31. That makes November 28 the last first-attempt date that leaves room for three tries. If you only want room for one retake, the first attempt must be about three days before the deadline, around December 27. If ServiceNow counts the waits differently, move these dates. Also leave a buffer: community threads from mid-2026 report CIS-DF attempts stuck in “Pending” status, and a result that arrives late is a risk you do not want on December 30.
What we could not settle
| Point | Source A | Source B | How we treat it |
| Whether missing the date expires your CIS certifications | The July 1, 2026 post and an accepted community answer say yes | A June 2026 community answer says missing the window only expires the free exam coupon, and that existing certifications stay valid if you pass the yearly delta exam | The July post cites an official knowledge article, so we lead with it. The conflict is unresolved, so verify in ServiceNow University |
| Whether CIS-DF must precede CIS-ITSM | One answer says CIS-DF is a prerequisite for mainline exams | Another says it is not required before CIS-ITSM, only for retaining existing certifications by the end of 2026 | A third answer says the prerequisite was temporarily suspended until January 31, 2026, which has passed. We treat it as required now and recommend confirming |
| Free first attempt | December 2025 post: free from December 15, 2025 to June 30, 2026 | July 1, 2026 post: extended to December 31, 2026 | The later post supersedes the earlier one |
What Changed in How You Get Certified
Vouchers are gone
Posts from several community members, including one who signs as a ServiceNow technical architect, say the voucher system no longer exists. One warns that using another person’s voucher could lead to a ban. A separate post says vouchers bought before the change convert into Pearson exam attempts that do not expire, though they cannot be used for a CIS exam until CIS-DF is passed.
Eligibility comes first
| Step | What happens (reported) |
| 1 | Complete the required course on ServiceNow University. This is usually the Implementation or Advanced course |
| 2 | Eligibility is recorded. It does not expire, so you can register whenever you are ready |
| 3 | Buy the exam in ServiceNow University and register through Pearson VUE |
| 4 | Schedule and sit the exam within 90 days of registering, or the attempt is forfeited |
| 5 | If you cancel, payments are non-refundable and rescheduling is free within the allowed window |
One December 2025 post says the official course is no longer mandatory for CIS-DF specifically, though ServiceNow strongly recommends it. Check the requirement for the exam you actually want.
Course and exam pricing (reported)
| Item | Price |
| Instructor-led training, 2 days (includes one exam attempt) | US$1,900 |
| Instructor-led training, 3 days (includes one exam attempt) | US$2,700 |
| On-demand courses | Free, with no exam attempt included |
| CSA, CAD and CAS exams | US$300 |
| CIS exams | US$450 |
| Retake, CSA, CAD and CPOA | US$150 |
| Retake, CIS exams | US$225 |
Prices exclude tax. Partner discounts may apply, and partners often receive a free CSA attempt after completing the required course. These figures come from a community post by a ServiceNow MVP, written in January 2026 and updated through mid-2026. It is not official documentation.
Retake rules (reported)
| Attempt | Wait before it |
| Second | 3 days |
| Third | 30 days |
| Fourth and later | 6 months each |
The old limit of three retakes is described as no longer in force, and no maximum number of attempts is stated in the posts we read. A community answer also says no free or promotional retakes are currently offered.
The Path to Your First Exam: A Cost Ledger
If you are new, the real question is what the whole path costs and how long it takes. This ledger uses the reported prices.
| Path | Course cost | First exam | Total to first attempt | Notes |
| CSA, on-demand course | US$0 | US$300 | US$300 | Study alone, buy the exam separately |
| CSA, instructor-led, 2 days | US$1,900 | Included | US$1,900 | One attempt is included |
| CAD, on-demand course | US$0 | US$300 | US$300 | Same pattern as CSA |
| CIS-DF, existing CIS holder | US$0 | Free first attempt if registered by December 31, 2026 | US$0 | Reported, at-risk holders only |
| CIS-DF, everyone else | US$0 | US$450 | US$450 | Reported fee for a CIS exam |
| One CIS exam after CIS-DF | US$0 | US$450 | US$450 | CIS-DF first, then the CIS exam |
| One retake of a CIS exam | n/a | US$225 | US$225 | Plus the waiting period |
The arithmetic: a new candidate going for a CIS certification pays about US900inexamfeesalone(US450 for CIS-DF plus US$450 for the CIS exam), before any course.
Which Exam Should You Take, and in What Order?
| Your goal | Starting point | Then |
| Administer the platform | CSA | CAD or a CIS exam |
| Build and develop on the platform | CAD, after CSA knowledge | A CIS exam if you move to implementation |
| Implement ITSM | CSA, then CIS-DF | CIS-ITSM |
| Implement Discovery or Service Mapping | CSA, then CIS-DF | CIS-Discovery or CIS-Service Mapping |
| Keep an existing CIS certification | CIS-DF before December 31, 2026 | Delta assessment for the next release |
| Aim for architect-level credentials | Two or more CIS certifications | Consult ServiceNow’s CTA requirements |
Our practice resources can help you find gaps once you know your path. See our ServiceNow exam hub, our CSA exam questions, our CAD exam questions, our CIS-DF exam questions, our CIS-ITSM exam questions and our CIS-Discovery exam questions. Use practice sets to find weak areas, and use ServiceNow’s published blueprints to decide what to study.
Preparing for CIS-DF in 80 Days
CIS-DF covers the CMDB and the Common Service Data Model. The weekly plan below is ours, built around the reported dates. ServiceNow’s blueprint is the authority on topics, and we did not find a published question count or duration for this exam.
| Week | Dates | Focus | Output |
| 1 | October 12 to 18 | Confirm eligibility, download the blueprint, set up a personal developer instance | A topic checklist |
| 2 to 3 | October 19 to 1 November | CMDB fundamentals: classes, relationships, identification and reconciliation | Notes and a small test dataset |
| 4 to 5 | November 2 to 15 | CSDM: service models, layers and how data connects | A service map sketch |
| 6 | November 16 to 22 | Data quality: health, certification and governance | A short list of common failure causes |
| 7 | November 23 to 28 | Practice sets under timed conditions, then take the first attempt by November 28 | Score by topic |
| 8 to 9 | November 29 to December 12 | If needed, remediation and second attempt (wait 3 days) | Error log |
| 10 | December 13 to 27 | Final attempt window, with a buffer for pending results | A pass |
| 11 | December 28 to 31 | Buffer only | Nothing, ideally |
If you have less time
Skip to a first attempt within three weeks and treat the first attempt as a diagnostic. With a 3-day wait before the second try, you have time for one fast retake if you register by early December. The reported “Pending” status issue is the reason to avoid the last week.
Practice Scenarios
These are illustrations, not real people.
Scenario 1: An ITSM consultant with CIS-ITSM and no CIS-DF. He is exactly the person the December 31 date is aimed at. He should register for CIS-DF this week, use the free first attempt, and aim to pass by late November.
Scenario 2: A partner engineer holding CIS-Discovery and CIS-SAM. Two certifications are at risk, and one CIS-DF pass protects both (reported). She should prioritize it above any new exam.
Scenario 3: A new administrator with CSA. He is not on the December 31 clock for existing CIS certifications because he has none. If he wants a CIS exam in 2027, he plans CIS-DF first and budgets US$450 for it.
Scenario 4: A candidate who used a company voucher before the change. Her voucher converted into an exam attempt that does not expire (reported), but a CIS exam stays locked until she passes CIS-DF.
Scenario 5: A holder who failed CIS-DF once. She has a 3-day wait before the second attempt, then 30 days before a third. If she failed on December 1, a third attempt could not land before the deadline on the reported waits, so she should take the second attempt at the earliest permitted date.
What We Don’t Know Yet
We would rather list gaps than guess.
- ServiceNow’s own wording. The posts cite official knowledge articles, but we could not open them. Every rule here is relayed.
- Whether missing December 31 expires your certifications. One community answer says only the free coupon expires. The July 1, 2026 post says certifications expire. We lead with the post that cites an official article, and we cannot confirm it ourselves.
- The exact list of affected exams. Posts say seven and name them, but one answer first says six.
- Whether the free first attempt will be extended again. It has been extended once, from June 30 to December 31, 2026. A commenter asked for another extension and received no reply in what we read.
- How the retake waits are counted. We assume from the previous attempt. Confirm in ServiceNow University.
- CIS-DF exam format. We did not find a published question count or duration for it.
- The delta assessment rules. One community answer and a prep site mention a release-linked maintenance exam. We did not find the detailed rules.
- Pending status issues. Community threads report attempts stuck in “Pending,” and we do not know whether they are resolved.
FAQS
Are ServiceNow exam vouchers gone?
Community posts say the voucher system no longer exists. Eligibility comes from completing the required course, and you buy the exam in ServiceNow University.
What is CIS-DF?
It is the ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist, Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) exam.
Which exams require CIS-DF?
Community posts name seven: Discovery, Hardware Asset Management, IT Service Management, Service Mapping, Security Incident Response, Software Asset Management and Vulnerability Response.
What is the CIS-DF deadline for existing holders?
A July 1, 2026 post says existing holders must earn CIS-DF by December 31, 2026 or their CIS certifications expire, even if an exam is scheduled for 2027. A June 2026 community answer disputes the expiry consequence, so confirm with ServiceNow.
Is the first CIS-DF attempt free?
For holders of an at-risk CIS certification, a July 1, 2026 post says the free first attempt is extended through December 31, 2026. Other candidates pay the CIS exam fee, reported at US$450.
How long do I have to take the exam after registering?
Ninety days, according to community posts. After that the attempt is forfeited.
How much do the exams cost?
Reported: US300forCSA,CADandCAS,andUS450 for CIS exams. Prices exclude tax.
What are the retake rules?
Reported: 3 days before the second attempt, 30 days before the third and 6 months before each later attempt. Retake fees are reported at US150forCSA,CADandCPOA,andUS225 for CIS exams.
Is there a limit on attempts?
The posts we read state no maximum.
Do I still need the official course?
Eligibility generally comes from the required course, usually the Implementation or Advanced course, though one post says the course is no longer mandatory for CIS-DF. Check the exam you want.
Do ServiceNow certifications expire?
Reported as release-linked, with a delta assessment for each new release. Confirm the maintenance rules in ServiceNow University.
Where is the official information?
ServiceNow’s training and certification program is on the ServiceNow University training and certification page.
