ServiceNow Interview Questions & Answers – Admin, Developer, and ITSM Roles

ServiceNow interview questions and answers covering ITSM modules, scripting, automation, integrations, security, and real-world scenarios.

1. ServiceNow Fundamentals

Q1: What is ServiceNow?

A: ServiceNow is a cloud-based IT Service Management (ITSM) platform that automates IT, HR, Security, and business processes. It allows organizations to manage incidents, problems, changes, and requests efficiently.

Q2: Explain different ServiceNow instance types.

A:

  1. Development (Dev): For building applications and testing new features.
  2. Test (QA): For testing functionality before production.
  3. Production (Prod): Live instance used by end users.

Q3: Difference between Classic UI and Next Experience UI.

A: Classic UI is the original interface; Next Experience UI is modern, faster, and optimized for usability with responsive design.

2. ITSM Core Modules

Q4: Describe the Incident lifecycle.

A: New → In Progress → On Hold → Resolved → Closed. Major incidents follow a priority escalation path.

Q5: Difference between Incident and Problem.

A:

  1. Incident: A disruption to a service. Goal is quick resolution.
  2. Problem: Root cause analysis of recurring incidents. Goal is to prevent recurrence.

Q6: What is CAB in Change Management?

A: Change Advisory Board (CAB) is a group of stakeholders who review and approve proposed changes.

Q7: What is a RITM in Service Catalog?

A: Requested Item (RITM) represents an individual item requested by a user from the service catalog. Multiple RITMs can belong to a single Request (REQ).

3. CMDB & Asset Management

Q8: What is a Configuration Item (CI)?

A: A CI is any component (hardware, software, service) that needs to be managed to deliver IT services.

Q9: Difference between Asset and CI.

A: Asset represents ownership and financial data; CI represents operational configuration and relationships in the CMDB.

Q10: How do you link incidents to CIs?

A: Using the Configuration Item field on the incident record, you can associate it with the relevant CI.

4. Administration and Configuration

Q11: Difference between User and Group.

A:

  1. User: Individual who logs in.
  2. Group: Team of users used for task assignment and approvals.

Q12: What is an ACL?

A: Access Control List defines permissions for users/roles to create, read, update, or delete records or fields.

Q13: How to make a field mandatory dynamically?

A: Using UI Policy or Client Script (g_form.setMandatory).

5. Scripting & Development

Q14: Difference between Client Script and Business Rule.

A:

  1. Client Script: Runs on the browser (client-side). Used for field validation, dynamic forms.
  2. Business Rule: Runs on the server-side. Used for data processing, enforcing logic.

Q15: What is GlideRecord?

A: GlideRecord is a server-side API to perform database operations like query, insert, update, and delete records.

Q16: What is a Script Include?

A: A Script Include is reusable server-side JavaScript that can be called from other server-side scripts or via GlideAjax on client-side scripts.

Q17: Types of Client Scripts.

A: onLoad, onChange, onSubmit, onCellEdit.

6. Automation and Flow Designer

Q18: Difference between Flow Designer and Workflows.

A: Flow Designer is low-code, modern, reusable, and easier to maintain; Workflows are legacy graphical automation tools.

Q19: How do you automate approvals?

A: Using Flow Designer or Approval Actions in workflows for catalog items or change requests.

Q20: How to trigger SLA notifications?

A: SLA notifications are triggered by defining breach conditions, pause/stop/start conditions, and connecting email notifications.

7. Integrations & Reporting

Q21: Difference between REST and SOAP API.

A:

  1. REST: Lightweight, uses JSON, commonly for modern integrations.
  2. SOAP: Older, XML-based protocol, used for legacy systems.

Q22: What is a MID Server?

A: A MID Server enables secure communication between ServiceNow and on-premises systems for Discovery, Import Sets, and Orchestration.

Q23: Types of reports in ServiceNow.

A: List reports, pivot tables, pie charts, bar charts, calendar reports, time series reports.

8. Security, Performance, and Best Practices

Q24: How do you secure sensitive data in ServiceNow?

A: Use ACL rules, roles, field-level security, and encryption for sensitive fields.

Q25: What are Update Sets?

A: Update Sets track changes in configuration so they can be moved between instances (Dev → Test → Prod).

Q26: How do you debug scripts?

A: Use system logs, Script Debugger, Flow execution logs, or browser console (for client scripts).

9. CSA Certification & Job Scenarios

Q27: How to prepare for CSA exam?

A: Study ITSM modules, CMDB, automation, scripting, integrations, security, and practice hands-on in developer instance.

Q28: Difference between Admin and Developer role.

A:

  1. Admin: Configures ITSM processes, ACLs, catalog items, forms, reports.
  2. Developer: Creates scripts, automation, custom apps, integrations, complex workflows.

Q29: Scenario: Major Incident occurs impacting multiple services. How do you manage it?

A:

  1. Create incident with high priority
  2. Notify stakeholders
  3. Follow Major Incident Management workflow
  4. Link affected CIs in CMDB
  5. Communicate updates and resolve root cause

Q30: Scenario: SLA breach is approaching. What actions?

A:

  1. Check SLA definition and timers
  2. Escalate incident or task to manager
  3. Notify team via notifications
  4. Update record and document reason