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Free coursePublished 15 Jan 2026 · Updated for the current ServiceNow release · July 2026

Learn ServiceNow, from first login to fully certified

The complete, free path across the whole Now Platform, basics, administration, scripting, ITSM, ITOM, automation, integrations, AI and certification. Pick a topic on the left, read a focused lesson, take the quiz, and practise on a real instance. Your progress is saved automatically.

Start the first lesson →Get a free developer instance
225
guided lessons
27
platform domains
10
product suites
Free
dev instance

What you will learn

Twenty-one modules across the whole platform, lessons, examples, references, cheat sheets and interview prep. Work top to bottom or jump to what you need.

Getting started11 lessons

Platform basics, the data model, the UI and your first free developer instance.

Administration28 lessons

Users, roles, ACLs, data and UI policies, update sets, imports and reporting.

Data model5 lessons
Platform architecture1 lessons
ServiceNow Modules24 lessons
Service management deep-dive12 lessons
ITOM deep-dive13 lessons
Development42 lessons
Platform performance4 lessons
Integrations14 lessons

Connect Jira, Salesforce, SAP, Workday, SailPoint, Okta, Slack and more via IntegrationHub.

Security and risk6 lessons
Experience & AI10 lessons

Service Portal, Performance Analytics, Process Mining and Now Assist.

Reporting & Analytics3 lessons
How-to Guides8 lessons

Step-by-step guides for catalog items, reports and scheduled jobs.

ServiceNow Examples4 lessons

Copy-paste GlideRecord, business rule and client script examples.

ServiceNow Snippets3 lessons

Short, runnable snippets for queries, client scripts and notifications.

ServiceNow Cheat Sheets3 lessons

One-page references for GlideRecord, scripting and encoded queries.

ServiceNow Best Practices5 lessons

Guidance for scripting, the CMDB and update sets.

ServiceNow Troubleshooting7 lessons

Fix business rules, slow queries and ACL errors.

Module Reference3 lessons

Tables, states and fields for Incident, CMDB and Service Catalog.

ServiceNow References5 lessons

API references for GlideRecord, GlideSystem and GlideAjax.

ServiceNow Glossary1 lessons

Plain-language definitions of the platform's key terms.

ServiceNow Tools3 lessons

Background scripts, the script debugger and formatters.

ServiceNow Downloads3 lessons

Update set XMLs, cheat sheet PDFs and sample data sets.

ServiceNow Career Path4 lessons

The role map, salaries, certifications, resume tips and a 12-week roadmap.

Comparisons3 lessons

The complete ServiceNow map

Everything the platform covers, grouped by domain, the whole surface area, not just the basics. Tap any topic to jump to its lesson.

Platform architecture
ServiceNow Glossary
ServiceNow Interview Questions

ServiceNow products & suites

The Now Platform runs many business applications on one data model and workflow engine. These are the big ones you will hear about.

ITSM
IT Service Management
Incident, problem, change and request management, the platform's original core.
ITOM
IT Operations Management
CMDB, Discovery, Service Mapping and event management for infrastructure health.
HRSD
HR Service Delivery
Employee cases, onboarding and a consumer-grade HR service experience.
CSM
Customer Service Management
External customer support connected to the mid- and back-office.
SecOps
Security Operations
Security incident response and vulnerability response on one workflow engine.
GRC
Governance, Risk & Compliance
Integrated risk management, policy and continuous control monitoring.
SPM
Strategic Portfolio Mgmt
Demand, project, resource and agile portfolio planning.
FSM
Field Service Management
Dispatch, scheduling and mobile work order management for field teams.
ITAM
IT Asset Management
Hardware, software and cloud asset lifecycle and license compliance.
AE
App Engine
Low-code app development on the same data model, workflow and security.

Your 12-week path to job-ready

A realistic sequence if you are starting from scratch. Move at your own pace, the map above lets you go deeper anywhere.

1Weeks 1-2
Platform basics
Navigate the UI, understand tables and the data model, spin up a free instance.
2Weeks 3-4
Administration
Users, groups, roles, ACLs, data & UI policies, update sets and reporting.
3Weeks 5-6
ITSM processes
Incident, problem, change, request and knowledge, the core service workflows.
4Weeks 7-8
Scripting
Client vs server scripting, GlideRecord, business rules and script includes.
5Weeks 9-10
Automation & ITOM
Flow Designer, REST integrations, CMDB and Discovery fundamentals.
6Weeks 11-12
Certification prep
Consolidate, practise on your instance and prepare for the CSA exam.

Certification roadmap

The practical order most learners follow, and how it fits ServiceNow's official certification catalog below.

The official ServiceNow certification catalog

ServiceNow groups every credential into four tiers. Here is the full picture so you know where each exam fits.

Expert

The highest tier, recognising deep experience and architecture skill: Certified Technical Architect (CTA) and Certified Master Architect (CMA).

Mainline

Proctored, technical exams: Certified System Administrator (CSA), Certified Application Developer (CAD), Certified Application Specialist, and the Certified Implementation Specialist (CIS) product tracks (ITSM, ITOM/Discovery/Event Management/Service Mapping, CSM, HRSD, FSM, SPM, Risk & Compliance, Third-party Risk, Security Incident Response, Vulnerability Response, HAM, SAM, Application Portfolio Management, Cloud Provisioning & Governance, Service Provider).

Micro-Certifications

Focused, non-proctored assessments on specialty products: Now Assist, Flow Designer, Integration Hub, Predictive Intelligence, Virtual Agent, Automated Test Framework, Configure the CMDB, CMDB Health, DevOps Change Velocity and more.

Suite

Bundled credentials granted when all component exams are complete, with no separate exam: the ITSM, CSM and HRSD Professional (and Professional Plus) suites, Application Developer and Citizen Developer Core Skills suites, and industry suites.

Frequently asked questions

Is ServiceNow hard to learn?

No, if you follow a path. Start with platform basics and a free developer instance, then layer on administration and scripting. Most people reach job-ready in 8 to 12 weeks of consistent practice.

Do I need to code to use ServiceNow?

Not to administer it. Much of the platform is configuration and low-code Flow Designer. To become a developer you learn JavaScript-based server and client scripting, which this course covers step by step.

Which ServiceNow certification should I start with?

The Certified System Administrator (CSA). It is the foundation for every other certification and the one most job postings ask for.

Is this course really free?

Yes. Every lesson, quiz and hands-on lab is free, and ServiceNow itself provides a free personal developer instance you can practise on.

How long until I'm job-ready?

With consistent practice, most learners are ready for a junior administrator or developer role in 8 to 12 weeks by following the path above.

Do I need my own ServiceNow instance?

Yes, and it's free. Request a Personal Developer Instance from ServiceNow and use it to complete the hands-on step in every lesson.

Ready to start?
Begin with the fundamentals, no signup, no cost.
Start learning ServiceNow →

Every lesson in this tutorial

All 225 lessons across 27 modules, in the order we teach them. Free, no signup.

01Getting started

10 lessons

02Administration

28 lessons

03Data model

5 lessons

04Platform architecture

1 lesson

05ServiceNow Modules

24 lessons

06Service management deep-dive

12 lessons

07ITOM deep-dive

13 lessons

08Development

42 lessons

09Platform performance

4 lessons

10Integrations

14 lessons

11Security and risk

6 lessons

12Experience & AI

10 lessons

13Reporting & Analytics

3 lessons

14How-to Guides

8 lessons

15ServiceNow Examples

4 lessons

16ServiceNow Snippets

3 lessons

17ServiceNow Cheat Sheets

3 lessons

18ServiceNow Best Practices

5 lessons

19ServiceNow Troubleshooting

7 lessons

20Module Reference

3 lessons

21ServiceNow References

5 lessons

22ServiceNow Glossary

1 lesson

23ServiceNow Tools

3 lessons

24ServiceNow Downloads

3 lessons

25ServiceNow Career Path

4 lessons

26ServiceNow Interview Questions

1 lesson

27Comparisons

3 lessons