ITIL-DSV
Drive Stakeholder Value (DSV) is one of the four modules on the way to the ITIL 4 Managing Professional designation — the credential many IT service-management roles, promotions, and consulting gigs now expect on a CV. It tests how you map the customer journey end to end, from demand and engagement through onboarding, co-creation, and realising value. This is a closed-book, scenario-based exam where 28 of 40 marks separates a pass from a re-sit, so a single off day can stall your MP progress and your next role. This page lays out exactly what DSV tests, how PeopleCert delivers it, and how to get it done right the first time.
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How the ITIL 4 DSV exam is built — at a glance
40
40 multiple-choice questions, each worth one mark. Many are scenario-based: a short business situation followed by four options, with one best answer. No negative marking.
28
You need 28 of 40 marks — exactly 70% — to pass. That leaves a margin of only 12 wrong answers, so consistency across every customer-journey step matters.
90
90 minutes with no reference material allowed. Candidates sitting in a non-native language automatically get 25% extra time — around 113 minutes.
DSV questions are heavier than Foundation: instead of recalling a definition, you read a short stakeholder scenario and pick the action ITIL would recommend. With 40 questions in 90 minutes you have just over two minutes each — comfortable if you know the material, tight if you're translating jargon on the fly.
Unlike a standalone test, DSV requires you to complete an accredited training course before you can register for the exam. The exam itself is delivered through PeopleCert; most candidates pair the course with an online-proctored sitting and receive a digital certificate on passing.
DSV follows the customer journey — these are the core areas you'll be examined on
The customer journey concept and why service relationships are co-created. How aspirations, value, and outcomes shape every touchpoint between provider and consumer.
Identifying service consumers and providers, understanding stakeholder aspirations, describing and targeting markets, and analysing needs and risks before engaging.
Building service relationships, communication and collaboration, relationship types, and managing suppliers and partners across a multi-vendor landscape.
Managing demand and opportunities, designing service offerings, and agreeing service expectations — including SLA design and the dangers of watermelon SLAs.
Onboarding and offboarding users, fostering relationships, enabling consumption and provision, and the role of user engagement and customer experience (CX/UX) in value.
Realising and tracking value, validating service value, and continually improving the customer journey using feedback, metrics, and the ITIL guiding principles.
AXELOS does not publish a fixed mark weighting for each step, so the cards above reflect the published syllabus structure rather than a percentage split. The exam is closed book and scenario-driven — it rewards applying the customer-journey model to a situation, not memorising the seven steps in order.
How PeopleCert runs the exam — and what to expect on test day
Most candidates take DSV from home using PeopleCert Online Proctoring. You download the secure exam app, complete a system test in advance, then a live proctor verifies your photo ID, runs a 360° room scan, and watches the session via webcam. You schedule a slot that suits you, often within days of finishing the course.
Because DSV requires accredited training, your exam voucher usually comes bundled with the course from an Accredited Training Organization (ATO). Some ATOs offer paper or classroom sittings, but the online-proctored route is by far the most common and the most flexible to schedule.
A valid, unexpired government photo ID with a name matching your PeopleCert profile. The proctor captures a photo before the exam unlocks.
A clear desk, no second monitor, no phone within reach, and a webcam scan of the room. The exam is closed book — no notes or ITIL guidance allowed.
Stay in frame on camera the whole time. Breaks are not permitted in a 90-minute sitting. Talking aloud, leaving the seat, or losing connection can flag the session.
DSV is built for ITSM practitioners who own stakeholder relationships
One real gate — Foundation plus an accredited course
Difficulty: DSV is a clear step up from Foundation. The content isn't technical, but the scenario questions ask you to apply the customer-journey model and ITIL terminology to ambiguous business situations — where two answers often look right and only one fits ITIL's logic. The 70% bar is unforgiving, which is exactly the pressure point our help is designed to remove.
DSV is a closed-book, scenario-based exam standing between you and the ITIL 4 Managing Professional designation. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted ITIL specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us your target date, whether you've completed an accredited course, and which PeopleCert delivery you've booked. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your timeline and prerequisites and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with an ITIL specialist who maps the work around the customer-journey syllabus, the scenario question style, and the PeopleCert proctoring environment — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your passing result is confirmed on your official PeopleCert report. No verified result, nothing owed.
Tell us your exam details and get an honest, pay-after-you-pass plan — no upfront fee.
Straight answers about the ITIL 4 DSV exam
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