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Which ServiceNow product line activates the License Workbench, custom reconciliation rules, and the SaaS License Management features required for the CIS-SAM exam?

A
B
C
D
to track
2026 Statistics

Key Facts: ServiceNow CIS-SAM Exam

60

Exam Questions

ServiceNow blueprint

90 min

Exam Duration

ServiceNow blueprint

$300

Exam Fee

ServiceNow mainline pricing

$150

Retake Fee

ServiceNow retake policy

CSA + CIS-DF

Prerequisites

ServiceNow blueprint

Annual

Maintenance

Certification Maintenance Program

The ServiceNow CIS-SAM exam delivers about 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes for $300 USD with the CSA and CIS-Data Foundations certifications as prerequisites. ServiceNow does not publish a fixed passing percentage, instead using an internal cut score around 70%. SAM Pro topics covered include Software Models, Publisher packs, the License Workbench, reconciliation engine, license metrics (Per User, Per Device, Per Core, PVU, MSDN, SaaS), Effective License Position, true-up, harvesting, Removal Candidates, Software Spend Detection, and SaaS License Management for Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Adobe, and Google Workspace.

Sample ServiceNow CIS-SAM Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your ServiceNow CIS-SAM exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which ServiceNow product line activates the License Workbench, custom reconciliation rules, and the SaaS License Management features required for the CIS-SAM exam?
A.SAM Foundation
B.SAM Professional (SAM Pro)
C.Hardware Asset Management Pro
D.Asset Management base plugin
Explanation: The CIS-SAM exam is scoped to Software Asset Management Professional. SAM Pro activates the License Workbench, the reconciliation engine, custom inference, software spend detection, and SaaS License Management. SAM Foundation only includes basic asset records and lacks the licensing and optimization capabilities the exam tests.
2An implementer needs to load Microsoft, Oracle, and Adobe publisher catalogs without manually defining every product. Which SAM Pro capability provides this curated data?
A.Discovery patterns
B.Content Library subscription
C.Service Mapping templates
D.MID Server credentials
Explanation: The Content Library, delivered with SAM Pro, supplies normalized publisher and software product data along with license metric definitions. It removes the need to hand-build software model records for major publishers. Discovery patterns find installed software but do not provide the catalog. Service Mapping is unrelated to SAM normalization.
3In the SAM Pro data model, which record represents a specific edition or version of a product (for example, Microsoft Visio Professional 2021) used as the target for entitlements and installs?
A.Software Discovery Model
B.Software Model
C.Software Installation
D.Software License
Explanation: Software Models are the normalized, version-specific product records (cmdb_software_product_model) used to link entitlements and reconciled usage. Software Discovery Models are raw discovery rows that must be normalized to a Software Model. Software Installations represent observed installs, and Software Licenses are entitlement records.
4Which table holds the unnormalized, raw software rows reported by Discovery, SCCM, or Intune before SAM Pro maps them to a publisher product?
A.cmdb_sam_sw_install
B.cmdb_software_product_model
C.cmdb_sam_sw_discovery_model
D.alm_license
Explanation: Software Discovery Models (cmdb_sam_sw_discovery_model) store the raw inventory rows as reported by discovery sources. Normalization links each Software Discovery Model to a curated Software Model record so reconciliation can run. cmdb_sam_sw_install stores per-device install instances and alm_license stores entitlements.
5What is the primary purpose of the Effective License Position (ELP) in SAM Pro?
A.List every device with a software install
B.Compare entitled rights to consumed installs and surface compliance gaps
C.Forecast next year's hardware refresh budget
D.Track SaaS user feature usage by application
Explanation: An Effective License Position compares entitlements (rights granted by license records) against consumption (reconciled installs or users). The ELP is the headline output that exposes whether the organization is Compliant, Non-Compliant, or has unused rights. SaaS feature usage and hardware refresh tracking are unrelated outputs.
6Which License Workbench compliance status indicates that entitlements exceed reconciled consumption with rights still available to assign?
A.Non-Compliant
B.Compliant
C.Reserved
D.Pending
Explanation: Compliant means entitlements are equal to or greater than reconciled consumption, so the customer has remaining rights or is exactly covered. Non-Compliant means consumption exceeds rights, which generates a true-up risk. Reserved and Pending are not standard ELP statuses.
7A customer wants per-device licensing for an engineering tool installed on shared workstations. Which license metric best fits this requirement?
A.Per User
B.Per Device
C.Per Core
D.Per Processor Value Unit (PVU)
Explanation: A Per Device license is consumed by each unique computer that has the software installed, regardless of how many people use it. This fits shared workstations because consumption stays at one entitlement per machine. Per User would multiply the cost across each shared user, and PVU/core metrics are server-class metrics.
8Which integration is the most common file-based feed used to import software inventory into SAM Pro from a third-party tool that already inventories endpoints?
A.MID Server discovery patterns only
B.Direct database link to SCCM
C.File-based import using SCCM, Intune, or BigFix exports through Integration Hub or Import Sets
D.Manual CSV upload of every install
Explanation: SAM Pro commonly ingests SCCM, Intune, BigFix, JAMF, and Tanium data through scheduled file imports or Integration Hub spokes. The data lands as Software Installations and Software Discovery Models for normalization. Direct database links are not how ServiceNow integrates with SCCM, and manual CSVs are not standard for production scale.
9When ServiceNow Discovery and SCCM both report an install for the same workstation, what does SAM Pro do by default to avoid double counting?
A.It picks the source with the highest priority defined by Discovery Source Priority and uses that for reconciliation
B.It sums both installs and reports double consumption
C.It deletes the lower-priority record automatically
D.It ignores both until a human merges them
Explanation: SAM Pro uses Discovery Source Priority on Software Installations to choose a winning record per device-product pair, which prevents double counting during reconciliation. Both raw rows remain visible for audit, but only the winning row contributes consumption. Sources are not auto-deleted.
10Which SAM Pro feature lets an implementer create custom rules that mark unrelated installs (for example, a runtime helper) as belonging to a parent product so reconciliation counts them correctly?
A.Custom inference
B.Software Spend Detection
C.License Workbench manual override
D.Service Mapping pattern
Explanation: Custom inference rules let SAM Pro infer a different software product from the discovered software, for example mapping a runtime to its parent suite. This makes reconciliation accurate for license metrics that are tied to the parent product. Spend Detection is a finance feed and not a normalization tool.

About the ServiceNow CIS-SAM Exam

The CIS-SAM exam validates implementation skills for ServiceNow Software Asset Management Professional, including software models, the License Workbench, the reconciliation engine, license metrics, the Content Library, SaaS License Management, and optimization workflows.

Questions

60 scored questions

Time Limit

90 minutes

Passing Score

Not publicly disclosed

Exam Fee

$300 (ServiceNow / Pearson VUE)

ServiceNow CIS-SAM Exam Content Outline

20%

Software Asset Foundations

SAM Pro vs. SAM Foundation vs. SAM Premium, roles, scoped apps, the Content Library, publisher packs, Software Models, and CMDB / CSDM context for SAM.

20%

Discovery and Normalization

Software Discovery Models, normalization to Software Models, Discovery Source Priority, custom inference, SCCM / Intune / JAMF integration, and unauthorized software policy.

25%

License Management

License records, license metrics (Per User, Per Device, Per Core, PVU, MSDN), licensing rules, agreements, allocations, secondary use, BYOL cloud licensing, Microsoft Server reconciliation, IBM PVU, and Oracle DB.

15%

Reconciliation and Compliance

Reconciliation engine, scheduled and on-demand reconciliation, Effective License Position, License Workbench compliance status (Compliant / Non-Compliant), overlapping entitlements, and audit readiness.

15%

SaaS License Management

SaaS spokes for Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Adobe, and Google Workspace; reclamation rules, right-sizing, Service Catalog license requests, and Software Spend Detection.

5%

Optimization and Renewals

License harvesting, Removal Candidates, optimization opportunities, renewal sizing, show-back, Performance Analytics for SAM, and post-go-live maintenance.

How to Pass the ServiceNow CIS-SAM Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Not publicly disclosed
  • Exam length: 60 questions
  • Time limit: 90 minutes
  • Exam fee: $300

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

ServiceNow CIS-SAM Study Tips from Top Performers

1Spend most of your time inside the License Workbench, the reconciliation engine, and the Content Library because those are the differentiators between SAM Foundation and SAM Pro.
2Drill license metrics until you can predict which one a publisher uses: Per User, Per Device, Per Core, PVU, MSDN/Subscription, Concurrent, and SaaS user.
3Practice host-to-VM, processor, and core data scenarios for Microsoft Server, IBM PVU, and Oracle DB because the hard exam questions hinge on CMDB topology.
4Build a working SaaS scenario in a Personal Developer Instance using the Microsoft 365 spoke, then add Salesforce or Adobe to understand reclamation and right-sizing flows.
5Memorize how Discovery Source Priority, custom inference, and normalization combine to produce trustworthy Software Installation data.
6Review the differences between SAM Pro license types and HAM Pro asset records so you do not confuse alm_license, alm_hardware, and Software Models in scenario questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does CIS-SAM stand for?

CIS-SAM is the ServiceNow Certified Implementation Specialist - Software Asset Management exam. It validates the ability to design and implement Software Asset Management Professional (SAM Pro) on ServiceNow, including the Content Library, software models, license records, the reconciliation engine, the License Workbench, and SaaS License Management.

What are the prerequisites for CIS-SAM?

Candidates must hold the ServiceNow Certified System Administrator (CSA) and the Certified Implementation Specialist - Data Foundations (CIS-DF) certifications before taking CIS-SAM. CIS-DF validates the CMDB and CSDM knowledge that SAM Pro implementations rely on for reconciliation.

How many questions are on CIS-SAM and how long is the exam?

ServiceNow lists approximately 60 questions in a 90-minute window for CIS-SAM, delivered through Pearson VUE. The exam uses multiple-choice and multiple-select items aligned to the SAM Pro implementation blueprint.

What score do I need to pass CIS-SAM?

ServiceNow does not publish a fixed passing percentage. Your score is compared against an internal cut score that historically sits around 70%. The cut score may vary by exam version and is not disclosed.

How much does the CIS-SAM exam cost?

The CIS-SAM exam fee is $300 USD with a $150 retake fee, billed through ServiceNow University. Mainline implementation specialist pricing changed in 2024 to a flat fee. Costs may also include training and Personal Developer Instance time.

What topics are most heavily tested?

License management (records, metrics, licensing rules, agreements, BYOL, Microsoft Server, IBM PVU, Oracle DB), discovery and normalization (Software Discovery Models, custom inference, SCCM and Intune integration), and reconciliation / License Workbench compliance carry the most weight. SaaS License Management and optimization also appear consistently.