With the end of ITIL V2 rapidly approaching, students are asking more about getting their certifications “upgraded” to an ITIL V3 certification. Many training organizations will tell you that the fastest way to get a V3 certification is to take the ITIL Foundation Bridge.
That’s true: It is the fastest. But is it worthwhile?
ITIL Foundation Bridge classes are short, intensive classes designed to fill V2-certified people in on all that’s changed in V3. At the end of class, there is a 20-question exam which participants have 30 minutes to finish; 13 or more correct answers earns a passing grade. Depending on the training provider, these classes are delivered as either a one-day class (for the sadists and/or the overly optimistic), or in a two-day format.
I’m speaking candidly here folks:
I am not a fan of Foundation Bridge courses; there is simply waaaay too much information to cover in too short a time.
It’s a matter of math: ITIL V3 has 24 processes and four functions (meaning, 28 “topics” to cover); V2 has 10 processes + one function (11 “topics” to cover). Since Bridge students are expected to remember all of the vocabulary and process ins and outs of V2, only the remaining 17 topics are covered in the Bridge class. However, students are tested on all of ITIL, not just the short-term-memory stuff they learned in class.
If you thought taking your ITIL V2 Foundation with only 11 topics to cover was intense, wait until you try to learn 14 processes plus three functions in even less time. I’m not saying it’s impossible to do; my students have been very successful, thankfully. But I am wondering how valuable it is, if the information won’t be easily retained and applied.
So when people ask me about the Bridge class, I usually tell people to just spring for the extra few bucks and take the full-blown ITIL V3 Foundation instead of the Bridge. Your retention rate will be higher since you’re not in panicky-exam-cram mode, and you’ll have a better chance for success.
I’m honestly not trying to upsell anyone; I just my students to be happy, relaxed, and successful!
