ServiceNow Certified System Administrator credential artwork

ServiceNow Certified System Administrator (CSA)

Validates knowledge of configuring and administering ServiceNow, including users and access, forms, service catalog, automation and data integration.

Summary

ServiceNow CSA is the first ServiceNow certification and the one ServiceNow job ads mention most. It tests whether you can configure and run an instance, from users, roles and access controls to forms, the service catalog and data imports.

Good fit if

  • You already support or configure ServiceNow at work
  • You want an admin, consultant or developer role in ServiceNow
  • Your employer or partner company pays for training and the exam

Look elsewhere if

Salary & jobs

Prerequisites

No required prerequisites. No course, degree or other certification is required before you register.

Administration Fundamentals course

Recommended

ServiceNow's official preparation course. The on-demand version is free in ServiceNow University.

3–6 months of ServiceNow experience

Recommended

Hands-on experience using or maintaining a ServiceNow instance.

Cost

USD · Standard pricing
$300
A retake costs $150. The instructor-led Administration Fundamentals class costs $2,700 and includes your first exam attempt. Your employer's ServiceNow University account may cover the exam.

What holders say

Renewal

CSA stays active as long as you pass a yearly delta exam and pay the annual maintenance fee.

Validity
Annual maintenance
Renewal requirement
Yearly delta exam
Renewal fee
$200 USD per year
One fee covers all your mainline ServiceNow certifications. Some partner employees pay $100.

The fee starts once you have held a mainline certification for a year. Delta exams are free, open book and unproctored, with 20 questions or fewer on the latest release. The 2026 window ran from January 16 to April 16. If you miss it, the certification expires and you retake the full CSA exam.

Certification Maintenance Program FAQ ↗

Alternatives

Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator credential artwork
Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator$200 required · Intermediate

The equivalent admin credential if your organization runs Salesforce.

ITIL Foundation credential artwork
ITIL Foundation$690 required · Entry

Platform-neutral IT service management, useful if you are not tied to ServiceNow yet.

CompTIA A+ credential artwork
A+$548 required · Entry

A general IT support foundation if you are new to IT.

FAQ

Do I need to take a course before the CSA exam?

No course is required. ServiceNow recommends its Administration Fundamentals course, and the on-demand version is free in ServiceNow University.

How much does the ServiceNow CSA exam cost?

$300 plus tax. A retake costs $150. The instructor-led class costs $2,700 and includes your first exam attempt.

What is the passing score for the CSA exam?

ServiceNow does not publish it. All 60 questions count, and your total is compared with a cut score.

What is a CSA delta exam?

A short, open-book online exam on what changed in the platform. You pass it once a year, and pay the annual maintenance fee, to keep CSA active.

Can I get a job with just the CSA?

It helps you get noticed, but most job ads also ask for hands-on ServiceNow experience. Build things in a free Personal Developer Instance and look for internal routes from IT support.

Last updated October 2026