If you hold an ITIL 4 certification, or you were about to book the exam, the ground has just shifted. PeopleCert has launched ITIL (Version 5), and its official FAQ states the current plan is to sunset all ITIL 4 modules on 31 December 2027. That gives everyone in IT service management a deadline and a decision. This post sets out what has actually changed, what happens to ITIL 4 holders, and how to time your move sensibly.

What's actually changed

ITIL 5 is live in PeopleCert's catalogue now, sitting alongside ITIL 4 during the transition. The module line-up is new: Foundation, plus specialization modules named Product, Service, Experience, Strategy and Transformation, and a combined MPT (Product, Service, Experience) route.

The designations, the titles you actually put after your name have been restructured into four:

  • ITIL Practice Manager (PM): Foundation, one specialization module, plus Transformation
  • ITIL Managing Professional (MP): Foundation plus Product, Service, Experience and Transformation
  • ITIL Strategic Leader (SL): Foundation plus Strategy and Transformation
  • ITIL Master: all three designations combined

Two other changes matter for planning. First, ITIL 5 certificates are issued with a three-year renewal date, maintained through PeopleCert Plus membership (20 CPD points per year), by taking a further ITIL certification, or by retaking the same one. Second, the Foundation exam remains closed-book multiple choice per PeopleCert's published exam specifications, 40 questions in 60 minutes with a 65% pass mark, the same shape ITIL 4 Foundation candidates will recognize.

What happens to your ITIL 4 certification

Your ITIL 4 qualification does not vanish. PeopleCert currently recognizes ITIL 4 qualifications as valid prerequisites for higher-level ITIL 5 certifications, so nothing you have earned is wasted during the transition. What ends on 31 December 2027 is the ability to sit ITIL 4 exams the modules themselves are being retired, and voucher validity dates will be announced separately.

For existing Foundation holders there is a purpose-built shortcut: the ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5), a fast, one-day course for professionals holding ITIL 4 Foundation or other ITIL 4 qualifications who want to update their knowledge without committing to the advanced modules. Note the small print, the Bridge itself retires on 31 December 2027, so it is a transition tool, not a permanent option. If you plan to bridge, do it inside the window.

How to time your move

The right timing depends on where you are today:

  • Not yet certified? Start with ITIL 5 Foundation directly. Beginning a certification journey on a version with a published sunset date makes little sense unless your employer specifically requires ITIL 4.
  • Hold ITIL 4 Foundation only? You have breathing room. The Bridge is a one-day update efficient, but there is no need to rush it in 2026. Booking it during 2027, closer to the sunset, keeps your knowledge current for longer. Just do not leave it until December.
  • Partway through an ITIL 4 designation? This is the group that genuinely needs to act. Check which modules you still need, confirm exam and voucher availability with your training provider, and decide whether to finish under ITIL 4 or switch paths your completed ITIL 4 modules count as prerequisites either way.
  • Hold Managing Professional or Strategic Leader under ITIL 4? Watch how PeopleCert maps legacy designations before paying for anything. The FAQ describes designations in Version 5 terms, and details are still being filled in.

One honest caveat: PeopleCert describes 31 December 2027 as "the current plan". Dates like this have moved before in the certification world. Treat it as real for planning purposes, but verify against PeopleCert's official ITIL FAQ before booking anything expensive.

Practice under real exam conditions

Whichever route you choose, the Foundation exam is still a closed-book, 40-question sprint and closed-book is precisely where practice under timed conditions pays off. Working through full mock exams at real pace exposes the gap between recognizing a concept and recalling it cold in under 90 seconds. CandidatesPrep's simulator lets you run timed ITIL-style mocks and see your weak areas by topic, and lets training providers running ITIL cohorts track readiness across a whole group useful when an entire team needs bridging before a deadline.

Exam-day tactics

  • Closed book means definitions matter: know the practices and principles by name, not by vibe.
  • At 90 seconds per question, flag anything that stalls you and return at the end.
  • Watch for "most appropriate" phrasing, several options will be defensible; one fits the framework best.
  • Answer everything. There is no negative marking.

The bottom line

ITIL 5 is not a rumor it's in the catalogue now, and ITIL 4 exams are scheduled to end on 31 December 2027. Nobody needs to panic, but everyone in ITSM now has a date to plan around. Decide your route early, and leave the Bridge until it suits you, not until it is about to close.

Preparing for Foundation, or bridging a whole team? Practise under timed exam conditions — or book a demo to see how trainers run ITIL cohorts through CandidatesPrep.