# From Failure to ITIL Certification: An ITIL Journey Told Through Classic Literature

Gab Cahiwat  
Contributor  
2 min read

### Key Takeaways

- ITIL exams test judgment and decision-making, not memorization. Studying the wrong way is the most common reason for failure.
- ITIL CDS, MSF, and Experience are not separate subjects. They are chapters of one continuous story and only make sense when read together.
- Failure is not the opposite of certification. It is often the only path to genuine understanding.
- Scenario-based questions reward candidates who think like someone inside the system, not someone observing it from outside.
- ITIL Experience is the most human module. It requires emotional intelligence, not just process knowledge.
- The study strategy that finally works: identify the tone, understand the intent, choose the answer that advances value.

> _I did not pass ITIL because I finally knew enough. I passed because I finally learned how to read the system like a story. Every failure was a revision — a re-reading of the same book at a deeper level. And that depth is something no shortcut could have given me._  
> **— Gab Cahiwat — ITIL Coordinator \| PassionIT Group**

## Not a Straight Path, But a Written One

If ITIL were a book, it would not be a textbook. It would not be linear, simple, or predictable.

It would be closer to **The Odyssey by Homer**, a long journey filled with repetition, setbacks, confusion, and moments where you question whether you are actually getting closer to your destination or simply drifting further into complexity.

And like Odysseus, I did not pass through ITIL certification in a straight line.

I failed. Then I failed again. And again.

Across **ITIL CDS (Create, Deliver & Support)**, **ITIL MSF (Monitor, Support & Fulfil)**, and **ITIL Experience**, I went through multiple attempts, until learning finally replaced frustration.

**But the truth is this: I was not failing exams. I was learning how to think in a different language.**

## The Three Modules: Three Stories, One Journey

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