During our first ITIL Community Clinic, one of the most discussed topics was the transition from ITIL 4 to ITIL (Version 5) for existing Managing Professionals, Strategic Leaders, Practice Managers, and ITIL Masters.
Vicky Hunter, ITIL Portfolio Director, joined the conversation and walked the community through the different upgrade paths, exams, and transition options available. You can catch the recording and summary of the key takeaways for anyone trying to understand how the ITIL (Version 5) Master journey works.
Transitioning from ITIL 4 to ITIL (Version 5)
Strategic Leader → Strategic Leader (Version 5)
If you already hold the ITIL 4 Strategic Leader designation and want to become an ITIL Strategic Leader (Version 5), the process is straightforward:
- Take the ITIL Transformation (Version 5) exam
- Your designation upgrades to Strategic Leader (Version 5)
Result: One exam to transition.
Practice Manager → Practice Manager (Version 5)
The same applies for current ITIL 4 Practice Managers.
To upgrade:
- Take the ITIL Transformation (Version 5) exam
- Upgrade to ITIL Practice Manager (Version 5)
Again, this is:
- focused on transformation,
- and designed as a simple upgrade route.
The Managing Professional Transition Path
This is where most of the confusion has appeared.
If you are currently an ITIL 4 Managing Professional, the fastest transition route is through the:
ITIL Managing Professional Transition (Version 5) Course
Vicky explained that this is:
- containing two separate exams
The two exams are:
- ITIL Transformation (Version 5)
- ITIL Managing Professional: Product, Service and Experience
The second exam combines content from product, service, and experience into a single assessment.
Important Clarification
Although it is delivered as one course, it includes two exams intentionally.
The decision was made to:
- reduce cognitive overload,
- improve the learner experience,
- and avoid creating one extremely long exam.
The exams:
- can be taken in any order,
- do not need to be taken in the same sitting,
- and allow learners more flexibility in how they prepare.
What About Existing ITIL Masters?
One of the most important clarifications from the session was how current ITIL Masters transition to ITIL (Version 5) Master.
If you are already an ITIL 4 Master:
- you take the Managing Professional Transition (Version 5) course
- and your Master designation upgrades as well
The reason this works is because the transition includes the universal transformation component required for the updated framework.
In short:
For existing ITIL Masters:
- Upgrade to ITIL (Version 5) Master
Why the Two-Exam Model Was Chosen
The goals were to:
- make the learning experience more manageable,
- provide flexibility between study and exams,
- and ensure the expanded ITIL (Version 5) content received enough depth and assessment time.
The conversation made one thing very clear: the community is excited about ITIL (Version 5), but many professionals are still navigating what the transition means for their own certifications and career paths.
As more professionals begin their transition journeys, sessions like the ITIL Community Clinic are a great place for sharing clarity, feedback, and real-world questions directly with the people shaping the framework itself. We will see you June 10th for the next session. You can find more information and all of the available certifications at itil.com. 
