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General
ISTQB® is a non-profit organization responsible for defining various guidelines such as examination structure and regulations, accreditation, certification etc. Working groups within the ISTQB® are responsible for developing and maintaining the syllabi and exams. The ISTQB® comprises representatives from each existing National and Regional Board.
The ISTQB® Certified Tester program provides certification for software testers internationally. There are currently two levels of certification: The Foundation Level certificate(one module) and the Advanced Level certificates(three modules). An Expert Level is currently being developed. For all three levels, international working groups develop and maintain internationally uniform curricula and exams. One of the core principles of the program is a strict separation between the administration of exams and the training to those who would like to prepare for the exam in ISTQB® compliant courses. This is not true of other testing and/or quality assurance organizations.
In order to win the title, you must successfully pass the ISTQB® certification exams. In order to pass the test you must acquire professional knowledge in the field of testing, and be familiar with the basics and work processes of software testing. More information regarding the exam schedule please contact your National and Regional Board.
To get a list of operating training providers in your country, please contact your National Board. You can find a list here: National and Regional Board.
A National Board is a working group of testing specialists from a specific country or region. Its members include professionals and recognized experts from industry, consultants, trainers, professors, scientists and specialists from other organizations.
A National Board is an independent, neutral commission, which is responsible for the quality of the ISTQB training and certification program in a special country. It also supervises and awards accreditation to training providers and examination providers.
All the members of the Board are unpaid volunteers with practical experience.
You can find your local board here: National and Regional Board.
The Foundation Level exam tests for knowledge, not skill. It provides information about the certificate holder’s level of familiarity with the most common concepts of software testing and the associated terminology. It does not require work experience. The Foundation Level exam is a stepping stone toward the Advanced Level, which is more in-depth and much more practice-oriented. Information on the knowledge and skills that need to be demonstrated in order to get the certificate can be found in the syllabi of the Levels.
To get to know about the updated numbers please visit the Facts and Figures page. ISTQB® is currently the world’s most popular software testing related certification.
Truly international nature of the certification:
This certificate is recognized in multiple countries in multiple continents. Hardly any other certification has adoption in as many countries as this one. Please see ISTQB® Worldwide.
The people behind this exam:
Test experts from various countries are constantly working towards defining and refining the syllabus, the exam pattern, the examination questions and compiling the valuable information on testing around the World.
Non-profit nature of ISTQB®:
The non-profit nature of ISTQB® ensures that nobody has a vested interest in promoting a particular Body of Knowledge (BOK) or a particular book. All material developed by ISTQB® is developed on a voluntary basis and are made available for free by ISTQB®.
This is a truly internationally recognized certification program. For the list of participating countries please visit ISTQB® Worldwide.
ISTQB® Exam
You must successfully pass the exams organized by your National or Regional Board or Examination Provider. There are currently two levels of exam available: The Foundation Level exam and the Advanced Level exams. The Advanced Level Syllabus supports 3 certifications, and there is a separate exam for each certification. Expert Level exams are currently being developed. For all three levels, ISTQB® ensures, through international reviews, a uniform exam structure.
To get additional information on overall certification process please refer to Global Association for Software Quality website.
Each exam is based on a pre-defined number of questions, aimed at verifying the acquired professional knowledge of the candidate on the topics covered by the relevant syllabus. There are different syllabi for Foundation and Advanced, containing the learning objectives the exam will be based on. In the Advanced syllabus, specific learning objectives are described for each of the three certifications. Each Expert exam will be based on the learning objectives contained in the syllabus for the corresponding expert module.
The Foundation Level exam comprises 40 multiple-choice questions, with a scoring of 1 point for each correct answer, a pass mark of 65% (26 or more points) and a duration of 60 minutes (or 75 minutes for candidates taking exams that are not in their native or local language).
The Advanced Level exams comprise 65 multiple-choice questions, with different scoring (from 1 to 3 points) for the correct answer according to the question’s level of difficulty, a pass mark of 65% (65 or more points), and a duration of 180 minutes (or 225 minutes for candidates taking exams that are not in their native or local language).
The breakdown of the exam questions per K-level is done according to international guidelines and exam content reviews are periodically conducted to ensure consistency.
Each question is classified according to the cognitive level, the K-level (also known as level of knowledge).
The Foundation and Advanced exams cover four different K-levels (K1 to K4):
K1 = The candidate should remember or recognize a term or a concept.
K2 = The candidate should select an explanation for a statement related to the question topic.
K3 = The candidate should select the correct application of a concept or technique and apply it to a given context.
K4 = The candidate can separate information related to a procedure or technique into its constituent parts for better understanding and can distinguish between facts and inferences.
The Expert level exams will include five different K-levels (K2 to K6), with the two additional higher K-levels:
K5 = The candidate can adapt an existing process to meet changing risks, business needs or stakeholder demands.
K6 = The candidate can provide reasoned evaluation of a scenario, together with recommendations at a level suitable for presentation to senior management and/or customer/sponsor management.
Any question assessing the learning objectives of the corresponding syllabus (Foundation, Advanced or Expert) may appear in an exam. The distribution of the questions per topic is roughly proportional to the timings indicated in the syllabus.
In multiple-choice questions there can be one, two or three correct options and a number of distractors (incorrect options).
The candidate should select (clearly and non-ambiguously) either one correct option out of at least four, two correct options out of at least five, or three correct options out of at least 7. It is clearly stated in the exam paper how many options the candidate must select.
Correct responses are awarded the pre-defined score:
For Foundation Level exams each correctly answered question is allocated one point
For Advanced Level exams a K2 question is allocated one point, while a K3 question may score 1, 2 or 3 points, and K4 questions may score either 2 or 3 points.
For Expert Level exams a K2 question is allocated 1 point, while a K3 is allocated 2 points, and K4 questions may score either 2 or 3 points. The points for MC questions represents between 24 and 36 percent of the total points. Essay questions (K5 and K6) are allocated the number of points defined in the scoring guideline.
Wrong, multiple or null responses receive no score.
- ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level PRACTICE EXAM (download).
The result will be sent to you by normal mail, e-mail or (only for on-line electronic exams) may be given immediately after the exam.
Your National or Regional Board or Examination Provider will post or e-mail the certificate to you; the certificate will show your name, the ISTQB® logo, a reference to the syllabus, including version, on which the certification is based and the effective date of certification.
Exams are offered by the National or Regional Boards or their Examination Providers. To get a list of Examination Providers in your country, please contact your National Board. Please refer to Exam Schedule to get local exam dates, applicable fees and booking information.
You can take an exam without having attended a course. Attending a course offered by an accredited Training Provider may give you a higher probability of passing the exam (see the List of Accredited Training Providers). In addition, accredited self-study courses may also be available.
The Foundation Level exam has no pre-requisites. Preparation on the syllabus topics (obtained either through attending a course provided by an accredited Training Provider, from professional experience, and/or through self-study) is recommended.
To take the Advanced Level exams requires possession of the Foundation Level Certificate; ISTQB also recommends practical experience before taking this exam.
The Expert Level exams will only be available to those candidates having an Advanced Level Certificate.
Each exam is supervised by an authorized Proctor (Invigilator), who will distribute printed material (for paper-based examination) or make material available electronically (on-line) at an authorized online testing center.
The candidate cannot refer to any study material or use electronic devices (including mobile phones). Only plain paper and simple non-programmable calculators are allowed. An official translation of terms (not of their definitions) from the ISTQB glossary to the local language is allowed. Candidates taking exams that are not in their native or local language may use a dictionary.
A breach of the above rules, as well as copying or other types of cheating, obliges the Proctor to invalidate the exam.
You may display the paper Certificate, which has been delivered to you. In addition, if your National or Regional Board has implemented it and you gave authorization, your name will be added to a List of Certificate Holders, which may be published on-line.
You may also use the ISTQB® Certified Tester logo (with indication of “CTFL” for Certified Tester Foundation Level and “CTAL-TM and/or CTAL-TA and/or CTAL-TTA and/or CTAL-Full” for Certified Tester Advanced Level – Test Manager, Test Analyst, Test Technical Analyst, or all three) in your CV / Résumé.
Foundation Level and Advanced Level ISTQB® certificates are valid for life.
You can take the exams as many times as necessary to pass them. Typically each additional exam must be paid for separately.
Check with your National or Regional Board for the applicable fees and any rules on the minimum time interval allowed between exams.
The ISTQB® syllabi and glossary are highly recommended. Other suggested preparation material (books etc.) may be found in the “Reference” chapter of each syllabus.
For additional details please contact GeoSTQB.
Training FAQs
Since the courses are given by a variety of training providers, the courses will vary. The course syllabus dictates the areas that must be covered in each course, but other details, such as the order of the material, are left to the training provider.
That depends on the training company you choose. Since all accredited training companies operate independently, their pricing will vary. One of the core principles of the ISTQB® certification program is to ensure competition at the training level.
By checking whether or not that training company is listed on ISTQB®’s website as an ISTQB® accredited training provider.
Accredited Training Providers
An ISTQB® accredited training provider is someone who has extensive knowledge and experience in testing, and can provide additional insights into testing terminology and the syllabus content, to make it easier to attain the ISTQB® certifications.
Training companies that offer ISTQB® compliant courses must first undergo an application process. The National/Regional Board reviews their course materials regarding coverage of the ISTQB® syllabus. This ensures that someone taking a course with this company has a reasonable chance to pass the exam. It is required that.