Q. 1: What is ISTQB? ISTQB stands for "International Software Testing Qualifications Board".

It is Belgium based International body legally established in the year 2002. Software testing professionals from all over the world joined hands in formulating standardized contents for further education in the field of Software Testing. It is a multiple-choice exam & is an education program offered in 38 countries Q. 2: How many Levels of Certification are provided by ISTQB? The ISTQB has come out with an International Qualification Scheme called "ISTQB Certified Tester". Presently there are two levels of exams leading to the specific levels of certification. 1) Foundation Level Certification: Name of this certification is "Certified Tester Foundation Level" (CTFL). This is the only one foundation level exam. This is an entry level certification meant for people entering the field of testing and for experienced professionals desiring to move up the ladder of ISTQB certifications. Foundation Level Certification offers evidence that the certified person has a broad understanding of the key concepts & fundamental best practices of software testing.

2) Advanced Level Certification: Name of this certification is "Certified Tester Advanced Level" (CTAL). This is the intermediate level certification. Eligibility for this exam is Foundation level certification i.e. CTFL certificate & 5 years experience of software testing. The candidate must have a Bachelors Degree in IT or Computer Science or related field from a recognized institution; this can be substituted by two years of work experience in Software Testing. Advanced Level Certification offers evidence that the certified person is a committed testing professional and has thorough understanding of key concepts & advanced best practices of software testing. Q. 3: Who provides the ISTQB Certification? Almost all-major countries are the member of the parent body i.e. ISTQB. These member countries have their local Software Testing Qualification Boards. These local boards provide their inputs to the syllabus and question papers for various exams including the process of examination. Such boards conduct the exams strictly in accordance with the common syllabus defined by ISTQB & provide necessary certification. In India, ITB (Indian Testing Board) is the ISTQB approved national board & provides the "ISTQB Certified Tester" Certification in India. Q. 4: What is the period of validity of ISTQB Certifications? 1) ISTQB Certified Tester - Foundation Level Certificate (CTFL): Valid for whole Life. 2) ISTQB Certified Tester - Advanced Level Certificate (CTAL): Valid for whole Life.

Q. 5: What are the Advantages of ISTQB Certifications? 1) It is a known fact that the common practices generally lag behind the best practices by around 25 - 30 years. Basic advantage of ISTQB certifications is that these are aimed at bringing the common practices to the level of best practices. 2) ISTQB certifications are of International nature, whose certificate is recognized in several countries across various continents. 3) Since the syllabus of ISTQB certification exams is targeted to various concepts & techniques having real-world application, the ISTQB certification carries respect of the highest order among the International community. 4) ISTQB certification means an automatic certificate of sound practical knowledge & high caliber of the certified professional. This is certainly regarded as a golden feather in the cap of the certified person. 5) Due to great respect commanded by the ISTQB certification in the trade, it helps the aspirants in shaping their career path. 6) ISTQB certification provides a rock solid foundation for professional growth to the certified person. 7) ISTQB delivers value to the software testing profession itself. Q. 6: What are the Salient Features of the Foundation Level (CTFL) Exam? 1) It is a Knowledge Based Exam. 2) The aspirant need not have any prior experience. 3) No re-certification is required after some time, since the certificate remains valid for the whole life. 4) The Syllabus is very well structured & easy to understand. 5) This certification signifies that the: a) Aspirant is committed to the software testing as a profession b) Aspirant is very well conversant with various concepts and terminology of testing. c) Aspirant is able to use the specialized techniques like code coverage analysis, boundary values analysis & Equivalence partitioning etc.

Q. 7: What is the Structure of Foundation Level Exam conducted by ITB? This exam is designed to evaluate the aspirants knowledge & understanding of the entire syllabus of Foundation level exam. All ISTQB Foundation exams use the same format with following features: 1) This is a Closed Book Exam Requiring you to darken the appropriate circle with the help of a pencil. 2) Exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions each carrying 1 point for the correct answer (Total 40 Points) 3) Each question presents 4 possible answers, out of which only one is the correct one. 4) Time allowed for finishing the test: a) 60 Minutes - For Foundation Level (CTFL) Exam. b) 90 Minutes - For Advanced Level (CTAL) Exam. 5) Passing Score: More than 65% (Minimum 26 Points are required to pass) 6) There is no negative marking. 7) %age breakup of questions in the exam: a) 50% Questions K1 Level (To check basic knowledge & remembering ability of a concept) b) 30% Questions K2 Level (To check the ability to compare, classify & summarize) c) 20% Questions K3 Level (To check the ability to analyze, apply the knowledge. Can include Numericals as well) 8) Tentative Breakup of Syllabus for Foundation Level Certification (CTFL). The syllabus covers following six major topics No. Chapter Topics covered No. of Questions Expected in the Exam 7

1.

The principles of testing

Terminology; why testing is necessary; fundamental test process; psychology of testing; re-testing and regression testing; expected results; prioritization.

2.

Testing throughout the life cycle

Models for testing; economics of testing; high level test planning; acceptance testing; integration testing in the large; functional and non-functional system testing; integration testing in the small; component testing; maintenance testing. Reviews and the test process; types of review; static analysis. Dynamic testing techniques, Black and white-box testing techniques; error guessing, BVA etc. Organization; configuration management; test estimation, monitoring and control; incident management; standards for testing. Types of CAST tool (ComputerAided Software Testing); tool selection and implementation.

3.

Static testing

4.

Test design techniques

12

5.

Test management

6.

Tool support for testing

Q. 8: What is the Syllabus for various ISTQB certifications Exams? Download the syllabus from the following links:

1) ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL) Syllabus - 2007 2) ISTQB Advanced Level (CTAL) Syllabus - 2007
Q. 9: How do I Prepare for the ISTQB Exams? Is there any exam guide available? There is no study material supplied by ITB. There are four main options to prepare for the ISTQB exams: 1) Self-guided Self-study: The process can begin with downloading the Foundation Level Syllabus and Advanced Level Syllabus and Glossary of Terms Ver. 2.0 Dec. 2007 & using these documents to guide your preparation. The use of the syllabus and glossary is extremely essential no matter what mode of preparation you choose. 2) Use of Books: Pick up a few books, along with copies of the relevant standards, and

study them. The use of syllabus and glossary is again essential here as well. You can have one of the best book that is entirely focused on ISTQB Certification i.e. Foundations of Software Testing - ISTQB Certification : By Dorothy Graham, Erik van Veenendaal, Isabel Evans & Rex Black Three types of guides for preparing for different Exams on "ISTQB Certified Tester" covering varying levels of expertise are available from Rex Black Consulting Services. a) ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Test Analyst Exam Preparation Guide. Cost of the Guide 319 $
Order the Guide Book Online

b) ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Test Manager Exam Preparation Guide. Cost of the Guide 319 $
Order the Guide Book Online

c) ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Exam Preparation Guide. Cost of the Guide 279 $
Order the Guide Book Online

3) E-learning Material: Offered by websites like SoftwareTestingGenius a) Over Six Hundred Unique Sample Question Papers
Download the Largest Database of Unique Sample Question Papers

b) Many E-books & MS Powerpoint Presentations especially prepared by ISTQB Trainers. To get your absolutely free copy by mail, please write to
software.testing.genius@gmail.com

4) Instructor lead training courses: Offered by many ISTQB accredited Institutes available on the internet. These training providers are bound to maintain course material aligned to the syllabus prescribed by ISTQB Matrix of syllabus for ISTQB Training: The syllabus is organized & guided by following Five "Learning Objectives" 1) Learning Objective 1: General Instructional objectives. 2) Learning Objective 2: List of information to teach like various descriptions & references if any. 3) Learning Objective 3: Learning objectives for each knowledge area describing cognitive learning outcome & mindset the students must have. 4) Learning Objective 4: Definitions of major concepts to teach i.e. coming from standards & accepted literature. 5) Learning Objective 5: List of terms the students must store in their mind & recollect as & when a situation calls for it.

Q. 10: Whether certification exam is same everywhere? 1) Every countrys testing board follows the same format for exams conducted by them 2) Exams at different countries may contain different questions. However the questions are selected from an international pool of questions. 3) Even if the questions are different at different countries, their difficulty level is similar or comparable. Q. 11: How to register for the Foundation Level Exam (CTFL) with ITB? 1) Check the examination schedule for your city. 2) Fill the Online
Enrolment Form Enquiry Form

3) If you have any queries fill Online

4) You would immediately receive a confirmation mail in your Personal ID along with further instructions 5) Make a payment of the specified amount to the "Indian Testing Board" 6) You will be informed of the timing and procedure of the examination. Q. 12: Whether ITB / ISTQB certification can be taken Online? The exam is not available online, thus the aspirant need to take the exam at the designated examination Center.

Useful Tips & Tricks for success in ISTQB exam:

ISTQB foundation level certification (CTFL) exam is the simplest of all. Software testers can cross this bridge quite comfortably by using following tips to the best of their advantage. Before the Exam: 1) Read the syllabus thoroughly. 2) Do your own self-assessment by solving as many sample papers as possible & that too, without jumping to their answers. Answers should be used as a final check only. During the Exam: 1) Objective type questions are quite simple but confusing, since answers have great similarity. Chose the answer that appears more appropriate by the process of elimination. 2) It is best to read the question twice or thrice or even more to understand the actual gist of the question (Be careful do not spend too much time on just one question itself simultaneously keep an eye on the clock all the time). The idea of repeated reading of the question is to grab the important key words deliberately inserted in the question to judge the ability & presence of mind of the aspirant.

3) Never try to hastily jump to the answer reason being you may fail to notice some typical catch in the question due to your haste. Thus the best way is to check all options before making your selection.

ISTQB Certification Schemes at a Glance

Feature

Foundation Level (Common for ISTQB & ISEB)

ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level: Test Manager

ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level: Test Analyst

ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level: Technical Test Analyst Foundation 3 Hrs. K1, K2, K3,K4 ITB / Local Testing Board Oct 2007 (v2007) Multiple Choice 40 Pick N Mix & Scenario Based 65% Each ISTQB Testing Board and ISEB prepare their own exam papers

1 2 3 4

Pre -requisites Exam Duration Learning Levels Examining Body (s) Current syllabus issued on Exam format Number of Questions Type of Questions Min. %age to Pass Exam Compa rability across different countries

None 1 Hr. K1, K2, K3 ISEB

Foundation 3 Hrs. K1, K2, K3,K4 ITB / Local Testing Board Oct 2007 (v2007) Multiple Choice 40 Pick N Mix & Scenario Based 65% Each ISTQB Testing Board and ISEB prepare their own exam papers

Foundation 3 Hrs. K1, K2, K3,K4 ITB / Local Testing Board Oct 2007 (v2007) Multiple Choice 40 Pick N Mix & Scenario Based 65% Each ISTQB Testing Board and ISEB prepare their own exam papers

12th April 2007 (v2007) Multiple Choice 40 Independent Multiple Choice 65% Each ISTQB Testing Board and ISEB prepare their own exam papers

6 7 8

9 10

11

What to do After this

ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level or ISEB Intermediate Yes

None at the moment Expert Level not Available yet Yes

None at the moment Expert Level not Available yet Yes

None at the moment Expert Level not Available yet No

12

Availability on Public Schedule Exam Fee per person

13

Defined by ITB / Local Testing Board

Defined by ITB / Local Testing Board

Defined by ITB / Local Testing Board

Defined by ITB / Local Testing Board