Software Testing Certification ISTQB ASTQB CTFL: ISTQB Syllabi

ISTQB Foundation Level Syllabi

Acknowledgements

International Software Testing Qualifications Board Working Group Foundation Level (Edition 2011): Thomas Müller (chair), Debra Friedenberg. The core team thanks the review team (Dan Almog, Armin Beer, Rex Black, Julie Gardiner, Judy McKay, Tuula Pääkkönen, Eric Riou du Cosquier Hans Schaefer, Stephanie Ulrich, Erik van Veenendaal) and all National Boards for the suggestions for the current version of the syllabus.

International Software Testing Qualifications Board Working Group Foundation Level (Edition 2010): Thomas Müller (chair), Rahul Verma, Martin Klonk and Armin Beer. The core team thanks the review team (Rex Black, Mette Bruhn-Pederson, Debra Friedenberg, Klaus Olsen, Judy McKay, Tuula Pääkkönen, Meile Posthuma, Hans Schaefer, Stephanie Ulrich, Pete Williams, Erik van Veenendaal) and all National Boards for their suggestions.

International Software Testing Qualifications Board Working Group Foundation Level (Edition 2007): Thomas Müller (chair), Dorothy Graham, Debra Friedenberg, and Erik van Veenendaal. The core team thanks the review team (Hans Schaefer, Stephanie Ulrich, Meile Posthuma, Anders Pettersson, and Wonil Kwon) and all the National Boards for their suggestions.

International Software Testing Qualifications Board Working Group Foundation Level (Edition 2005): Thomas Müller (chair), Rex Black, Sigrid Eldh, Dorothy Graham, Klaus Olsen, Maaret Pyhäjärvi, Geoff Thompson and Erik van Veenendaal and the review team and all National Boards for their suggestions.

Introduction to this syllabus

Purpose of this document
This syllabus forms the basis for the International Software Testing Qualification at the Foundation Level. The International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) provides it to the National Boards for them to accredit the training providers and to derive examination questions in their local language. Training providers will determine appropriate teaching methods and produce courseware for accreditation. The syllabus will help candidates in their preparation for the examination.

Information on the history and background of the syllabus can be found in Appendix A.

The Certified Tester Foundation Level in Software Testing
The Foundation Level qualification is aimed at anyone involved in software testing. This includes people in roles such as testers, test analysts, test engineers, test consultants, test managers, user acceptance testers and software developers. This Foundation Level qualification is also appropriate for anyone who wants a basic understanding of software testing, such as project managers, quality managers, software development managers, business analysts, IT directors and management consultants. Holders of the Foundation Certificate will be able to go on to a higher-level software testing qualification.

Learning Objectives/Cognitive level of knowledge
Learning objectives are indicated for each section in this syllabus and classified as follows:

K1: remember
K2: understand
K3: apply
K4: analyze

Further details and examples of learning objectives are given in Appendix B.

All terms listed under "Terms" just below chapter headings shall be remembered (K1), even if not explicitly mentioned in the learning objectives.

The Examination

The Foundation Level Certificate examination will be based on this syllabus. Answers to examination questions may require the use of material based on more than one section of this syllabus. All sections of the syllabus are examinable.

The format of the examination is multiple choice.

Exams may be taken as part of an accredited training course or taken independently (e.g., at an examination center or in a public exam). Completion of an accredited training course is not a pre-requisite for the exam.

Accreditation
An ISTQB National Board may accredit training providers whose course material follows this syllabus. Training providers should obtain accreditation guidelines from the board or body that performs the accreditation. An accredited course is recognized as conforming to this syllabus, and is allowed to have an ISTQB examination as part of the course.

Further guidance for training providers is given in Appendix D.

Level of detail
The level of detail in this syllabus allows internationally consistent teaching and examination. In order to achieve this goal, the syllabus consists of:

General instructional objectives describing the intention of the Foundation Level
A list of information to teach, including a description, and references to additional sources if required
Learning objectives for each knowledge area, describing the cognitive learning outcome and mindset to be achieved
A list of terms that students must be able to recall and understand
A description of the key concepts to teach, including sources such as accepted literature or standards

The syllabus content is not a description of the entire knowledge area of software testing; it reflects the level of detail to be covered in Foundation Level training courses.

How this syllabus is organized
There are six major chapters. The top-level heading for each chapter shows the highest level of learning objectives that is covered within the chapter and specifies the time for the chapter. For example:

2. Testing Throughout the Software Life Cycle (K2) 115
minutes

This heading shows that Chapter 2 has learning objectives of K1 (assumed when a higher level is shown) and K2 (but not K3), and it is intended to take 115 minutes to teach the material in the chapter. Within each chapter there are a number of sections. Each section also has the learning objectives and the amount of time required. Subsections that do not have a time given are included within the time for the section.