Best Software Testing Certification: A Comparison

There are several software testing certifications available. Which is the best software testing certification for you and your company?

Below is a comparison of five software testing certifications using their entry-level testing certification as a starting point:

  • Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) from ISTQB, the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ASTQB is the official board for ISTQB in the U.S.)
  • Certified in Testing Essentials (AT*Essentials) from AT*SQA  (AT*SQA is also the official exam ISTQB provider for ASTQB)
  • Certified Software Tester (CSTE) from Software Certifications (a division of the Quality Assurance Institute)
  • Certified Software Test Professional (CSTP) from International Institute for Software Testing (a division of Software Dimensions Consulting and Training, Inc.)
  • Fundamentals Software Testing Certified (FSTC) from Asociación Internacional de Calidad de Software (a division of aics LLC) – note: only a Spanish exam is offered

Below is the comparison as we seek to answer which is the best software testing certification for you. Note: If you are seeking a comparison of software testers, please see the Testing Tiers™ software tester rankings instead.

How do the software testing certifications compare? Which is the best software testing certification?

Not for Profit or For-Profit?

ISTQB is a not-for-profit organization. Its official U.S. board, ASTQB (“ISTQB in the U.S.”) is also a not-for-profit organization. AT*SQA is a not-for-profit organization as well. The other three certifications are from private, for-profit companies.

Volunteer Board for the U.S.

In the U.S., the not-for-profit volunteer board is ASTQB, the American Software Testing Qualifications Board. AT*SQA also has a not-for-profit volunteer board that is headquartered in the U.S. The other three certifications do not have volunteer boards because they are for-profit organizations.

Validity of the Software Testing Certifications

ISTQB offers certification exams through ASTQB and AT*SQA that meet rigorous global certification standards and are evaluated via psychometric standards to ensure they are valid and fair. AT*SQA’s certification exams also meet rigorous global certification standards, being evaluated via psychometric standards to ensure they are valid and fair. The other English exams do not provide information about their exams. The FSTC exam appears to be of low credibility because it does not follow industry standards for the types of questions, the number of possible answers, or the passing percentage (moreover, the certificate for this exam is in English, which is misleading because the exam is in Spanish).

Ranking Based on Number of Testing Certifications

It is estimated that ISTQB is by far the #1 software testing certification organization based on the number of certificates awarded. AT*SQA does not release certification numbers.  The other two English-exam organizations no longer publicly disclose the number of certificates issued, but it is estimated that CSTE has more usage than CSTP. ISTQB reports more than 700,000 software testing certifications globally and is the most commonly used software testing certification in the United States. It is estimated that CSTE has less than 20% of ISTQB’s industry usage, and CSTP has less than 5% of ISTQB’s industry usage. The for-profit Spanish exam (FSTC) has approximately 300 certified individuals.

Certification Course Sales and Required Fees

ASTQB (ISTQB in the U.S.) does not sell training courses directly; instead, you may choose the education that works best for you, be it self-study or the use of a third-party training provider (ASTQB does accredit training courses offered by third parties in the U.S. to ensure quality if you do choose a training provider, but their use is not required). AT*SQA offers inexpensive online education but it is not required. The other two English-exam certification companies sell training directly. The for-profit Spanish exam (FSTC) does not offer training.

All organizations except for the for-profit Spanish exam (FSTC) offer a free body of knowledge (often called the syllabus), but the bodies of knowledge from ASTQB (ISTQB in the U.S.) and AT*SQA are much more comprehensive in content. ASTQB (ISTQB in the U.S.) and AT*SQA also offer a free glossary of software testing terms, as well as free sample exam questions and answers.

Recertification Requirement

ISTQB does not have a recertification requirement for entry-level (Foundation) or advanced certifications. AT*SQA requires continuing education every three years for its certification exams but not its software testing micro-credential exams. Both the English-exam for-profit organizations require recertification every three years along with payment. The Spanish exam does not require recertification.

It should also be noted that:

You may also find it interesting to view the comparison of software testing certifications in a table format. Also see the one-on-one comparison of CSTE vs. ISTQB.

Note: The information used to create this comparison came from the public websites and press releases for CTFL, CSTE and CSTP. We cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of this information. Please contact ASTQB if you have any updated information.