ISTQB Logo Are you a leader in software testing in your company? Then it’s time to step up to ISTQB Advanced or ISTQB Expert Level Certification.

ISTQB Expert Level Software Testing Certification proves that you not only have the vision for great software testing, you have the credentials to back it up. You should move up to ISTQB Expert Level if you:

  • Have a passion for software testing.
  • Want to push software testing to be its very best.
  • Want to be considered one of the very best in software testing.

Please note that ISTQB Advanced Level Test Manager is a prerequisite for ISTQB Expert Level Test Management and requires at least 5 years of practical testing experience as well as at least 2 years of industry experience in the specific Expert Level topic.



When you take this ISTQB exam through ASTQB and AT*SQA, you earn points toward your Testing Tiers™ software tester ranking.

Logo of the Official US List of Certified Testers

Important: American companies check with us, ASTQB (ISTQB in the U.S.) and our official ISTQB exam provider AT*SQA, to see if you are on the Official U.S. List of Certified Software Testers™ so you must register here through ASTQB or register directly through AT*SQA for your ISTQB exam to appear on that list. We will also add you to the ISTQB Successful Candidate Register.

Register now for your ISTQB Expert Test Management Exam through our official ISTQB exam provider AT*SQA

Preparation Resources

  • Syllabus
  • ISTQB Expert Test Management Certification Syllabus
  • Sample Exams
  • ISTQB Expert Test Management Certification Sample Exam
  • Extension/Recertification
  • ISTQB Expert Test Management Certification Extension Policy
  • Glossary
  • Glossary of Software Testing Terms
  • Exam Format
  • Strategic — 14 multiple choice | 2 of 3 essays | 135 minutes
  • Operational — 14 multiple choice | 2 of 3 essays | 135 minutes
  • Managing the Test Team — 16 multiple choice | 2 of 3 essays | 135 minutes (25% extended time available if English is not your first language)
  • Pre-requisites
  • ISTQB Foundation Level Certification, ISTQB Advanced Level Test Manager Certification, 5 years of practical testing experience as well as at least 2 years of industry experience in the specific expert level topic

ISTQB offers Expert Level Test Management certification. Choose from the following, or get all three to achieve CTEL-TM Full status. Given this is an Expert Level certification, please note the Advanced Level – Test Manager certification, to take any of the three exams below:

  • Strategic Test Management
  • Operational Test Management
  • Managing the Test Team

If you don’t have your Advanced Level certification yet, that’s a great intermediate step. The Advanced Level certifications offer many career path options as you can see in the software testing career road map.

ISTQB Expert Level Software Testing Certification is for those that are ready to make a professional statement. Put yourself – and your career – among the best. Review the information below and then step up to ISTQB Expert Level Certification.

Additional Information

Clear Business Outcomes

Each Expert Level module has clear business outcomes. These provide information to businesses concerning the expectations of an expert in a particular subject. The business outcomes map to the individual Learning Objectives in a particular module.

Achieving Expert Level

Criteria are set to ensure good and consistent quality of the Expert Level.

To obtain Expert Level certification, candidates must have:

  • the Foundation Certificate
  • an Advanced Certificate depending on the Expert Module desired
  • passed the Expert Level Exam

If a non-public exam is to be taken, completion of Expert Level course is mandatory.

What skills does an Expert Level individual have?

An expert is a person with the special skills and knowledge representing mastery of a particular testing subject. Being a testing expert means possessing and displaying special skills and knowledge derived from training and experience and being able to apply that knowledge in real-life situations.

A testing expert is one that combines a broad understanding of testing in general with an in-depth understanding in a special test area. An in-depth understanding means sufficient knowledge of testing theory and practice to be able to influence the direction that an organization and/or project takes when creating, implementing and executing testing activities related to the special area.

Exam Structure

A certification scheme at Expert Level must meet the expectations and perceptions of its stakeholders and has to be seen to be truly “expert”. A score above 65% is required to pass.

An expert must not only be able to show knowledge, but also in-depth practical skills; as a consequence an exam only using multiple choice questions is not preferred. The exam therefore consists of two parts:

  • Part 1: Multiple-Choice
  • Part 2: Essay

Certificate Extension

An Expert Level certificate is valid for 5 years.

The Certification Extension Program is published by ISTQB®

Accredited training courses

For the training we aim for several objectives, namely:
  • Higher level Learning Objectives in focus
  • Emphasis is on practical work (at least 50% of the course time is spent on practical exercise and discussions)
  • In-depth consideration of subjects introduced at advanced levels
  • Goal: Mastery of the subject

See the list of ASTQB accredited software testing training providers.