Introduction to ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Exam

<< Complete Tutorial>>                             Next Post>>

Introduction to ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Exam

In this first blog post of our ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level exam, I am going to explain the following details to get a high-level knowledge on this certification exam, before starting your actual preparation for the exam.

Myself Sandeep Patil and I have cleared the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Exam. I have now determined to make more people clear this Certification exam by making your learning more easy with my articles.

So, Let get started.

What is ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Exam?

ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Exam is the most popular certification exam in Software Testing.  This is the basic and first certification exam one has to attempt before moving to the other advanced certification exams of ISTQB.

Who has to take this exam?

Anyone including freshers can apply for this certification but having 6 months of software testing experience is preferably good. (i.e. Software Testing Aspiring Freshers having zero experience in Software Testing field can also attempt).

The following roles can also take this exam apart from Freshers:

1. Tester
2. Test Analyst
3. Test Engineers
4. Test Consultants
5. Test Managers
6. User Acceptance Testers
7. Software Developers

Apart from the above roles, it is also for anyone who wants a basic understanding of Software Testing concepts, such as Product Owners, Business Analysts etc.

Benefits of taking this exam?

The following are the different benefits you will get on clearing this exam:

• > Certifications give the opportunity to stand out from the crowd
• > For freshers having zero experience in the software testing field, will help them to get a job in Software Testing field.
• > For experience professional in Software Testing field, this certification add weight age to their resumes and hence can make them stand out from others.
• > Grow in Software Testing Qualifications

Apart from the above advantages, you can also learn things in this ISTQB Syllabus to standardize yourself in terms of Software Testing. In simple words, your Software Testing basics will become strong after going through this certification and your understanding of Software Testing concepts will mature.

What is the number of questions asked in this ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Exam?

Total Exam Questions = 40

What is the minimum pass percentage to clear this Certification exam?

Minimum Pass Percentage: 65% (i.e. 26 or more questions needs to be answered correctly)

What is the duration of this Certification Exam?

Exam Duration : 75 minutes (i.e. 1 hour 15 minutes)

What is the mode or type of question asked in this Certification Exam?

All questions are of Multiple Choices type.

Is there any negative marking in this exam?

No. There is no negative marking in this exam (i.e. Only the correct answers will be counted)

What syllabus does this ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Exam follow?

Exams are based on ISTQB CTFL Syllabus. (Click here to download the ISTQB CTFL Syllabus). All the topics available in the syllabus will be explained in a detailed and easily understandable manner in our upcoming posts.

ISTQB CTFL (Certified Tester Foundation Level) Syllabus can be divided into different levels of knowledge:

1. K1 (remember and recall) = 40% (Around 16 questions expected in the exam). You have to by-heart the topics/sections mentioned as ‘K1’ across the different chapters of ISTQB Syllabus and recall them to answer during the ISTQB Exam.
2. K2 (Understood concepts) = 35% (Around 14 questions expected in the exam). You don’t have to by-heart the topics/sections mentioned as ‘K2’ across the different chapters of ISTQB Syllabus, but you need to clearly understand them to answer them in the certification exam.
3. K3 (Apply Knowledge) = 20% (Around 8 questions expected in the exam). You should be in a position to understand the concepts and apply the knowledge acquired based on your understanding for the topics/sections mentioned as ‘K3’ across the different chapters of ISTQB Syllabus to answer them in the certification exam.
4. K4 (Analyze) = 5% (Around 2 questions expected in the exam). You should be in a position to analyze or examine based on your understanding of the topics/sections mentioned as ‘K4’ cross the different chapters of ISTQB Syllabus to answer them in the certification exam.

What are the list of topics/contents in ISTQB CTFL Syllabus?

The following are the ISTQB CTFL Contents/topics required:

Note: All the below topics will be covered in our upcoming articles.

Chapter#1 – The Fundamentals of Testing

1. Why is Testing necessary?
2. What is Testing?
3. Testing Principles?
4. Fundamental Testing Process
5. The Psychology of Testing

Chapter#2 – Testing throughout the life-cycle

1. Software Development Models
2. Levels of Testing
3. Types of Testing
4. Maintenance of Testing

Chapter#3 – Static Testing

1. Reviews and the Test process
2. Review Process
3. Static analysis by tools

Chapter#4 – Test Design Techniques

1. Identifying test conditions and designing test cases
2. Categories of Test Design Techniques
3. Specification Based or Black Box Techniques
4. Structure Based or White Box Techniques
5. Experienced based Techniques
6. Choosing a Test Technique

Chapter#5 – Test Management

1. Test Organization
2. Test Plans, Estimates and Strategies
3. Test Process, Monitoring and Control
4. Configuration Management
5. Risk and Testing
6. Incident Management

Chapter#6 – Tool support for Testing

1. Types of Testing Tools
2. Effective use of Tools
3. Introducing a Tool into an Organization

What are the expected number of questions for each chapter?

The following are the number of questions you can expect from each chapter:

1. Chapter#1 – Fundamentals of Testing – 7 Questions are expected
2. Chapter#2 – Testing Throughout the Life Cycle – 6 Questions are expected
3. Chapter#3 – Static Testing – 3 Questions are expected
4. Chapter#4 – Test Design Techniques – 12 Questions are expected
5. Chapter#5 – Test Management – 8 Questions are expected
6. Chapter#6 – Tool Support for Testing – 4 Questions are expected

From the next post, I will start explaining each and every topic in ISTQB CTFL in detail along with related Exam Questions and Answers.

Next Steps:

> To learn more about ISTQB CTFL, continue to the next post (Click on Next Post link below)

> Check complete ISTQB CTFL Tutorial Contents here (Click here)

Please leave your questions/comments/feedback below.

Happy Learning ?

About Me > Sandeep Patil

Connect to me on Linked In (Click here)

On a mission to contribute to the Software Testing Community in all possible ways.

<< Complete Tutorial>>                             Next Post>>