Course overview
The ISTQB Test Automation Engineer (CTAL-TAE) course is designed for experienced software testing professionals who want to develop specialist skills in test automation. As part of the ISTQB Advanced Level certification track, this course equips you with the practical knowledge and techniques to design, implement, and maintain robust automated testing solutions within a structured testing process.
Through a blend of expert-led instruction and practical exercises, this automation engineer course explores how test automation supports continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD), and Agile practices. You will learn how to select appropriate tools, frameworks, and methodologies to optimise test coverage, improve efficiency, and enhance software quality.
The ISTQB Test Automation Engineer course follows the official ISTQB Test Automation syllabus (CTAL-TAE v2.0), ensuring complete alignment with the international certification standard. Delegates gain an in-depth understanding of the concepts, methods, and processes involved in designing and deploying maintainable test automation architectures that align with business objectives and project goals.
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During the course, you will develop practical skills to assess automation feasibility, plan automation strategies, and integrate automated testing into existing test frameworks. You’ll also learn best practices for managing test data, handling automation risks, and collaborating effectively across development and testing teams.
By the end of the course, you’ll be prepared to take the ISTQB Test Automation Engineer exam, demonstrating your ability to apply automation principles in real-world testing environments. The certification validates your capability to lead and contribute to automation projects across various tools, technologies, and application domains.
Course highlights
- Duration: 3-day intensive training (9 am–5 pm)
- Format: available in Virtual and Classroom formats
- Content: based on the ISTQB Advanced Test Automation Engineer v2.0 syllabus — including test automation strategy, tool evaluation, infrastructure, CI/CD integration, test reporting, and continuous improvement
- Exam preparation: tutor-led review, practice with scenario-based questions, and comprehensive revision sessions
- Accreditation: fully accredited by UKITB on behalf of ISTQB
- SFIAplus level: rated at Level 5 by BCS (consistent with other Advanced certifications)
- Assessment: 40 scenario-based multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes (112.5 minutes for non-native English speakers), with a 65% pass mark
Why you should attend
The ISTQB Advanced Test Automation Engineer (CTAL‑TAE) course is designed for professionals looking to design, implement, and manage effective and scalable test automation solutions within Agile, DevOps, or traditional environments.
Attending this course will help you:
- Advance your career in test automation with a globally recognised certification
- Gain practical skills to build maintainable, modular automation frameworks
- Integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines and support modern delivery models
- Choose and implement the right tools and technologies for your organisation
- Measure, monitor, and optimise the effectiveness of your automated testing
- Reduce manual effort and increase test coverage, reliability, and repeatability
- Position yourself as a key player in improving software quality at scale
Who is the course for?
This course suits a wide range of software professionals involved in test automation, including:
- Testers, Test Automation Engineers, Test Architects, Analysts
- Test Consultants, Test Managers, Developers with automation duties
- Project Managers, Quality Managers, Business Analysts, IT Directors, those seeking a foundational understanding of automation
Next steps in your testing career
Holders of this certification may progress to further ISTQB qualifications, such as Advanced Level Test Manager, Technical Test Analyst, within the Core stream. Those focusing on Agile can advance to the Agile Technical Tester (CTAL-ATT), while Specialist certifications such as Security Testing provide opportunities to deepen expertise in specific domains.
About ISTQB and the ‘certified tester’ scheme
Founded in 2002, ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) is a not-for-profit association comprising 47 national boards (including the UKTB) covering 71 countries worldwide.
ISTQB has defined the Advanced certification as part of their ‘Certified Tester’ scheme that, with over 957,000 certifications, has become the de facto world-wide standard for software testing qualifications.
The ‘Certified Tester’ scheme:
- Provides a set of professional qualifications widely-recognised by employers, customers and peers;
- Enables software suppliers to hire and train certified testers and thereby gain commercial advantage over their competitors by advertising their tester recruitment and development policies; and
- Enables comparison of testing skills across different countries, testers to move across country borders more easily, and multi-national/international projects to have a common understanding of testing issues.
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Entry requirements
The entry requirement for the Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Automation Engineering qualification is that the candidate must hold the ISTQB Foundation certificate. It is also suggested that candidates have a minimum of 3 years testing experience.
Note that it is recommended that you attend an accredited training course run by an accredited training provider, as the overall exam pass rates are notably higher for candidates attending such courses.
Exam
The exam is taken after the course. It is:
- 40 multiple-choice scenario-based questions (the point value for each question is between 1 – 3 points, depending on the level of difficulty)
- 90 minutes duration (or 112.5 minutes for candidates taking examinations that are not in their native language)
- A candidate must score at least 65% to pass (42/64)
Learning objectives
Advanced Level testers who have passed the “Advanced Test Automation Engineering” module exam should be able to accomplish the following Business Objectives:
- Describe the purpose of test automation
- Understand test automation through the software development lifecycle
- Understand the Configuration of an Infrastructure to Enable Test Automation
- Learn the evaluation process for selecting the right tools and strategies
- Understand design concepts for building modular and scalable test automation solutions
- Select an approach, including a pilot, to plan test automation deployment within the software development lifecycle
- Design and develop (new or modified) test automation solutions that meet technical needs
- Consider scope and approach of test automation and maintenance of testware
- Understand how automated tests integrate within CI/CD pipelines
- Understand how to collect, analyze, and report on test automation data in order to inform stakeholders
- Verify the test automation infrastructure
- Define continuous improvement opportunities for test automation
![Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Automation Engineering (CTAL-TAE) v2.0 [NEW!]](https://tsg-training.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Picture1-1024x477.png.webp "ISTQB Certified Tester Test Automation Engineer (CTAL-TAE) V2.0 NEW 2")
Anonymous –
John was very friendly and professional throughout the course, delivering the information at an easy to understand pace while also being very understanding and patient with any questions or queries that arose.Would definetly reccommend John to any collegues if given an option and would look forward to any course he might deliver for me in the future.
Anonymous –
This course was packed with fascinating concepts that I was eager to learn. The teacher excelled at explaining them clearly and logically. I especially appreciated John’s ability to re-explain things in different, comprehensive ways whenever I needed. The teaching materials were incredibly helpful for following lessons and will be invaluable for exam prep.
Anonymous –
I highly recommend John’s ISTQB Certified Tester Test Automation Engineer course. It was the best virtual training I’ve experienced. John was exceptionally well-organised, always mindful of our time, and ensured we had plenty of breaks. He explained the material in great detail, making sure everyone understood. His approach made the complex subject matter accessible and built my confidence for the exam. The course was expertly delivered and exceeded my expectations.
Anonymous –
Course was really informative and John made sure that we were all OK with the content at regular intervals to ensure we understood the content
He was great at answering question and nothing was issue
Anonymous –
John is a great instructor and he has spend time explaining all the concepts and ensured people are understanding it. He is approachable and he tried to make the training session more engaging by adding group activities.
Anonymous –
The course was useful and easy to understand. John was a great trainer, and was happy to assist with any questions we had. In person training allowed for a more relaxed discussion, was very helpful to prepare for the exam.
Anonymous –
The course far exceed my expectations and contained a lot of very helpful information both theoretical and practical. John is an excellent trainer, very knowledgeable and patient but has a great approach to testing and getting the ideas across. I would recommend TSG to others
Anonymous –
Very informative course that has reinforced my understanding of automation in testing, and has well prepared me for the exam
Anonymous –
Interesting course with lots of information, John explained things very well and kept it engaging throughout the 3 days.
Anonymous –
The course content was thorough and engaging – John was highly knowledgeable and was able to answer any questions as required.