Course overview
The ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst (CTAL-TTA) is an accredited 3-day course for experienced testers who want to specialise in technical testing. Based on the official ISTQB Advanced Level syllabus, it equips you with the knowledge and skills needed to design, implement, and execute effective technical tests across different systems and technologies.
Throughout the training, you’ll explore white-box testing techniques, non-functional testing (including performance, reliability, and security), test automation approaches, and static analysis. You’ll also learn how to assess risk, contribute to defect management, and add value to reviews within Agile, DevOps, or traditional projects.
Delivered by certified instructors with extensive industry experience, this ISTQB Technical Test Analyst course prepares you to confidently sit the Advanced Level exam. On completion, you’ll be ready to achieve the internationally recognised CTAL-TTA certification, demonstrating your ability to apply structured technical testing techniques in the workplace.
Read More
Course highlights
- Duration: 3-day intensive training (9am – 5pm)
- Format: available in virtual or e-learning formats
- Content: aligned with the latest ISTQB Advanced Level syllabus; covers white-box testing, test automation, performance and security testing, code-based coverage, and technical reviews
- Exam preparation: includes structured revision, mock questions, and scenario-based exercises
- Accreditation: fully accredited by UKITB on behalf of ISTQB
- SFIAplus level: Rated at Level 5 by BCS
- Assessment: 45 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes (150 minutes for non-native English speakers); 65% pass mark required
Why you should attend
- Gain globally recognised certification as an ISTQB Technical Test Analyst
- Learn directly from ISTQB-accredited trainers with industry experience
- Master white-box, structural, and non-functional testing techniques
- Build confidence in automation and performance testing
- Increase your value as a technical tester in Agile or DevOps teams
- Improve your ability to collaborate with developers and architects
Who should attend
This Technical Test Analyst course is ideal for:
- Software testers preparing for the ISTQB Advanced Technical Test Analyst certification
- Technical testers, test engineers, and QA professionals working in Agile or DevOps environments
- Testers with 18+ months experience looking to specialise in automation, performance, or white-box testing
- Anyone who holds an ISTQB Foundation Certificate and wants to advance their career in technical testing
Next steps in your testing career
Holders of this certification can continue their professional development by pursuing other recognised ISTQB pathways. Within the Core Advanced Level, options include Test Management, Technical Test Analyst, and Test Automation Engineer. For those working in Agile environments, the Agile Technical Tester (CTAL-ATT) offers a natural next step.
Alternatively, the Specialist stream provides certifications in areas such as Model-Based Tester, Performance Testing, and Security Testing, allowing you to deepen expertise in specific technologies or industry domains.
About ISTQB and the certified tester scheme
Founded in 2002, ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) is a not-for-profit association comprising 66 national boards (including the UKITB) to provide worldwide coverage
ISTQB has defined the Advanced certification as part of their ‘Certified Tester’ scheme that, with over 240,000 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.
Read Less
Entry requirements
The entry requirements for the Certified Tester Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst qualification are that the candidate must hold the ISTQB Foundation certificate and it is also suggested that candidates have a minimum of 2 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
To receive Advanced Level certification in the module “Technical Test Analyst”, candidates must hold a valid Certified Tester Foundation Level certificate:
- 40 multiple choice questions, which contain a list of possible answers
- Duration of 90 minutes (or 113 minutes for candidates taking examinations that are not in their native language)
- A candidate must score at least 65% to pass (26/40)
- Exam is included in the price
Next steps
The Advanced Level establishes a platform from which further skills and knowledge may be acquired at the Expert Level. Holders of the Advanced Technical Test Analyst qualification will be eligible to continue with other Advanced exams as well as progressing to Expert level qualifications, such as Test Automation and Security Testing. More details to follow when available.
Holders of the Certified Tester Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester qualification may also wish to consider the other Advanced Level qualifications, Test Manager, Agile Technical Tester, Test Analyst, Test Automation Engineer and Security Tester
Course Objectives
By completing the Advanced Technical Test Analyst course, you will be able to:
- Recognize and classify the typical risks associated with the performance, security, reliability, portability and maintainability of software systems;
- Provide technical elements to the planning, design and execution of tests for mitigating performance, security, reliability, portability and maintainability risks;
- Select and apply appropriate white-box test techniques to ensure that tests provide an adequate level of confidence, based on design coverage;
- Effectively participate in reviews with developers and software architects applying knowledge of typical defects in the code and architecture;
- Improve the quality characteristics of code and architecture by making use of different analysis techniques;
- Outline the costs and benefits to be expected from introducing particular types of test automation.
- Select appropriate tools to automate technical testing tasks;
- Understand the technical issues and concepts in applying test automation.
In addition, after successfully completing the course and passing the exam, thew newly qualified ISTQB Advanced Technical Test Analyst s should be able to use and put into practice the following learning objectives:
- Summarize the generic risk factors that the Technical Test Analyst typically needs to consider.
- Summarize the activities of the Technical Test Analyst within a risk-based approach for testing activities.
- Design test cases for a given test object by applying statement testing to achieve a defined level of coverage.
- Design test cases for a given test object by applying the Decision test technique to achieve a defined level of coverage.
- Design test cases for a given test object by applying the modified condition/decision test technique to achieve full modified condition/decision coverage (MC/DC).
- Design test cases for a given test object by applying the multiple condition test technique to achieve a defined level of coverage.
- Understand the applicability of API testing and the kinds of defects it finds.
- Select an appropriate white-box test technique according to a given project situation.
- Use control flow analysis to detect if code has any control flow anomalies and to measure cyclomatic complexity.
- Use data flow analysis to detect if code has any data flow anomalies.
- Propose ways to improve the maintainability of code by applying static analysis.
- Apply dynamic analysis to achieve a specified goal.
- For a particular scenario, analyze the non-functional requirements and write the respective sections of the test plan.
- Given a particular product risk, define the particular non-functional test type(s) which are most appropriate.
- Understand and explain the stages in an application’s software development lifecycle where non-functional testing should typically be applied.
- For a given scenario, define the types of defects you would expect to find by using the different non-functional test types.
- Explain the reasons for including security testing in a test approach.
- Explain the principal aspects to be considered in planning and specifying security tests.
- Explain the reasons for including reliability testing in a test approach.
- Explain the principal aspects to be considered in planning and specifying reliability tests.
- Explain the reasons for including performance testing in a test approach.
- Explain the principal aspects to be considered in planning and specifying performance testing.
- Explain the reasons for including maintainability testing in a test approach.
- Explain the reasons for including portability testing in a test approach.
- Explain the reasons for including co-existence testing in a test approach.
- Explain why review preparation is important for the Technical Test Analyst.
- Analyze an architectural design and identify problems according to a checklist provided in the syllabus.
- Analyze a section of code or pseudo-code and identify problems according to a checklist provided in the syllabus.
- Summarize the activities that the Technical Test Analyst performs when setting up a test automation project.
- Summarize the differences between data-driven and keyword-driven automation.
- Summarize common technical issues that cause automation projects to fail to achieve the planned return on investment.
- Construct keywords based on a given business process.
- Summarize the purpose of tools for fault seeding and fault injection.
- Summarize the main characteristics and implementation issues for performance testing tools.
- Explain the general purpose of tools used for web-based testing.
- Explain how tools support the practice of model-based testing.
- Outline the purpose of tools used to support component testing and the build process.
- Outline the purpose of tools used to support mobile application testing.
Syllabus – key points
Pictorially, the syllabus concentrates on the key aspects of technical testing that are important to be understood and practiced by the Advanced Technical Tester.
Anonymous –
John is really a good trainer I could have asked for this course in particular. He did take time to explain things from the slide rather than just flying through them. Huge course but covered very nicely in 3 days.
Anonymous –
John is excellent and extremely helpful. 🙂
Disha Upadhyay| Software Tester| OBB –
John is really a good trainer I could have asked for this course in particular. He did take time to explain things from the slide rather than just flying through them. Huge course but covered very nicely in 3 days.
Hui Chok| Test Analyst| Natural Resources Wales –
John is excellent and extremely helpful. 🙂