Course overview
The ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Analyst (CTAL-TA) is a 3-day accredited training course designed for experienced testers aiming to achieve the ISTQB Advanced Test Analyst certification. Based on the latest ISTQB syllabus, it provides the advanced knowledge and practical skills required to design, execute, and manage effective functional testing.
Throughout the course, delegates will explore advanced black-box test design techniques, risk-based testing approaches, and how to contribute to quality assurance in both Agile and traditional development lifecycles. Key topics also include usability testing, requirements validation, defect management, and active participation in reviews.
Delivered by certified trainers with extensive industry experience, this ISTQB Test Analyst course prepares you to sit the Advanced Test Analyst exam with confidence and strengthens your ability to apply structured testing techniques in real-world projects. By the end of the training, you will be equipped with the expertise to enhance software quality and credibility within your organisation.
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Course highlights
- Duration: 3-day intensive training (9am – 5pm)
- Format: available in virtual, or e-Learning
- Content: aligned with the latest ISTQB Advanced Level syllabus; includes test design techniques, risk-based testing, non-functional testing, defect management, and reviews
- Exam preparation: includes scenario-based question practice and structured revision
- 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
- Deepen your test analysis and design skills with industry-standard techniques
- Learn to assess and mitigate quality risks in complex systems
- Master black-box and experience-based testing for functionality and usability
- Work more effectively in agile, waterfall, or hybrid teams
- Gain a globally recognised ISTQB Advanced certification
- Boost your career prospects as a Test Analyst, QA Consultant, or Senior Tester
Who is the course for
This course is ideal for:
- Test Analysts, QA Engineers, UAT Testers
- Business analysts involved in test planning
- Anyone with a CTFL certificate and at least 2 years of practical testing experience looking to advance their test design and analysis capabilities
Next steps in your testing career
Holders of this certification may choose to broaden their expertise by pursuing other Core Advanced Level certifications, such as Technical Test Analyst, Test Manager, or Test Automation Engineer.
For those wishing to specialise in Agile practices, the Agile Technical Tester (CTAL-ATT) is a natural next step. Alternatively, candidates can explore specialist certification streams that focus on areas such as specific testing technologies, quality characteristics, test levels, or industry-specific domains.
Watch our latest webinar
Want to explore the course in more detail before enrolling? Watch our webinar where we walk through the ISTQB Advanced Test Analyst syllabus, exam format, and key takeaways. Click here to watch the webinar
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.
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Entry requirements
The entry requirements for the Certified Tester Advanced Level 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 qualify as an internationally-recognized Certified Advanced Level Test Analyst and be issued with an ISTQB® Advanced Level Certificate, delegates must successfully pass the exam administered by the relevant National Board or Examination Provider.
- 45 multiple choice pick ‘n’ mix questions which consist of the questions followed by a list of options
- Duration of 120 minutes (or 150 minutes for candidates taking examinations that are not in their native language)
- A candidate must score at least 65% to pass
- Exam is included in the price
Course objectives
After successfully completing the course and passing the exam, delegates should be able to demonstrate the following business-based outcomes
- Perform the appropriate testing activities based on the software development lifecycle being used;
- Determine the proper prioritization of the testing activities based on the information provided by the risk analysis;
- Select and apply appropriate test techniques to ensure that tests provide an adequate level of confidence, based on defined coverage criteria;
- Provide the appropriate level of documentation relevant to their testing activities;
- Determine the appropriate types of functional testing to be performed;
- Work effectively in a usability testing team;
- Effectively participate in requirements / user story reviews with stakeholders, applying knowledge of typical mistakes made in work products;
- Improve the efficiency of the test process with the use of tools.
In addition, the newly qualified ISTQB Advanced Test Analyst should be able to demonstrate their skills in the following areas once they have completed the course and passed the exam:
- Explain how and why the timing and level of involvement for the Test Analyst varies when working with different software development lifecycle models.
- Summarize the appropriate tasks for the Test Analyst when conducting analysis and design activities.
- Explain why test conditions should be understood by the stakeholders.
- For a given project scenario, select the appropriate design level for test cases (high-level or low-level).
- Explain the issues to be considered in test case design.
- Summarize the appropriate tasks for the Test Analyst when conducting test implementation activities.
- Summarize the appropriate tasks for the Test Analyst when conducting test execution activities.
- For a given situation, participate in risk identification, perform risk assessment and propose appropriate risk mitigation.
- Analyze a given specification item(s) and design test cases by applying equivalence partitioning.
- Analyze a given specification item(s) and design test cases by applying boundary value analysis.
- Analyze a given specification item(s) and design test cases by applying decision table testing.
- Analyze a given specification item(s) and design test cases by applying state transition testing.
- Explain how classification tree diagrams support test techniques.
- Analyze a given specification item(s) and design test cases by applying pairwise testing.
- Analyze a system, or its requirement specification, in order to determine likely types of defects to be found and select the appropriate black-box test technique(s).
- Explain the principles of experience-based test techniques, and the benefits and drawbacks compared to black-box and defect-based test techniques.
- Determine exploratory tests from a given scenario.
- Describe the application of defect-based test techniques and differentiate their use from black-box test techniques.
- For a given project situation, determine which black-box or experience-based test techniques should be applied to achieve specific goals.
- Explain what test techniques are appropriate to test functional completeness, correctness and appropriateness.
- Define the typical defects to be targeted for the functional completeness, correctness and appropriateness characteristics.
- Define when the functional completeness, correctness and appropriateness characteristics should be tested in the software development lifecycle.
- Explain the approaches that would be suitable to verify and validate both the implementation of the usability requirements and the fulfillment of the user’s expectations.
- Explain the role of the test analyst in interoperability testing including identification of the defects to be targeted.
- Explain the role of the test analyst in portability testing including identification of the defects to be targeted.
- For a given set of requirements, determine the test conditions required to verify the functional and/or non-functional quality characteristics within the scope of the Test Analyst.
- Identify problems in a requirements specification according to checklist information provided in the syllabus.
- Identify problems in a user story according to checklist information provided in the syllabus.
- For a given scenario, determine the appropriate activities for a Test Analyst in a keyword-driven automation project.
- Explain the usage and types of test tools applied in test design, test data preparation and test execution.
Anonymous –
The course was excellent, and the trainer provided great mentorship. We gained a lot of valuable information that will be very useful for the exam
Anonymous –
I felt this course was very fast paced and too much to take in short time. secondly the slides have more theory and trainer was reading them. It would have been helpful If we can have real time examples and pictorial diagrams on the slides and more detail explanation from trainer with a real time example.
Anonymous –
Lots of information to take on and was explain in clear manner that i could understand
Anonymous –
The student material could do with more examples, which would aid better understanding of new concepts.