Course overview
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) is the most widely recognised entry-level certification in software testing, trusted by employers and professionals around the world. This accredited course provides you with a comprehensive introduction to the principles, processes, and practices of testing, ensuring you gain the essential skills needed to begin or advance a career in quality assurance.
During the training, you will follow the official ISTQB Foundation Level syllabus, covering core testing concepts such as the purpose of testing, the role of testing within the software development lifecycle, and how testing adds value to both projects and organisations. You will also explore test design techniques, static testing, reviews, defect management, and the fundamentals of test management, providing you with a broad and practical understanding of the discipline.
The ISTQB Foundation course is suitable for anyone looking to formalise their knowledge of software testing or preparing to sit the Foundation Level exam. It is particularly valuable for new or junior testers, developers, business analysts, and IT professionals who need to understand how testing works and how it contributes to software quality. No prior testing experience is required, making this course an accessible first step into the testing profession. On completion of the course, you will be fully prepared to take the ISTQB Foundation certification exam (CTFL). Passing the exam will award you the internationally recognised ISTQB Foundation Level certification, opening the door to further qualifications such as the ISTQB Advanced and Specialist levels. With experienced trainers, accredited materials, and a focus on practical learning, this course equips you with both the knowledge and the confidence to succeed in your exam and apply your skills in real-world testing projects. By achieving the ISTQB Foundation Level certification, you demonstrate your commitment to quality and lay the foundations for a successful career in software testing. The CTFL 4.0 certification is designed for professionals who want to validate their practical understanding of the core principles of software testing. It is especially relevant for individuals in the following roles: The ISTQB® Certified Tester Scheme supports testing professionals at every stage of their careers, providing both breadth and depth of knowledge. It also offers clear progression opportunities through advanced qualifications, including the Core Advanced, Specialist, and Expert Levels. Earning this certification opens the pathway to the next stage of the Core stream, including Advanced Level options such as Test Analyst, Technical Test Analyst, or Test Manager. Alternatively, candidates can pursue the Agile or Specialist streams to build expertise in specific areas of software testing. The Certified Tester Foundation Level v4.0 Uncovered” webinar. Tailored for both aspiring ISTQB candidates and seasoned testers, the session dove into the updated CTFL v4.0 exam syllabus, highlighting key revisions and enhancements. Attendees gained insight into what’s new, what’s changed, and crucially why these updates matter in modern testing environments. Click here to view the webinar ISTQB® (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) established the globally-recognised certified tester scheme to: Course highlights
Why you should attend
Who should attend
Next steps in your testing career
Watch our latest webinar
About ISTQB and the certified tester scheme
Nathan Johnson | QA Analyst Apprentice | 9xb –
Great course, lectures were well thought out with plenty of detail. John was really patient and extremely knowledgable, willing to answer questions in great detail. I feel very prepared for the exam!
Judith Neugebauer | Quality Assurance | stillalive studios –
The course provided a lot of information even about the upcoming exam.
Megha Rolly | Business Solutions Programmer | Euroclear –
Thorough and helpful discussion of the syllabus, John went through it logically and it was easy to follow. Doing the questions during the course was really beneficial as well.
kyle.gilham –
John was very good. I felt he could have asked closed questions of individuals to check understanding rather than ‘are we all ok?’ or ‘do we all understand?’ though. I found that despite it being a Foundation course, I was the minority in the group of those who were not already working as testers/similar and this severely impacted on my ability to relate to the content and grasp the concepts at the rate the course seemingly expected. The syllabus also seemed place little emphasis on laying a general, introductory-level foundation of the various types of testing, etc and instead spent a disproportionate amount of time focusing on reporting techniques that appeared hugely theoretical, somewhat antiquated and likely to only be utilised by those few in very large corporates.
Paul Incles|Service Operations Analyst|Rail Delivery Group –
Great Tutor, Well paced. Many thanks
Lauren Brender|Test Automation Trainee|Caseware UK Ltd –
Excellently well put together course, and Rosie was a wonderful trainer, answering any and all questions, and came well prepared with the information to help us succeed
William Pawsey|Business Testing Coordinator|Cambridge Asessment –
The course was useful on information and data with opportunities to apply what was being taught at regular intervals. Struggled to stay engaged due to the number of slides/information being presented, this may be exacerbated due to the course being remote.
Orla Maher|BA|DAFM –
A lot of material to cover in just 3 days, sample exams appear extremely difficult compared to the course material
Stephen Martin|EO – IMT Development Specialist|Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine –
I found the course very interesting and informative. The material was very well presented by the trainer, and the regular exercises and homework activities helped._x000D_
It is also useful to learn the common vernacular of the testing profession, even if it does not entirely match what I am familiar with in my work place.
Ryan Hill|Tester|Merit Software –
Considering the dense volume of course material I think Rosie did a fantastic job covering the important aspects of the syllabus, I have no problems with her communication and teaching. The course is very dense due to the broad nature of the knowledge it’s trying to provide. Myself coming from an environment where the bulk of these practices are not widely used it’s certainly been a steep learning curve;but very valuable.
Avril Smith|Executive Officer|Department of Agriculture –
Course was very in-depth and informative. _x000D_
The summary slides are very beneficial for recapping on what has been discussed previously._x000D_
A good amount of coursework was included and sufficient time was spent explaining the rationale behind the correct answers.
Harpreet Sunner|Software Engineer|Capgemini –
Excellent presented and very well explaining throughout the 3 days of training. Contained a lot of detail within testing.
Samuel Green|Software Tester|IBM –
I thought the instructor was great at explaining concepts in detail without causing information overload. The platform allowed for quick note taking and John used lots of live diagrams and notes to really bring the topics alive._x000D_
There was also a good mix of exercises vs discussion
Samuel Green|Software Tester|IBM –
I thought the instructor was great at explaining concepts in detail without causing information overload._x000D_
There was enough information to break ratio too, I never felt too overwhelmed but learnt a lot._x000D_
There was also a good mix of exercises vs discussion
Charles Lister|Software Engineer Apprentice|IBM –
I found that the information on the course was delivered in an extremely comprehensive manner as John’s explanations did well to ensure that points mentioned were explained in a manner for all to understand.
|Softwer Tester Apprentice| –
The course was really informative, everything was explained in great detail and I found the exercises really useful to put the theory in to pratice. I appreciate that we discussed all the questions after we tried to resolve them. I also found it really useful that John added notes in the presention as we went along and also used the Whiteboard tool to illustrate what he was explaining. The course was nicely structured, the explanations were clear.
Cameron Gough|Software Engineer|Capgemini –
Really useful to expand my agile knowledge
Brad Smith|Software Engineer|Capgemini –
I thought everything was presented very well and I feel I’ve learnt a lot, thanks Angelina!
Adam Williams|QA Trader|Derivco –
Course was very thorough and the numerous mock questions/exercises helped me to understand the syllabus.
Edward Jukes-Jones|Software Developer|Capgemini –
Great course and learnt a lot from Angelina