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
David Wong | Project Test Lead | Rare LTD –
I thought John was a very good teacher, always took time to explain things clearly and precisely, and was very patient when required. The actual course felt quite intensive but manageable.
Kirandeep | Kaur | IBM –
Course content was difficult so having more interactivity instead of a trainer speaking 9 to 5 would be more beneficial.
Samantha Clarke | Test Analyst | BLM –
I came to this course having already studied the syllabus and an additional book and knew where the gaps in my knowledge were. Rosie has helped to fill in those gaps and has explained things greatly and used examples to show this. She also spent time after day 2 giving me tips/advice which I greatly appreciated. Rosie is very patient with everyone’s different abilities and really knows her stuff. I appreciate the help she has given and would highly recommend her.
Harry Dawes | QA Test Analyst | CaseWare UK –
It was very informative and even the parts that we were bogged down with theory were made easy to follow & understand.
Adam Jones | Software Architect | Capgemini –
Trainer was good, well explained and friendly.
Course was presented well, but covered more than the scope of the testing course I signed up for. I don’t feel like the SDLC, Reviews, etc needed covering in this course and the section on actual test techniques was quite short.
Sam Liu | Graduate Technology Consultant | KPMG –
The training was interactive and Angelina is really helpful and engaging.
Joshua Smith | Senior validation engineer | Advanced Electronics –
Rosie did a fantastic job. she was very clear and very informative in the way she explained everything. The course isn’t simple, so explaining everything in detail was a great help. Thanks!
James Thomas Isted | Level 4 Software Tester Apprentice | HMRC –
Overall the course was good, unfortunately I will have to revise more afterwards due to the way I take in information. For some reason a person reading it out to me just doesn’t stick in my brain. Other than that a great course.
George Stephens | Software Test Apprentice | IBM –
Overall the course was good despite challenging content. Rosie was helpful, kind and friendly. She gave us frequent breaks and plenty of time to complete the excersises.
I think a smaller class would enable more interactive activities that would have benefited my learning more than the lecture style learning that had open questions.
Mohammed Hafijour Rahman | Graduate V+V engineer | Northrop Grumman –
Lovely guy and a great teacher but he asked if we were okay a little too much.
Ian Cook | Tester | Precision –
In depth & well explained, made sure everyone understood properly before moving on
Sam Reed | Lead Developer | Capgemini –
I found the course engaging and interesting, i would have preferred fewer words per slide and more breaks to digest. I also found that the length given for the questions during class time was not always proportionate to the effort required for the question. Angelina was a good host and i enjoyed chatting about real life examples.
Ormond Jones | Seniore Quality Assurane Analyst | Merit Software –
Course, whilst being intensive, was informative and thorough.
John was patient and explained any items clearly.
Genreal frustration at some of the exam questions, which I am sure have been mentioned many times before.
Jasvinder Marwaha | Test engineer | Capgemini –
Course was great, Lot of information to take in limited amount of time. I believe students will benifit if course trainig time could be increased from 3 to 4 days.
Vithuran Mahendran | Graduate Verification and Validation Engineer | Northrop Grumman –
Great Course!
Max Attwood | Graduate Trainee | KPMG –
Very well taught course. Lots of content that was present well and consolidated. Having access to past questions and answers makes all the difference. Having access to even more papers could be great for revision.
Yana Baker | Software Enginerr | Capgemini –
Interesting yet intense course, covers basic disciplines and necessary knowledge required for this field. Overall really enjoyed the experience, with an experienced instructor being able to link in real life situations definitely helped my learning. Sample questions and test exercises helped consolidate the content delivered over the three days. Just need to put the work in now to revise for the exam.
Lewis Surgenor | Software Tester | Capgemini –
Best course I have taken part on, the material was delivered well and each part was talked through thoroughly and each point was dissected to help us understand the points being made.
There was a large amount of information being delivered but It was all relevant to our course and my role as a Software Tester so It was a really interesting experience to be a part of. Angelina was a wonderful course leader, very welcoming and helped to explain if I got a question wrong and I really do like for the answer booklets for the practice questions that when it said the right answer, it actually explains WHY the answer is correct and WHY the others are wrong which makes it a lot easier to revise
The only thing I would want more of is more example exam questions to work through but that is personal for me and the best way that I revise, maybe a kind of “cheat sheet” for the end to help go over as well would help.
Chris Gibbs | Associate Technician | Ordnance Survey –
Course was well structured and tackles the syllabus. Rosie was a great trainer and made every step as clear as possible
Verbena Biasizzo | Test Engineer | Baillie Gifford –
The course was intense, but it was well structured (giving enough breaks to restore ourselves). The material to cover was a lot but there was always time to ask questions and stop if something wasn’t clear.