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
Dan Baird| Associate QA Consultant| tiQtoQ –
Richard was very detailed and clear in his explanations of the syllabus as well as the slides presented to us throughout the course duration. He also presented the information in a way that was easy to understand for newcomers to the industry, which made the information all-the-more digestible.
The course itself was great at explaining the details of the ISTQB syllabus that were otherwise only briefly covered within the syllabus itself. I would gladly take another course again from TSG.
Blair McManus| QVT Technical Leader| Almacgroup –
Course was informative and gives a foundation. Disruptive changing trainer, although appreciate it couldn’t be helped. Additional breaks given when requested helped (trainer responsive to trainees needs). Breakout rooms were not helpful. Preference would be to go through the question with trainer, rather than going down the wrong path with other trainees.
Niall Coyle| Senior Systems Analyst| Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust –
Both John & Richard were excellent trainers. Both had an obvious natural enthusiasm to the content they were teaching, and I really enjoyed a lot of the content. Some of the more technical content will require further independent revision to get right, but the training was structured very well and everything was absolutely explained in the best possible way. Thank you.
Anonymous –
Angelina did a great job maintaining engagement and adapting the course based on the participants.
Anonymous –
Angelina was brilliant. Made a very long detailed course enjoyable. I loved the interaction and the break up of the learning with challenging the knowledge of the group on what is being taught. The breakout rooms were great way of learning and it was nice to talk to people on the course.
Albin Nilsson| Consultant| Nexer Enterprise Applications –
Angelina did a great job maintaining engagement and adapting the course based on the participants.
Mandy Leonard| Test Analyst| Oxford University –
Angelina was brilliant. Made a very long detailed course enjoyable. I loved the interaction and the break up of the learning with challenging the knowledge of the group on what is being taught. The breakout rooms were great way of learning and it was nice to talk to people on the course.
Anonymous –
It was strictly my own company, I would have preferred other companies to attend. Also, I feel the trainer should have reviewed material before the course as there mistakes found during delivery. Otherwise, very knowledgable and enthusiastic. Thank you.
Lubna Khan| Tester| BAE –
It was strictly my own company, I would have preferred other companies to attend. Also, I feel the trainer should have reviewed material before the course as there mistakes found during delivery. Otherwise, very knowledgable and enthusiastic. Thank you.
Anonymous –
5/5 – The trainer clearly was experienced and knowledgable, not everyone likes being on camera – I would encourage people to try and get on camera to help keep the course positive.
Anthony Edward Yellop| Technical Development Advisor| MPS –
5/5 – The trainer clearly was experienced and knowledgable, not everyone likes being on camera – I would encourage people to try and get on camera to help keep the course positive.
Anonymous –
I went alright, felt very rushed sometimes and very slow at other times, found Angelina to be extremely passionate but I’d say the actual course should be split into 6 days rather than 3, as 3 felt too rushed, learning about a topic and then immediately moving on with no time to digest it
The breaks were also very random, having no set amount of time for breaks or lunch was not good (e.g. go have a 7 minute break at 10:53) or (e.g. go have lunch from 13:05 to 13:55)
I also struggled to apply a lot of it to my own work, often having to use e.g. chatgpt to explain a question in the context of game development / live service games – which was super useful!
Anonymous –
My facilitator was very clear and knowledgeable. and so it easy to understand and follow the content.
Anonymous –
The course was interesting and informative.
Anonymous –
Course was very informative but a lot of content to digest is a short space of time.
Anonymous –
First two days was good, but last day felt rushed
Anonymous –
For me, there is a lot of information in three days, it would be better to increase the number of days in the course. It is also difficult to study all day, half a day is better.
The trainer is a very confident and a good speaker.
Anonymous –
Angelina was great, she was clearly passionate about teaching and wanted to engage with as many of us as possible. Unfortunately, I can only really comment on Day 1 and part of Day 3 as I was under the weather and missed Day 2, but she had a clear understanding of the content being taught and knew how to communicate that. She was polite and friendly, and wanted to encourage people to get involved as much as possible while not picking on individuals to provide answers when there was uncertainty within the group. I feel this is a trap trainers fall into too often, where they want to fill the silence by forcing a member of a group to provide an answer, Angelina recognised when that silence was present and rather than picking on someone, instead elected to give us a steer and start a conversation, which I definitely appreciated.
The pre-course reading was very helpful, it gave me a thorough understanding of the material prior to course starting. I personally found that the most effective parts of the training were the elements of the course which were initially tackled by the pre-course material, and then cemented by going through those concepts again with Angelina. Allowing me to get into the material in my own time, and then solidifying my understanding during wider discussions was very helpful, I think that trying to teach some of these concepts in a group setting is limiting to the trainer and the trainee, as ultimately people learn at different speeds and in different ways. There was a lot to get through and it sometimes felt rushed as some individuals did not complete the reading ahead of time, if more people did then it would have allowed for more in depth discussion about the particulars of these topics, rather than needing to give a crash course first.
Think my only issue with this course was that the pre-course style material didn’t cover the latter modules, I feel incredibly confident with my understanding of the modules covered in day 1, but less so in the following ones (again this is in part due to missing bits as a result of illness). It would be great to have that style of content to engage with ahead of time, so I can focus on the nuances of the topics, which I feel is where the value came from, with Angelina. Let me do the basic understanding myself in order to allow Angelina to show her expertise and give her experiences to help complete that understanding.
Also, working in games development appears to be very different to typical software development, at least it is at Jagex – while there was some transferable knowledge myself and my colleagues often felt like we needed to recontextualise things into our work environment. This is of course not a fault of Angelina, but might be something to bear in mind when producing future training.
Thank you for your time Angelina, it was a pleasure! Wishing you all the best.
Anonymous –
I had a wonderful training time. Thanks a lot!
Anonymous –
Very insightful. Really enjoyed the way sample questions and homework was inserted at the end of each topic. The explanations and use of whiteboard by Richard to explain the concepts made it quite easy to grasp them.