Course Overview
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0 course is your gateway to advancing your software testing career. This fully accredited programme provides a solid foundation in software testing principles, preparing you for the globally recognised ISTQB CTFL certification.
Tailored for professionals in the UK and beyond, it covers best practices aligned with modern methodologies, including Waterfall, Agile, DevOps, and Continuous Delivery.
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Course Highlights
- Duration: 3-day intensive training. (9am – 5pm)
- Format: Available in Virtual, Classroom and E-learning
- Online Pre-Course: Approximately four to five hours to complete
- Exam Simulator: Our simulator is designed to prepare you for success in the CTFL exam
- Content: Covers the latest ISTQB syllabus, exam preparation, and revision.
- Accreditation: Fully accredited by UKITB on behalf of ISTQB
- SFIAplus Level: Rated at level 3 by the BCS.
E-Learning Course
Our e-learning ISTQB Software Testing course includes:
- 12 months access to accredited online materials
- ISTQB® CTFL v4.0 exam (valid for 12 months)
- Exam simulator for practice
Why Choose ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0 Certification?
- Globally recognised qualification: Achieve the ISTQB CTFL certification, a benchmark in software testing excellence.
- Career Advancement: Enhance your prospects in the UK and international markets.
- Comprehensive Curriculum: Gain in-depth knowledge of software testing concepts and terminology.
- Versatile Application: Apply learned skills across multiple software development approaches.
Who Should Attend This Course?
This ISTQB Certification course is ideal for:
- Software testers and test analysts
- Test engineers and consultants
- Test leads and managers
- User acceptance testers
- Software developers
- Project and quality managers
- IT directors and management consultants
About ISTQB and the Certified Tester Scheme
ISTQB® (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) established the globally recognized Certified Tester scheme to:
- Provide internationally acknowledged professional qualifications
- Enable software companies to hire and train certified testers
- Facilitate global understanding and comparison of testing skills
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Entry Requirements
Important note regarding pre-course
There is mandatory online pre-course work that must be undertaken prior to attending this course. It is expected that it will take approximately four to five hours to complete. You will be sent full instructions with a link to the online pre course three weeks prior to course commencement.
On arrival at the course candidates should have read the provided Syllabus in preparation for the course. The course is intensive and those delegates who have prepared achieve a higher exam success rate.
CTFL Exam
To qualify as an internationally recognised Certified Foundation Level Tester and be issued with an ISTQB® Foundation Level Certificate, delegates must successfully pass the exam:
- The examination consists of a one-hour exam with 40 multiple choice questions.
- It will be a ‘closed book’ examination i.e. no notes or books will be allowed into the examination room.
- Duration of 60 minutes (or 75 minutes for candidates taking examinations that are not in their native language)
- The pass mark is 65% (26 out of 40).
Learning Objectives
The Business Outcomes expected of a candidate who has achieved the new Foundation Level certification are as follows:
- Understand what testing is and why it is beneficial
- Understand fundamental concepts of software testing
- Identify the test approach and activities to be implemented depending on the context of testing
- Assess and improve the quality of documentation
- Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of testing
- Align the test process with the software development lifecycle
- Understand test management principles
- Write and communicate clear and understandable defect reports
- Understand the factors that influence the priorities and efforts related to testing
- Work as part of a cross-functional team
- Know risks and benefits related to test automation
- Identify essential skills required for testing
- Understand the impact of risk on testing
- Effectively report on test progress and quality
ISTQB Foundation Level Syllabus
- Fundamentals of Testing
- Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle
- Static Testing
- Test Analysis and Design
- Managing the Test Activities
- Test Tools
E-Learning – Key Points
- Fundamentals of testing
- Test activites, testware and roles
- Essential skills and good practices
- Testing in context of software development lifecycles
- Test levels, test types and maintenance testing
- Static testing basics
- Feedback and review process
- Test techniques overview
- Black box testing
- White box testing
- Experienced based testing
- Collaboration-based test approaches
- Test planning
- Risk Management
- Test monitoring, control and completion
- Configuration and defect management
- Test tools
- Exam hints and tips
Next steps/Follow on courses
The Certified Tester Foundation Level certification is the prerequisite to the other modules within the Certified Tester Scheme.
The “Core” stream modules are valid for any technology/ methodology/ application domain and build on the Foundation Level:
- Advanced Test Manager
- Advanced Test Analyst
- Advanced Technical Test Analyst
The “Agile” stream focuses on testing practices specifically for the Agile methodology:
- Advanced Agile Technical Tester
The “Specialist” stream provides a deep dive into areas which may be based on quality characteristics, specific test approaches and test activities, or which cluster testing know-how for certain industry domains:
- Acceptance Testing
- AI Testing
- Mobile Application Testing
- Model-Based Tester
- Security Tester
- Test Automation Engineer
Philippa Hodge | Automation Tester |WTC –
Very good at keeping people’s attention – much harder online so she did a grand job of that.
Philippa Hodge | Automation Tester |WTC –
Very good at keeping people’s attention – much harder online so she did a grand job of that.
Patrick Wilson | Test Analyst |IBM –
Very Informative, a good pace to the course and really good explanations and links to how it will be used in the “Real world”. My only “Even better if”, is if a little more writing on the slides could be done just to explain the slides a little more.
Patrick Wilson|Test Analyst|IBM –
Very Informative, a good pace to the course and really good explanations and links to how it will be used in the “Real world”. My only “Even better if”, is if a little more writing on the slides could be done just to explain the slides a little more.
Sheila Brogden|Tester|Civil Service –
Rosie is clearly very knowledgeable about the subject and was able to use lots of real life examples to demonstrate her explanations.
Victoria Blake-Dobell|Software Tester|DNV –
My trainer was thorough and friendly, and the course provided me with a lot of incredibly useful information and insights.
Adam Compton|Test & Config Analyst|ERS –
Solid instruction, decent support materials. Impacted slightly (albeit completely understandably) by having it performed remotely, but the trainer did very well considering.
Tony Thomas|Product Delivery Test Analyst|LV Insurance –
Rosie Sheldon was absolutely fantastic at explaining, making sure you understood if you raised any questions, clear, approachable. It was a pleasure!
Austen Fletcher|Software Tester Trainee|Reallymoving Ltd –
I felt that Rosie dealt very well with the volume of content, in particular during the first day (which she kindly warned us about).
I also found it useful that she gave us guidance on the sorts of areas we ought to prioritise learning.
I found her teaching style engaging, and appreciated the way she brought in personal anecdotes to help us associate the course content with more relatable scenarios, as well as the way she brought up past content to help reinforce it.
Ivaylo Leonkev| Technology Consultant Graduate Trainee| KPMG UK –
Course was very well structured and presented. The pacing was good and the breaks were scheduled just at the right times.
Priya Uka|Functional Tester|RCI Financial Services –
There was a lot of content to learn but I feel John went through it very well and willingly slowed down and went over content until everyone confirmed they understood.
Breaks were given at good intervals which helped everyone come back ready to absorb more content
Chad Bradshaw|Test Analyst|Elecosoft –
Very good – was able to stay focused and information was explained in a simple and clear way.
John Smith|Software tester|Apteco Ltd –
High intensity, a lot of info being delivered. Excellent verbal presentation by tutor.
Sample questions convoluted and poorly written – not a reflection of TSG or Rosie!
Very pleased I had someone walking me through the material.
Rosies ability to explain answers not initially understood didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I was looking for a ‘recipe’ of how to approach the question and quickly decipher it’s meaning. Personally that wasn’t always what I received, and I felt one or two explanations for others failed to offer a different way of saying what was said originally. If there was an area to improve on, then that is the only one I could identify.
Julia Steinberg –
I really enjoyed the course – the material was presented excellently and was very thouroughly explained. It was engaging and I felt like it has helped me tremendously in understanding the basics of testing and how to adhere to best practices.
Thank you very much, John, for the great experience!
George SPEDDING|SENIOR TEST MANAGER|MOD –
INTENSIVE COURSE BUT WELL PRESENTED
Chris Webber|Test Analyst|LV Insurance –
John really was an excellent tutor. Patient, knowledgeable, kind, able to simplify and demonstrate complex subjects with ease. I really think he made all the difference and I feel lucky that he was our tutor. The course itself was very well structured & I felt like I learnt a lot in a short space of time.
Ramesa Khan|Junior QA Engineer|O2 –
Really good, john interacted very well and made it very easy to understand
Jim McGrellis|QA & Test|Telefonica UK –
The course content and trainer were good, the course was very intensive and a lot to take in.
Due to covid it was delivered virtually, which is not my preferred method of learning, I would have preferred a classroom based course for something as intensive and involved as this course, but understand the reasoning behind this due to the current circumstances. Thanks
Zahra Jaffer|Junior Test Analyst|IRIS Software Group –
The course was quite complex but I felt that John explained everything in a very clear and concise manner so that it was understandable. I am very pleased with the training and the resources that have been given to me, I feel as though I have learnt a huge amount. A lot of this goes to the trainer as he took the time out to answer our questions and give us better examples and techniques for the exam.
Kumud Ranjan|Associate Manager|Accenture –
Great trainer. Explain the every bit with the example which really help to understand the concept and always happy to assist.