International Software Testing Qualifications Board


The International Software Testing Qualifications Board is a software testing certification board that operates internationally. Founded in Edinburgh in November 2002, the ISTQB is a non-profit association legally registered in Belgium.
ISTQB Certified Tester is a standardized qualification for software testers and the certification is offered by the ISTQB. The qualifications are based on a syllabus, and there is a hierarchy of qualifications and guidelines for accreditation and examination. The ISTQB has over 673,000 certifications issued; the ISTQB consists of 63 member boards worldwide representing more than 100 countries as of October 2019.

Product portfolio

Current ISTQB product portfolio follows a Matrix approach characterized by
AgileCoreSpecialist
ExpertX
AdvancedXXX
FoundationXXX

ISTQB streams focus on:
Pre-conditions relate to certification exams and provide a natural progression through the ISTQB Scheme which helps people pick the right certificate and informs them about what they need to know.
The ISTQB Core Foundation is a pre-condition for any other certification.
Additional rules for ISTQB pre-conditions are summarized in the following:
Such rules are depicted from a graphical point of view in the ISTQB Product Portfolio map.
ISTQB provides a list of referenced books from some previous syllabi online.

Exams

The Foundation and Advanced exams consist of multiple choice tests.
Certification is valid for life, and there is no requirement for recertification.
ISTQB Member boards are responsible for the quality and the auditing of the examination. Worldwide there are testing boards in 63 countries. Authorized exam providers are also able to offer exams including e-exams.

Content

The exam for the Foundation Level has a theoretical nature and requires knowledge of software development – especially in the field of software testing.
The different Advanced Level exams are more practical and require deeper knowledge in special areas. Test Manager deals with planning and control of the test process. Test Analyst concerns, among other things, reviews and black box testing methods. Technical Test Analyst includes component tests, requiring knowledge of white box testing and non-functional testing methods – this section also includes test tools.