History of this Document
This document is the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level Syllabus, the first level international qualification approved by the ISTQB® (www.istqb.org).
This document was prepared during June to August of 2019 by a Working Group comprised of members appointed by the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB®). Updates were added after review input from member boards who has used the Foundation Syllabus 2018.
The previous Foundation Syllabus 2018 was prepared between 2014 and 2018 by a Working Group comprised of members appointed by the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB®).
The 2018 version was initially reviewed by representatives from all ISTQB® member boards, and then by representatives drawn from the international software testing community.
Objectives of the Foundation Certificate Qualification
- To gain recognition for testing as an essential and professional software engineering specialization
- To provide a standard framework for the development of testers’ careers
- To enable professionally qualified testers to be recognized by employers, customers and peers, and to raise the profile of testers
- To promote consistent and good testing practices within all software engineering disciplines
- To identify testing topics that are relevant and of value to industry
- To enable software suppliers to hire certified testers and thereby gain commercial advantage over their competitors by advertising their tester recruitment policy
- To provide an opportunity for testers and those with an interest in testing to acquire an internationally recognized qualification in the subject
Objectives of the International Qualification
- To be able to compare testing knowledge across different countries
- To enable testers to move across country borders more easily
- To enable multinational/international projects to have a common understanding of testing issues
- To increase the number of qualified testers worldwide
- To have more impact/value as an internationally-based initiative than from any country-specific approach
- To develop a common international body of understanding and knowledge about testing through the syllabus and terminology, and to increase the level of knowledge about testing for all participants
- To promote testing as a profession in more countries
- To enable testers to gain a recognized qualification in their native language
- To enable sharing of knowledge and resources across countries
- To provide international recognition of testers and this qualification due to participation from many countries
Entry Requirements for this Qualification
The entry criterion for taking the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level exam is that candidates have an interest in software testing. However, it is strongly recommended that candidates also:
- Have at least a minimal background in either software development or software testing, such as six months experience as a system or user acceptance tester or as a software developer
- Take a course that has been accredited by one of the ISTQB-recognized member boards to ISTQB® standards.
Background and History of the Foundation Certificate in Software Testing
The independent certification of software testers began in the UK with the British Computer Society’s Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB), when a Software Testing Board was set up in 1998 (www.bcs.org.uk/iseb). In 2002, ASQF in Germany began to support a German tester qualification scheme (www.asqf.de). This syllabus is based on the ISEB and ASQF syllabi; it includes reorganized, updated and additional content, and the emphasis is directed at topics that will provide the most practical help to testers.
An existing Foundation Certificate in Software Testing (e.g., from ISEB, ASQF or an ISTQB-recognized member board) awarded before this International Certificate was released, will be deemed to be equivalent to the International Certificate. The Foundation Certificate does not expire and does not need to be renewed. The date it was awarded is shown on the Certificate.
Within each participating country, local aspects are controlled by a national or regional ISTQB-recognized Software Testing Board. Duties of member boards are specified by the ISTQB®, but are implemented within each country. The duties of the member boards are expected to include accreditation of training providers and the setting of exams.
