CTFL – Syllabus v4.0 – 0. Introduction

0.1. Purpose of this Syllabus

This syllabus forms the basis for the International Software Testing Qualification at the Foundation Level.
The ISTQB® provides this syllabus as follows:

1. To member boards, to translate into their local language and to accredit training providers. Member boards may adapt the syllabus to their particular language needs and modify the references to adapt to their local publications.
2. To certification bodies, to derive examination questions in their local language adapted to the learning objectives for this syllabus.
3. To training providers, to produce courseware and determine appropriate teaching methods.
4. To certification candidates, to prepare for the certification exam (either as part of a training course or independently).

To the international software and systems engineering community, to advance the profession of software and systems testing, and as a basis for books and articles.

0.2. The Certified Tester Foundation Level in Software Testing

The Foundation Level qualification is aimed at anyone involved in software testing. This includes people in roles such as testers, test analysts, test engineers, test consultants, test managers, software developers and development team members. This Foundation Level qualification is also appropriate for anyone who wants a basic understanding of software testing, such as project managers, quality managers, product owners, software development managers, business analysts, IT directors and management consultants. Holders of the Foundation Certificate will be able to go on to higher-level software testing qualifications.

0.3. Career Path for Testers

The ISTQB® scheme provides support for testing professionals at all stages of their careers offering both breadth and depth of knowledge. Individuals who achieved the ISTQB® Foundation certification may also be interested in the Core Advanced Levels (Test Analyst, Technical Test Analyst, and Test Manager) and thereafter Expert Level (Test Management or Improving the Test Process). Anyone seeking to develop skills in testing practices in an Agile environment could consider the Agile Technical Tester or Agile Test Leadership at Scale certifications.

The Specialist stream offers a deep dive into areas that have specific test approaches and test activities (e.g., in test automation, AI testing, model-based testing, mobile app testing), that are related to specific test areas (e.g., performance testing, usability testing, acceptance testing, security testing), or which cluster testing know-how for certain industry domains (e.g., automotive or gaming). Please visit www.istqb.org for the latest information on ISTQB´s Certified Tester Scheme.

0.4. Business Outcomes

This section lists the 14 Business Outcomes expected of a person who has achieved the Foundation Level certification.

A Foundation Level Certified Tester can…

FL-BO1 Understand what testing is and why it is beneficial
FL-BO2 Understand fundamental concepts of software testing
FL-BO3 Identify the test approach and activities to be implemented depending on the context of testing
FL-BO4 Assess and improve the quality of documentation
FL-BO5 Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of testing
FL-BO6 Align the test process with the software development lifecycle
FL-BO7 Understand test management principles
FL-BO8 Write and communicate clear and understandable defect reports
FL-BO9 Understand the factors that influence the priorities and efforts related to testing
FL-BO10 Work as part of a cross-functional team
FL-BO11 Know risks and benefits related to test automation
FL-BO12 Identify essential skills required for testing
FL-BO13 Understand the impact of risk on testing
FL-BO14 Effectively report on test progress and quality

0.5. Examinable Learning Objectives and Cognitive Level of Knowledge

Learning objectives support business outcomes and are used to create the Certified Tester Foundation Level exams. In general, all contents of chapters 1-6 of this syllabus are examinable at a K1 level. That is, the candidate may be asked to recognize, remember, or recall a keyword or concept mentioned in any of the six chapters. The specific learning objectives levels are shown at the beginning of each chapter, and classified as follows:

• K1: Remember
• K2: Understand
• K3: Apply

Further details and examples of learning objectives are given in Appendix A. All terms listed as keywords just below chapter headings shall be remembered (K1), even if not explicitly mentioned in the learning objectives.

0.6. The Foundation Level Certificate Exam

The Foundation Level Certificate exam is based on this syllabus. Answers to exam questions may require the use of material based on more than one section of this syllabus. All sections of the syllabus are examinable, except for the Introduction and Appendices. Standards and books are included as references (Chapter 7), but their content is not examinable, beyond what is summarized in the syllabus itself from such standards and books. Refer to the document Foundation Level Examination Structures and Rules.

0.7. Accreditation

An ISTQB® Member Board may accredit training providers whose course material follows this syllabus. Training providers should obtain accreditation guidelines from the Member Board or body that performs the accreditation. An accredited course is recognized as conforming to this syllabus, and is allowed to have an ISTQB® exam as part of the course. The accreditation guidelines for this syllabus follow the general Accreditation Guidelines published by the Processes Management and Compliance Working Group.

0.8. Handling of Standards

There are standards referenced in the Foundation Syllabus (e.g., IEEE or ISO standards). These references provide a framework (as in the references to ISO 25010 regarding quality characteristics) or to provide a source of additional information if desired by the reader. The standards documents are not intended for examination.

Refer to chapter 7 for more information on standards.

0.9. Staying Current

The software industry changes rapidly. To deal with these changes and to provide the stakeholders with access to relevant and current information, the ISTQB working groups have created links on the www.istqb.org website, which refer to supporting documentation and changes to standards. This information is not examinable under the Foundation syllabus.

0.10. Level of Detail

The level of detail in this syllabus allows for internationally consistent courses and exams. In order to achieve this goal, the syllabus consists of:

• General instructional objectives describing the intention of the Foundation Level
• A list of terms (keywords) that students must be able to recall
• Learning objectives for each knowledge area, describing the cognitive learning outcomes to be achieved
• A description of the key concepts, including references to recognized sources The syllabus content is not a description of the entire knowledge area of software testing; it reflects the level of detail to be covered in Foundation Level training courses. It focuses on test concepts and techniques that can be applied to all software projects independent of the SDLC employed.

0.11. How this Syllabus is Organized

There are six chapters with examinable content. The top-level heading for each chapter specifies the training time for the chapter. Timing is not provided below the chapter level. For accredited training courses, the syllabus requires a minimum of 1135 minutes (18 hours and 55 minutes) of instruction, distributed across the six chapters as follows:

• Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Testing (180 minutes)
  • The student learns the basic principles related to testing, the reasons why testing is required, and what the test objectives are.
  • The student understands the test process, the major test activities, and testware.
  • The student understands the essential skills for testing.
• Chapter 2: Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (130 minutes)
  • The student learns how testing is incorporated into different development approaches.
  • The student learns the concepts of test-first approaches, as well as DevOps.
  • The student learns about the different test levels, test types, and maintenance testing.
• Chapter 3: Static Testing (80 minutes)
  • The student learns about the static testing basics, the feedback and review process.
• Chapter 4: Test Analysis and Design (390 minutes)
  • The student learns how to apply black-box, white-box, and experience-based test
    techniques to derive test cases from various software work products.
  • The student learns about the collaboration-based test approach.
• Chapter 5: Managing the Test Activities (335 minutes)
  • The student learns how to plan tests in general, and how to estimate test effort.
  • The student learns how risks can influence the scope of testing.
  • The student learns how to monitor and control test activities.
  • The student learns how configuration management supports testing.
  • The student learns how to report defects in a clear and understandable way.
• Chapter 6: Test Tools (20 minutes)
  • The student learns to classify tools and to understand the risks and benefits of test automation.