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ISTQB® Certificates

ISTQB® does NOT issue certificates.

Please contact the Member Board or Exam Provider who issued your original certificate for a copy (fees may apply).

ISTQB® does NOT issue certificates.

Please contact the Member Board or Exam Provider who you took your exam with.

Yes, your ISEB certificate is grandfathered into the ISTQB® Certified Tester scheme and it is considered an equivalent to the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) as a prerequisite unless otherwise stated in an ISTQB® syllabus.

If you need to show that your certificate is authentic or valid e.g. for a prospective employer then you should advise them to contact the Member Board or Exam Provider who issued the certificate. The Member Board or Exam Provider will explain the process and confirm any costs.

If you are listed on the ISTQB® Successful Candidate Register (SCR) then you can provide them with the URL http://scr.istqb.org.

You must successfully pass an official ISTQB® exam for the certification you wish to achieve. Find an Exam Provider here.

You can find information (e.g. the number of questions, passing score, and exam length) on the relevant certification page (also refer to the documents in the “Exam Structure and Rules” section of the certification page). Find your certification here or click through from the ISTQB® Certified Tester scheme diagram here.

You can self-study or you can take an accredited training course to prepare for the exam. Find an ISTQB® Accredited Training Provider here.

ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) is the first step in the ISTQB® certification scheme. Holders of the CTFL are then able to go on to achieve other certifications, including Specialist and Advanced level certifications.

To achieve ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level certification, candidates must pass an ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level exam. You can find more information on the Certified Tester Foundation Level here (including the syllabus, sample exams, and the CTFL Exam Structure and Rules information).

Find Accredited Training Providers for CTFL here. Find Exam Providers for CTFL here.

Advanced level certifications are available in the ISTQB® Core and Agile streams.

To achieve Advanced level certification in the Core stream, candidates must hold the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) certificate, pass the relevant Advanced Level exam, and have sufficient practical experience (where defined).

To achieve an Advanced level certification in the Agile stream candidates must also hold the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level Agile Tester certification. Please refer to the individual certification pages for more information.

Core Advanced level:

Agile Advanced level:

Find Accredited Training Providers here. Find Exam Providers here.
Check out the ISTQB® Certified Tester scheme diagram here.

ISTQB® Expert Level certifications are intended for experienced testing professionals seeking to develop expertise in specific areas.

Two Expert Level certifications are available:

  • Certified Tester Expert Level Test Management (CTEL-TM v2.0): One certification covering expert-level test management. CTEL-TM v2.0 replaces the previous CTEL-TM v1.0 certification, which consists of three modules. The existing modules will be retired on November 10, 2027, for English-language examinations (including retakes) and accredited training, and May 10, 2028, for non-English-language examinations (including retakes) and accredited training.
  • Certified Tester Expert Level Improving the Test Process (CTEL-ITP): Consists of two separately examined parts — Assessing Test Processes and Implementing Test Process Improvement.

Candidates must meet the relevant certification prerequisites and examination requirements.

For further information, refer to the individual certification pages and the Expert Level (CTEL-TM / CTEL-ITP) FAQs in the ISTQB® Help Center.

Foundation Level certifications exist in the Core and Agile streams. Certified Tester Foundation Level is a prerequisite for Certified Tester Foundation Level Agile Tester.

 

Check out the ISTQB® Certified Tester scheme diagram here.

Advanced Level certifications exist in the Core and Agile streams. Click on the links for more information (including syllabus and sample exam):

Check out the ISTQB® Certified Tester scheme diagram here.

Expert level certifications exist in the Core stream.

Expert Level Test Management includes 3 parts (Note: there is an exam for each part):

Expert Level Improving the Test Process includes 2 parts (Note: there is an exam for each part):

Check out the ISTQB® Certified Tester scheme diagram here.

The ISTQB® Core stream provides testing knowledge and skills that can be applied across different technologies, methodologies, and application domains. It includes::

Foundation level:

Advanced levels:

Expert Level

For current syllabus versions and certification details, follow the links.

The ISTQB® Specialist stream provides in-depth knowledge and skills in specific areas of software testing. It enables testing professionals to develop expertise in particular technologies, testing approaches, quality characteristics, test levels, and industry domains.

The Specialist stream is organized into three divisions:

1. Technologies and Approaches

2. Quality Characteristics & Test Levels

3. Testing in Particular Domains

The ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) certification is a prerequisite for All Specialist certifications.

Some previous Specialist certifications and syllabus versions are being retired and remain available during their applicable sunset periods – check out the relevant product page.

New topics emerge due to technology, methodology, and industry changes in the market. For this reason, Specialist syllabi have been developed to expand the ISTQB® product portfolio to incorporate new or updated knowledge on these topics.

ISTQB® Foundation Level, Advanced Level, and Specialist certificates are valid for life.

Expert Level certification validity depends on the certification and the version under which it was issued.

  • Certificates issued under Certified Tester Expert Level Test Management (CTEL-TM) v2.0 do not require periodic renewal.
  • Existing Expert Level certificates issued under previous syllabuses may be subject to different validity, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and renewal requirements.

For further information, refer to the Expert Level syllabus or contact the relevant Member Board or Exam Provider.

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