ISTQB® in a Nutshell
ISTQB ® Marketing Working Group
August 2012 – v13
Contents
1
Introduction to ISTQB®
2
ISTQB® : Worldwide Footprint
3
Syllabi and Exams
4
Benefits
5
Special Initiatives
6
Contacts
ISTQB® - August 2012
2
What is ISTQB® ?

ISTQB® : International Software Testing Qualifications
Board (www.istqb.org)
–
–
–
–
–

Non-profit association
Founded in 2002 - Headquarters in Belgium
With own constitution, rules and regulations
Composed of volunteer international Testing Experts
Responsible for “ISTQB® Certified Tester” scheme worldwide
ISTQB® is the world’s leading organisation for Software
Testing Certification
Advancing the
software testing profession
ISTQB® - August 2012
3
ISTQB® – Vision
ISTQB® Vision
“To continually improve and advance the software testing profession by:
Defining and maintaining a Body of Knowledge which allows testers to be
certified based on best practices, connecting the international software
testing community, and encouraging research.”
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4
ISTQB® – Mission (1)
ISTQB® Mission
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
We promote the value of software testing as a profession to individuals
and organizations.
We help software testers to be more efficient and effective in their
work, through the certification of competencies.
We enable testers to progress their career through a Professionals’
Code of Ethics and a multi-level certification pathway that provides
them with the skills and knowledge they need to fulfil their growing
responsibilities and to achieve increased professionalism.
We continually advance the Testing Body of Knowledge by drawing on
the best available industry practices and the most innovative research,
and we make this knowledge freely available to all.
We set the criteria for accrediting training providers, to ensure
consistent delivery of the Body of Knowledge, worldwide.
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ISTQB® – Mission (2)
ISTQB® Mission
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
We regulate the content and coverage of exam questions, the
examination process, and the issuing of certifications by official
examination bodies.
We are committed to expanding software testing certifications around
the world, by admitting member boards into the ISTQB®. These boards
adhere to the constitution, bylaws, and processes defined by the
ISTQB®, and participate in regular audits.
We nurture an open international community, committed to sharing
knowledge, ideas, and innovations in software testing.
We foster relationships with academia, government, media,
professional associations and other interested parties.
We provide a reference point against which the effectiveness of testing
services can be evaluated, by maintaining our prominence as a
respected source of knowledge in software testing.
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ISTQB® Values
Professionalism
Continuous
learning
Non-profit
independency
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Knowledge
sharing
Openness
Integrity
Consistency
Active
member
boards
7
International
presence
ISTQB® Value Chain
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8
ISTQB® Eco-system
 ISTQB ®
 Examination Body
• Creation of new syllabi
• Definition of worldwide rules
• Working Group activities
• Performs exams
• Issues certificates
 Member Board
•
•
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Translation/ Release of new syllabi
Accreditation of training providers
Creation and release of exam questions
Adoption of ISTQB® rules
Contribution to ISTQB® Working Groups
Perform exam/ issue certificates
Segregation of duties
International harmonization
and mutual recognition
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 Certified
Tester
 Accredited Training Provider
• Creation of course materials
• Delivery of courses
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ISTQB® Working Groups
Training providers
Member Boards
Exam Providers
ISTQB® General Assembly
Glossary
Release
Management
Executive Committee
Foundation
Marketing
Product Dev.
Steering
Committee
Strategy
Advanced
Audit
Expert
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Governance
TBOK
Exam
10
Processes
Contents
1
Introduction to ISTQB®
2
ISTQB® : Worldwide Footprint
3
Syllabi and Exams
4
Benefits
5
Special Initiatives
6
Contacts
ISTQB® - August 2012
11
ISTQB ® - The Evolution
1998
ISEB (Information Systems Examinations Board, part of the British Computer Society)
develops the Certified Tester Syllabus. The first Software Testers are certified in 1998
2002The I
ISTQB® (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) is founded by 8 member boards: Austria,
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and UK
2003
The syllabus for the “Advanced Level“ is completed
2004
First exams for “ISTQB® Certified Tester Advanced Level“
2006
The number of member boards grows steadily
2007
The Foundation and Advanced Syllabi are improved
2009
The number of Member Boards climbs further
The number of certifications reaches 100.000
2010
BCS withdraws ISEB Test Practitioner scheme in favor of ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced
Level. The first “Expert Level” syllabus is released
2011
More than 200.000 certifications issued across the world
Issue of additional Expert Level Syllabi
2012
New version of the Advanced Level syllabus
Activation of the “ISTQB® Partner Program”
First issue of the “ISTQB® Software Testing Excellence Award”
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Footprint – Geographic Coverage
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46 Boards
70 Countries
The countries in which ISTQB® operates contribute to
over 90% of the worldwide GDP
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Footprint–Number of Certifications
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As of March 2012 the number of certifications issued has
passed 240.000, with a trend of more than 10.000 new
certifications per quarter
Among the technology-independent certifications schemes,
ISTQB® is the third one in the IT industry in number of certified
persons (below only PMI and ITIL) and clearly the first in the
Testing subject
ISTQB® constitutes an international de-facto reference
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ISTQB®
Cumulative Certificates issued
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Footprint–Number of Certifications

The distribution of Certificates issued by ISTQB® as of
March 2012 is as follows:
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Results Analysis
Pass - Rate
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Results Analysis
Pass - Rate
Considering the pass-rate of ISTQB® exams we note that:

Foundation Level has an average pass-rate around 75%;

Advanced Level has an average pass-rate close to 58%. The
pass-rate difference between the different Advanced level
modules is not significant.
Please note that these pass-rate is calculated for the all ISTQB®
exams made world wide. Therefore the pass-rate of a single exam
can vary significantly comparing to this statistical data.
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Footprint–Number of
Accredited Training Providers
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
ISTQB® can rely on a considerable number of accredited
training providers worldwide
As of March 2012 we can count on:
– 180+ accreditations for Foundation Level
– 80+ accreditations for Advanced Level
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Contents
1
Introduction to ISTQB®
2
ISTQB® : Worldwide Footprint
3
Syllabi and Exams
4
Benefits
5
Special Initiatives
6
Contacts
ISTQB® - August 2012
20
ISTQB® - Syllabi and Glossary

ISTQB® has defined three levels of syllabi
– Foundation
– Advanced (Test Manager, Test Analyst, Technical Test Analyst)
– Expert (Improving the Test Process, Test Management, Test Automation *, Security
Testing *, etc.)
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
Syllabi are publicly available for download from the ISTQB®
Website
Syllabi are written by industry experts and continuously
reviewed and improved
Terms used in the ISTQB® syllabi are described in the
ISTQB® Glossary
* - publishing in progress
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ISTQB® – Levels and Syllabi
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ISTQB® – Foundation Level
SW Testing
Fundamentals
Testing throughout
the
software life cycle
Basic Elements
Software
Development
Models
Static
techniques
Testing design
techniques
Inspections
The test development
process
and testing process
Testing definition
Test levels
Inspection
Process (review)
General principles
Types of testing
Static Analysis by
tools
Testing process
Regression test
The psychology
of testing
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Test
management
Tool support of
Testing
Test Organization
Types of
Test Tools
Categories of test
design techniques
Test Planning
and Estimation
Effective
use of tools:
potential benefits
and risks
Specification-based
techniques
(black-box)
Test Progress
Monitoring
and Control
Introducing a tool
into an
Organization
Structure-based
techniques
(white-box)
Configuration
Management
Experience-based
Techniques
Risk Management
Choosing
test techniques
Incident
Management
ISTQB® - Advanced Level
(version 2007, to be replaced by new version by end of 2012)
Test Analyst
Technical Test Analyst
Test Management
Software testing
fundamentals
Testing throughout
the software
life-cycle
Test design
techniques
Static testing
techniques
Test
management
Tool support
for testing
Definition of terms
Software
Devel. models
Explanation of
techniques terms
Meaning of
static test
Organization
Types of
testing tool
Reason for testing
The economics
of testing
Black and white
box tests
Reviews and the
test process
Configuration
management
Tool selection
and use
Fundamental
test process
Test plan
Functional test
techniques
Types of review
Test estimation,
monitoring control
The psychology
of testing
Component test
Structural test
techniques
Static analysis
Incident
management
Re-test and
regression test
Integration test
Experience-based
techniques
Expected results
System test
Prioritizing tests
Testing standards
Acceptance test
Maintenance test
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Common topic
Test Analyst
topic
Test Management
topic
Technical Test
Analyst topic
ISTQB® – Advanced Level
Test Analyst (Beta Version 2012)
Testing Process
Test Management
Test Techniques
Testing
Software Quality
Characteristics
Reviews
Test Tools
Testing in the
Software
Development
Lifecycle
Test Progress
Monitoring and
Control
SpecificationBased
Techniques
Accuracy
Testing
Using Checklist in
Reviews
Test Design
Tools
Test Planning,
Monitoring and
Control
Distributed,
Outsourced and
Insourced
Testing
Defect-Based
techniques
Suitability
Testing
Defect
Management
Test Data
Preparation Tools
Test Analysis,
Design and
Implementation
Risk Based
Testing
ExperienceBased
Techniques
Interoperability
Testing
Defect Report
Fields
Automated Test
Execution Tools
Evaluation Exit
Criteria and
Reporting
Usability Testing
Defect
Classification
Test Closure
Activities
Accessibility
Testing
Root Cause
Analysis
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ISTQB® – Advanced Level
Test Manager(Beta Version 2012)
Testing Process
Test Management
Reviews
Defects
Management
Improving the
testing process
People Skills
Testing in the
Software
Development
Lifecycle
Risk Based
Testing
Management
Reviews and
Audits
Defect Lifecycle
Test Improvement
Process
Individual Skills
Test Planning,
Monitoring and
Control
Test
Documentation
Managing
Reviews
Defect Report
Information
Improving the
testing process
with CMMi, TPI,
CTP and STEP
Test Team
Dynamics
Test Analysis,
Design and
Implementation
Test Estimation
& Test Metrics
Metrics for
reviews
Test Tool and
Automation
Fitting testing
within an
organization
Evaluation Exit
Criteria and
Reporting
Business Value
of Testing
Managing Formal
Reviews
Tool Selection
Motivation
Test Closure
Activities
Distributed,
Outsourced and
Insourced
Testing
Tool Lifecycle
Communication
Managing the
application of
Industry
Standards
Tool Metrics
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ISTQB® – Advanced Level
Technical Test Analyst (Beta Version 2012)
Analytical
Techniques
Quality
Characteristics
for Technical
testing
Reviews
Test Tools and
Automation
Using Checklist in
Reviews
Integration and
Information
Interchange
Risk Based
Testing
Structured-Based
Testing
Risk
Identification
Condition
Testing
Static Analysis
General
Planning Issues
Risk Assessment
Modified Condition
/ Decision
Coverage (MC/DC)
Testing
Dynamic
Analysis
Security &
Reliability
Testing
Defining the Test
Automation
Project
Risk Mitigation
Path Testing
Performance
Testing
Specific Test
Tools
API Testing
Resource
Utilization
Maintainability
Testing
Portability
Testing
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ISTQB®- Expert Level
Improving the Test Process
Context of
Improvement
Model based
improvement
Analytical based
improvement
Selecting
the Approach
Organizational
Aspects
Managing
Change
Why?
Introduction
Introduction
Selection of test
process improv.
Organization
Change Manag.
Process
What can be
improved?
SW models
(CMMI, ISO 15504)
Causal Analysis
Process for
Improvement
Roles
Human factors
Views of Quality
Test models
(TPI, TMMi)
GQM model
Initiating &
Diagnosis of the
Situation
Skills
Critical Success
Factors
Generic
improv. cycle
(Deming, IDEAL)
Context based
models
(CTP, STEP)
Measures, Metrics
& Indicators
Establishing a
Test Impr. Plan
Key Success
Factors
Acting to implement
Improvements
Setting a culture
Learning from
Impr. Program
Adapting to different
Life Cycle Models
Overview of
Improv. approaches
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ISTQB® - Expert Level
Test Management
Mission, Policies ,
Strategy and Goals
Managing the
Test Team
Managing across
the Organization
Project Mngmt
Essentials
Test Project
Evaluation &
Reporting
Domain and
Project Factors
Mission, Policies,
Metrics of success
Building the
Test Team
Advocating the
Test Team
PM tasks
Tracking
Information
Considerations
for lifecycle
models
Test Strategies
Developing the
Test Team
Placement of the
Test Team
Project Risk
Management
Internal
Reporting
Managing partial
Lifecycle models
Alignment of Test
Policy and Strategy
Within Organization
Leading the
Test Team
Stakeholder
communication
Standards and
Regulations
External
Reporting
Release
Considerations
Managing External
Relationships
Creating and
Building
Relationships
Quality
Management
Test Results
Reporting and
Interpretation
Evaluating
Effectiveness &
Efficiency
Statistical
Quality Control
techniques
Metrics
Quality activities/
Tools across the
Organization
Project
Retrospectives
Ethical issues
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Exams

The exam is structured on multiple-choice questions for
Foundation and Advanced Level

For Expert Level, an essay is also required

Number of questions and length of exams are:
– Foundation exams: 40 questions, length = 1h (75 minutes for candidates taking
exams not in their native language)
– Advanced exams: 65 questions, length = 3h (or 225 minutes for candidates taking
exams not in their native language)

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Questions are defined in a very strict way
Exams can be held without attending the course
For more details, see the FAQ section in the ISTQB® Website
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Exam Questions

Questions are selected according to defined set of rules:
– Proportional distribution of questions on the basis of Syllabus chapters
topics.
– Distribution of questions on the basis of different types:
• K1 = Remember
• K2 = Understand
• K3 = Apply
• K4 = Analyze
(mnemonic contents),
(conceptual contents),
(exercise that requires the use of testing notions or techniques)
(exercise that requires also a contextual analysis)
Expert level exams include five different K-levels (K2 to K6), with two additional higher K-levels:
• K5 = Evaluate
• K6 = Create
ISTQB® - August 2012
(make judgments based on criteria and standards)
(reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure; devise a
procedure for accomplishing some task, invent a product)
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Contents
1
Introduction to ISTQB®
2
ISTQB® : Worldwide Footprint
3
Syllabi and Exams
4
Benefits
5
Special Initiatives
6
Contacts
ISTQB® - August 2012
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Benefits for Professionals

International recognition of acquired competences and
skills

Possibility to use the logo “Certified Tester”(with
identification of the specific level of certification)

Supports to the career path from foundation level to expert
level
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Benefits for Companies

The certification can be a competitive advantage for companies
thanks to the increased level of reliability of the applications
developed and the cost optimization of test activities, derived
from the ISTQB® competencies

The certification in consulting companies can offer high-level
services to customers, increasing revenues and brand value

ISTQB® has defined a “Partner Program” for the companies that
have a large number of certified testers
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Benefits for Training Providers


For educational institutes and consulting companies it is
possible to become an Accredited Trainer Provider; the
processes and rules for accreditation are defined at
international level
Accredited Training Providers can ensure a high standing
in training services thanks to:
– certified trainers
– training material whose content, quality and syllabi coverage is
checked by ISTQB® Boards
– early information and consultation on the evolution of ISTQB®
Glossary and Syllabi

Accredited Training Providers can benefit of specific logos
and are listed in the ISTQB® Website
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Contents
1
Introduction to ISTQB®
2
ISTQB®: Worldwide Footprint
3
Syllabi and Exams
4
Benefits
5
Special Initiatives
6
Contacts
ISTQB® - August 2012
36
ISTQB® Partner Program
Provides
recognition to
companies
that are
investing in
ISTQB® scheme
Community at
large
ALM developers/
Academia/ Public
Administration
IT User/ Service
Providers
Certified
Professionals
Training Providers
/Exam bodies
Member
boards
GA/
Exec/
WG
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Benefits for Partners
•
The main benefits of the ISTQB® Partner Program are:
-
World wide recognition of the partnership status through direct
exposure in the ISTQB® Web Site
-
Access to ISTQB® Conference Network events at special conditions
-
Receive new syllabi in Alpha version with the opportunity to contribute
to their review
-
-
Participation to the “ISTQB® Partner Forum” that will provide Partners
with highlights on the ISTQB® Roadmap and news.
Additional Local Benefits provided by the MBs/EPs
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Eligibility Points and
Thresholds

Companies can become an ISTQB® Partner if they have a
significant number of employees or external consultants
working for them that have passed certification exams by
ISTQB®.

The Program comprises four levels of partnerships that
have different eligibility thresholds:
–
–
–
–
Silver: 5 Points
Gold: 14 Points
Platinum: 30 Points
Global: A minimum of 1 Platinum Partnership and 2 Gold
Partnerships in at least 2 different countries.
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Eligibility Points and
Thresholds

The partnership level of an organization is determined
through the number of certification points it has
accumulated:
– Foundation certification = 1 point,
– Advanced certification = + 3 points (for each advance level
certification module achieved)
– Expert certification = + 5 points (for each expert level certification
module achieved)

Other criteria to follow in order to be eligible are:
– GOLD partnership requires to have at least 1 ADVANCED Level
certification;
– PLATINUM partnership requires to have at least 3 ADVANCED
Level certifications
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ISTQB® Award

ISTQB® has launched the ISTQB® International Software
Testing Excellence Award, an annual prize that is given for
outstanding contribution to the preservation, innovation or
research in the field of software quality.

Anyone can fill a proposal for a potential winner of the
"ISTQB® International Software Testing Excellence Award”,
filling in the Submission Form on the ISTQB® website
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ISTQB® Award criteria

The potential winner of the Award is selected for having
contributed to:
– Increase public awareness for the importance of software quality
and testing
– Advance the publication of research findings in the field of software
quality and testing
– Push further education on the subject of software quality and testing
– Support the creation of standards and norms in the area of software
quality ad testing
– Give new impulses to the improvement of software development
and testing processes
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Contents
1
Introduction to ISTQB®
2
ISTQB®: Worldwide Footprint
3
Syllabi and Exams
4
Benefits
5
Special Initiatives
6
Contacts
ISTQB® - August 2012
43
ISTQB® Contacts
ISTQB® Official Website:
www.istqb.org
ISTQB® Address:
Avenue du Roi, 206
1190 Brussels
Belgium
ISTQB® Contact E-mail:
ISTQB® - August 2012
info@istqb.org
44
ISTQB® Channels
You Tube presence
: http://www.youtube.com/user/ISTQBORG
Slide Share presence
: http://www.slideshare.net/ISTQBORG
LinkedIn Community
: http://www.linkedin.com/
groups?about=&gid=4064826&trk=anet_ug_grppro
Twitter channel
: http://twitter.com/#!/ISTQBORG
XING community
: https://www.xing.com/net/istqb
Facebook Page
: http://www.facebook.com/istqborg
ISTQB® - August 2012
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