The ISTQB® Advanced Level Test Management (CTAL-TM) certification provides the knowledge and competencies to take responsibility for managing all the testing activities across the software development lifecycle. It covers everything from how to design a suitable test approach for the project based on the organizational test strategy to building a test team or testing competencies to complete the necessary testing.

This e-learning course has been updated for the 3.0 version of the syllabus! Purchase the course, and get started toward your ISTQB Certification today.

How this Syllabus is Organized 

Managing the Test Activities

• The participant learns to explain the test management activities (i.e., test planning, test monitoring, test control, and test completion)
• The participant learns to define a project test strategy including the test objectives and selecting the proper test approach consistent with the organizational test strategy and the project context
• The participant learns to manage projects in various contexts
• The participant learns to apply risk-based testing to focus testing on the identified risks
• The participant learns to lead the test process improvement activities by conducting a project or iteration retrospective
• The participant learns how to improve tool support for testing by taking into consideration the risks, costs, and benefits of tool support

Managing the Product

• The participant learns how to monitor and control testing to meet test objectives using test metrics and to assess and report the test progress
• The participant learns to select proper test estimate techniques at different subsidiaries following different software development models
• The participant learns how to define a defect workflow within defect management to fit sequential, Agile, and hybrid software development model

Managing the Team

• The participant learns how to analyze a given project context to identify the skills required by the test team
• The participant learns to manage a team according to the whole team approach
• The participant learns how to define a business case for the testing activities in the project 

Course Objectives

In this training course, you will learn how to:

• Implement software testing for different software development projects according to the appropriate test processes.
• Identify the relevant test participants and models along the software development life cycle.
• Organize risk identification and assessment sessions with your test objectives in mind, and use the results to control the test.
• Define a project test strategy that fits the organizational test strategy and the project context.
• Monitor and control testing to ensure that test objectives are met.
• Evaluate test progress and report to stakeholders.
• Identify and develop the skills needed in the team.
• Create and present a business case that shows the costs and expected benefits of testing.
• Lead activities to improve the testing process in software development projects or product streams and contribute to initiatives to improve the testing process in the organisation.
• Plan testing activities, including the necessary testing infrastructure, and estimate testing effort.
• Create a bug workflow and bug reports suitable for a software development lifecycle.

E-learning Demo – View a sample of this course without obligation and for free.

Course Includes

• Three months of unlimited access to the online course
• Foundation Sample Exam Questions and Foundation Level mock exam to provide a review of the Foundation Level exam
• ISTQB Advanced Level Certified Tester - Test Management v3.0 Syllabus
• A set of approximately 600 PowerPoint slides covering the topics to be addressed
• A downloadable copy of the complete note set. Download the materials to a PC or mobile device.
• NEW!! A downloadable copy of the complete note set. Download the materials to a PC or mobile device. There is no expiration date on access to this valuable resource as they will be downloadable. Digital rights management and intellectual property rights are protected by some limitations such as the inability to share the file with others. Further, while the materials can be printed, each page includes a prominent watermark, with the exception of the pages in the ISTQB Syllabus and Glossary.
• The latest glossary of terms used in Software Testing produced by a member of the ISTQB
• Standards for Software Testing
• Advanced Test Management Sample Exam Questions embedded throughout the course. A complete set of questions for every learning objective in the Test Manager module of the ISTQB Advanced Syllabus
• Exercise solutions
• Advanced Test Management Mock Exam
• Project Source Documents for Course Exercises
• Course completion certificate (often used for employer reimbursement)

Course Outline

Three months of unlimited online access is provided with the course. Each section includes sample exam questions and exercises for main techniques.

The following contents will be covered

Managing test activities in the test process

• Context of testing
• Stakeholders and their importance
• Test management for different software development life cycle models, test levels and test types
• Planning, monitoring and control
• Risk-based testing – quality, activities, techniques and metrics
• The test strategy and determining factors such as the project, organization and objectives
• Test process improvement - model-based (e.g. TMMi, TPI Next); analytical
• Test tools - selection, life cycle, metrics

Product Management

• Test metrics - monitoring and reports
• Estimation of test activities and test effort
• Defects - life cycle, management across functions
• Reports and process improvement measures

Test Team Management

• Required test team skills, skills assessment and development
• Required management skills
• Motivation and demotivating factors
• Stakeholder relations
• Quality and cost

This course was accredited by the ISTQB. This course follows the ISTQB® Advanced Level Test Management (CTAL-TM) v3.0 syllabus.

Blended e-learning, licenses, and volume discounts are also available for companies. Login instructions are to be emailed.

Certification Exam

• If you had purchased an exam, an exam voucher will be emailed to you with instructions on how to book the ISTQB certification exam in a separate email
• Remote-proctored exams – The ISTQB Certified Tester exams can be taken online at home via a remote-proctor
• The Advanced Test Management Certification exam is comprised of 50 multiple-choice questions, with a pass mark grade of 58% to be completed within 125 minutes

To learn more about ISTQB^® exams, consult the Exam FAQs. Take a look at the sample exams made available by ISTQB^®. You can find them inside every syllabus folder in Download area.