

Click here to see how to schedule your exam.
What are the exam options available?
How to request extra time
What is 2TRY and how does it work?
Please note:
CTFL 4.0 is the latest released syllabus version for the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level!
If you are seeking to take an exam on Syllabus Version 3.1 (2018) please click here. Training courses and exams (including re-takes) may continue for the 3.1 syllabus in English only until May 09th 2024 and in other languages until November 09th 2024.
The ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level 4.0 (CTFL 4.0) certification provides essential testing knowledge that can be put to practical use as well as the terminology and concepts used worldwide in the testing domain. The CTFL 4.0 certification is relevant across software delivery approaches and practices whether Agile, Waterfall or DevOps with continuous integration, continuous delivery and continuous testing.
To be certified you must pass the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level 4.0 (CTFL 4.0) exam. You can prepare for the exam by attending an accredited training course for CTFL 4.0; participants will have relevant content and topics clearly explained and taught to them. The syllabus covers important topics in the field of software testing, starting with the fundamentals of software testing, testing throughout the software development lifecycle, static testing, through to test design procedures, management and tools.
The exam is available via remote proctor or via Pearson Vue for anyone wishing to self-study.
Get prepared with our online mock exam!
The Foundation Level certificate exam is based on the syllabus (available in attachments). 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 Structure and Rules (available in attachments).
Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Testing (180 minutes)
Chapter 2: Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (130 minutes)
Chapter 3: Static Testing (80 minutes)
Chapter 4: Test Analysis and Design (390 minutes)
Chapter 5: Managing the Test Activities (335 minutes)
Chapter 6: Test Tools (20 minutes)
There are no specific requirements or required pre-certifications.
The ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level 4.0 (CTFL 4.0) supports skills development for anyone interested or pursuing a career in testing or who is supporting testing within their organization. CTFL 4.0 is an internationally recognized certificate; holders should be able to:
Holders of the Foundation certificate will have the necessary pre-requisite needed to be eligible for other industry-recognized ISTQB® software testing qualifications including the Advanced and Specialist modules.
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.
It 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 of ISTQB® software testing qualifications.
The ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level qualification is a prerequisite for going on to study the following ISTQB® certificates:
ISTQB® Specialist Certifications:
ISTQB® Agile Certifications:
ISTQB® Advanced Level:
ISTQB® Expert Level:
If you are seeking to extend your knowledge of test automation, we recommend:
Software testing is a set of activities to discover defects and evaluate the quality of software artifacts. These artifacts, when being tested, are known as test objects. A common misconception about testing is that it only consists of executing tests (i.e., running the software and checking the test results). However, software testing also includes other activities and must be aligned with the software development lifecycle (Chapter 2 of the CTFL 4,0 syllabus).
Another common misconception about testing is that testing focuses entirely on verifying the test object. Whilst testing involves verification, i.e., checking whether the system meets specified requirements, it also involves validation, which means checking whether the system meets users’ and other stakeholders’ needs in its operational environment.
Testing may be dynamic or static. Dynamic testing involves the execution of software, while static testing does not. Static testing includes reviews (see chapter 3 of the CTFL 4.0 syllabus) and static analysis. Dynamic testing uses different types of test techniques and test approaches to derive test cases (see chapter 4 of the CTFL 4.0 syllabus).
Testing is not only a technical activity. It also needs to be properly planned, managed, estimated, monitored and controlled (see chapter 5 of the CTFL 4.0 syllabus).
Testers use tools (see chapter 6 of the CTFL 4.0 syllabus), but it is important to remember that testing is largely an intellectual activity, requiring the testers to have specialized knowledge, use analytical skills and apply critical thinking and systems thinking.
The ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-1 standard provides further information about software testing concepts.
Testing provides a cost-effective means of detecting defects. These defects can then be removed (by debugging – a non-testing activity), so testing indirectly contributes to higher quality test objects.
Testing provides a means of directly evaluating the quality of a test object at various stages in the SDLC. These measures are used as part of a larger project management activity, contributing to decisions to move to the next stage of the SDLC, such as the release decision.
Testing provides users with indirect representation on the development project. Testers ensure that their understanding of users’ needs are considered throughout the development lifecycle. The alternative is to involve a representative set of users as part of the development project, which is not usually possible due to the high costs and lack of availability of suitable users.
Testing may also be required to meet contractual or legal requirements, or to comply with regulatory standards (Source: ISTQB® CTFL 4.0 Syllabus).
Data sheet