ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Management (CTAL-TM) v3.0

The ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Management is aimed at anyone involved in the management of software testing. This includes people in roles such as testers, test consultants, test managers, user acceptance testers, scrum masters, project managers or product owners. This Advanced Level Test Management qualification is also appropriate for anyone who wants an advanced understanding of software testing such as project managers, quality managers, software development managers, business analysts, IT directors and management consultants.

Advanced Level Test Managers who have passed the Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Management exam should be able to accomplish the following Business Objectives:

• Manage testing in various software development projects by applying test management processes established for the project team or test organization
• Identify test stakeholders and software development lifecycle models that are relevant in a given context
• Organize risk identification and risk assessment sessions within any software development lifecycle and use the results to guide testing to meet the test objectives
• Define a project test strategy consistent with the organisational test strategy and project context
• Continuously monitor and control testing to achieve project goals
• Assess and report test progress to project stakeholders
• Identify necessary skills and develop those skills within your team
• Prepare and present a business case for testing in different contexts that outlines the costs and expected benefits
• Lead test process improvement activities in projects or software development product streams and contribute to organizational test process improvement initiatives
• Plan the test activities including the required test infrastructure and estimate the effort required to test
• Create defect reports and a defect workflow suitable for a software development lifecycle.

The entry requirements for the Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Management qualification are that the candidate must hold the ISTQB Foundation certificate and it is also suggested that candidates have at least a minimal background in either software development or software testing, such as six months experience as a tester or as a software developer.

Note that it is recommended that you attend an accredited training course run by an accredited training provider, as the overall exam pass rates are notably higher for candidates attending such courses.

The exam is taken after the course and consists of:

• 50 multiple-choice scenario-based questions (the point value for each question is between 1-3 points, depending on the question difficulty).
• Duration of 120 minutes (or 150 minutes for candidates taking examinations that are not in their native language).
• A Candidate must score at least 65% to pass (58/88).

Holders of the Advanced Level Test Management Certificate will be able to go on to the ISTQB® Expert Level software testing qualifications. The ISTQB® Certified Tester Advanced Level – Test Manager or Test Management certificate is valid for life and does not require renewal. The certificate is recognized internationally and demonstrates the candidates’ professional competence and credibility in test management.

Holders of the Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Management qualification may also wish to consider the other Advanced Level qualifications, Test Automation Engineer, Agile Technical Tester, Test Analyst, Technical Test Analyst and Security Tester.