Although pandemic has brought many challenges in our life, it has even triggered many fruitful habits within us, I guess many would agree with me to this statement. Along similar lines, these days writing has become an area of interest in me, and taking part in a "Write-A-Thon" to upgrade my confidence level was bliss.
Thank you NITHIN S.S for organizing the wonderful "#SuperReads2021: Synapse QA Global Write-A-Thon".
The best part of #SuperReads2021 is every participant's article is reviewed by highly talented "Super Reviewers". The most interesting and motivating factor to addon is we as participants would receive the "Super Reads Review Comments" where both our pros and cons in the article submitted are highlighted to revisit the areas to be proud of and areas to improvise in our content.
Thank you Synapse QA - Learn | Share | Grow and NITHIN S.S once again for this token of appreciation and for providing a wonderful platform to showcase our writing interest.
After being a Software Tester for more than eight years now and gaining knowledge and indispensable experience in Software Testing, only this year 2021 opened the doors for my CTFL Certification journey. In this article, I’ll share useful information about the ISTQB – CTFL program, How to prepare for the Certification exam, Exam Guidelines, and many more.
What is ISTQB?
Before we jump into the core concept of CTFL let’s understand or have some insight on ISTQB. ISTQB stands for “International Software Testing Qualifications Board”. It’s a nonprofit organization with the mission of “advancing the software testing profession”. ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) was founded in November 2002 and legally registered in Belgium. This is the only organization that has defined the “ISTQB® Certified Tester” scheme which has become the worldwide leader in the certification of competencies in software testing. A highly appreciated aspect of ISTQB® is that it’s an organization based on volunteer work by hundreds of international testing experts.
ISTQB Presence Worldwide
ISTQB® exams/certifications are administered by Member Boards. In 2002 ISTQB® was founded by 8 member boards to name them Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK, this clearly states that member boards are classified based on the countries. Currently, there are around 66 member boards across the globe which signifies that 66 countries are currently tied up with the ISTQB program. ISTQB’s official site has the list of all Licensed Member Boards please Click Here to know the list.
ISTQB® exams are offered through external Exam Providers and Member Boards acting as Exam Providers. An Exam Provider is an organization licensed by a Member Board(s) to offer exams locally and internationally. In order to find the nearest Exam Provider please visit the ISTQB official site to know the different Exam Providers here.
Certifications by ISTQB
ISTQB® uses Bloom’s Taxonomy to design its syllabus. A little information about Bloom’s Taxonomy: Bloom’s taxonomy is based on the belief that learners must begin by learning basics. Its core idea is foundational knowledge about a given subject is needed before anyone can progress to more complex types. In short, learners must have mastered basic knowledge about any subject before they can start applying their knowledge to that subject.
Along similar lines, the ISTQB Certification program starts from the entry-level of ISTQB – CTFL (Certified Tester Foundation Level). CTFL forms the base or pre-requisite for any higher level Certification within the ISTQB program. As of January 2021, 750,000+ certifications are issued. Below is the pictorial explanation of the different Certifications within ISTQB.
What is ISTQB -CTFL Certification?
Now that we know all about ISTQB and the different Certifications within it, let’s deep dive into our main area of CTFL. ISTQB Foundation Level is the first level that you can obtain by passing the CTFL exam. It forms the entry-level to be certified as a software tester, which includes the understanding of theoretical and practical concepts of Software Testing.
Who can appear
The Foundation Level qualification is suitable for anyone who is involved as well as interested in Software Testing. This includes people in roles such as testers, test analysts, test engineers, test consultants, test managers, user acceptance testers, and software developers. Also, it is appropriate for anyone who wants a basic understanding of software testing, such as project managers, quality managers, software development managers, business analysts, IT directors, and management consultants.
Validity
Foundation Level and Advanced Level ISTQB® certificates, including the Specialist ones, are valid for life.
Why CTFL
To justify our topic, firstly let’s take some insight from ISTQB® Effectiveness Survey Report 2019-2020. Based on this survey:
In terms of Test Skills – 85% of people have said ISTQB® CTFL certification will improve their future by improving their test skills
In terms of Career path – 87% of people have said it supports their career path.
In terms of Knowledge level – 74% of respondents consider that the ISTQB® Foundation Level certification exam reflects the knowledge of any candidate either reasonably well or exceedingly well.
CTFL will help you understand the fundamental concepts of software testing if you are new in the testing domain.
It improves your proficiency, by knowing the fundamentals clearly, it promotes effective communication within the team by using a common vocabulary related to software testing.
Increases your visibility at work and makes you a valuable member
CTFL Objective
As ISTQB® uses Bloom’s taxonomy to design its study pattern. CTFL follows the K-Level or Cognitive level – taxonomy from Bloom’s.
The Foundation Level covers four different K-levels (K1 to K4):
Chapters within the Syllabus are distributed across the K-Levels, Let’s see the CTFL Content and the K-Level distributions in further topics.
K1 (Remember): Here the candidate should remember a term or a concept.
K2 (Understand): Here the candidate should select an explanation for a statement related to the question topic.
K3 (Apply): Here the candidate should select the correct technique and apply it to a given context.
K4 (Analyze): Here the candidate will have to separate information related to a technique into parts for better understanding and need to distinguish between facts.
CTFL Content
The above picture explains the 6 different Chapters within the Foundation Level Syllabus.
A brief overview of each chapter is below:
Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Testing
• This Chapter has details about the basic principles related to testing, the reasons why testing is required, what are the different test objectives, and the different principles for successful testing.
• In short in this chapter we will understand the test process, the major test activities, and different work products.
Chapter 2: Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle
• Here we will learn how testing is incorporated in every step of a software development lifecycle.
• About the different test levels, test types, and more details on impact analysis when working with maintenance testing.
Chapter 3: Static Techniques
• This Chapter will deal with all the various static techniques of testing such as static analysis and reviews (i.e., informal reviews, walkthroughs, technical reviews, and inspections).
• Also this chapter has details on how to apply a review technique to a work product to find defects.
Chapter 4: Test Techniques
• This chapter covers the various test techniques i.e Black-box, white-box, and experience-based testing.
• Also we will learn how to apply test techniques to derive test cases from other software work products.
Chapter 5: Test Management
• Test management, this chapter deals with topics that are covered from a perspective where the tester can work with test managers, focusing on risk-based testing, test execution and defect reporting and handling.
• Also we will learn what could be included in the various test documentation work products, such as test plans and test reports.
• In detail this chapter explains how to report defects in a clear and understandable way.
Chapter 6: Tool Support for Testing
• This chapter has information for testers to classify tools, the risks and benefits connected with tools, and aspects of selecting and introducing tools.
Now that we know the different chapters, let’s check out the K-Level distribution across them.
Understand how the questions are distributed per chapter from the diagram below. You can focus your efforts on more important chapters and not waste your time on the chapters from which you might get only a couple of questions. I do not mean that you skip these chapters but focus on the chapters from where you get more questions. Do not skip any chapter if you want to clear ISTQB exams.
Guidelines to pass CTFL
Know the exam rules
The exam is a multiple-choice question set. There are a total of 40 questions. The passing grade is 65%, meaning that you are required to answer a minimum of 26 questions correctly to pass the exam. (Note: Non-Native English speakers, will receive an additional 25% time.)
Materials to choose for Preparation
The core Syllabus and the Textbook forms the Bible for your CTFL preparation. Let’s check out the details of it:
“Foundation of Software Testing: ISTQB Certification” by Rex Black, Dorothy Graham is the recommended text book. No need to refer to any other books. This textbook explains every concept in detail with simplified examples.
The ISTQB syllabus can be downloaded from the official website using the link – https://www.istqb.org/downloads/category/2-foundation-level-documents.html. The ISTQB syllabus is like notes made by summarizing the text book. You might not understand several concepts if you directly read the syllabus. So read the textbook first and then the syllabus.
Online Courses
Udemy platform nowadays serves as a great place to learn. I purchased the below Udemy course for myself, this served as a great learning source for me during my preparation time. The course is specially designed for those who are new to the testing domain. Each topic of the ISTQB official syllabus is explained in an easy to understand way with the help of real industry examples. After each chapter, some quizzes are included. After going through the quiz you can evaluate your understanding with the corresponding quizzes.
ISTQB official site has 3 sets of Sample Papers, please only rely on those sample papers. A point to talk here before moving ahead is ISTQB has refreshed their database, Foundation Syllabus is updated and the latest version now available is 2018. For this version there is no sample paper available on the internet, it’s my personal experience. During my preparation, I referred to a few good sample papers online (Example: ISTQB Patshala , Testing GURU , DumpsBase) but all were outdated, no point in referring to them, by solving online sample papers you can just get rid of your exam fear. Hence please focus on the Study materials and the sample paper that is available on the ISTQB official site.
How I prepared for my Exam
Firstly I did my personal research of connecting with already certified testers from different boards using the social handle – LinkedIn (How I picked the Certified Tester’s names? -Every board maintains a repository of Certified Testers hence picked a few names from there) and got some insights from them on the preparation and exam process and questions criticality.
I purchased the hardcopy textbook “Foundation of Software Testing: ISTQB Certification ” by Rex Black, Dorothy Graham for my own, as it’s always effective to study from hard copy rather than the softcopies.
Also I purchased the Udemy course “ISTQB Foundation Level CTFL training for 2021 + 1000 QUIZ” for myself which really helped to a great extent in my exam preparation.
Next I designed a pattern for myself for the exam preparation, firstly decided a timeline for the preparation and also planned my exam date prior, secondly I chose a study time for myself and with utmost willingness prepared for my exam. Also made it a habit of taking notes while preparing. I strongly believe that writing will not only help you learn more effectively, it will also help you revise all the concepts. Your brain has three kinds of memory cells: sound, sight and feel. The best kind of learning occurs when you use all three at the same time.
Meanwhile, to make myself comfortable for the exam, I solved the ISTQB Patshala sample papers online.
All these points helped me to prepare well for my exam.
Exam Registration
Taking into consideration the Covid-19 pandemic, ISTQB® has announced that we can use Remote Proctoring method to give our exams until the end of 2021 by sitting at our home. Hence we can just contact any local Member Board or Exam Provider for more information to book our exam.
Public candidates / Online Exam will get the result mail within 48 hours.
Paper Based Exam will take 2 weeks of time for result mail.
Certificates will be delivered at the candidate’s postal address within 2 months from the exam date, but in consideration of the current pandemic situation, this has been suspended for the moment, in this case softcopy of the certificate will be sent to the candidates email account.
ISTQB SRC
ISTQB SRCstands for ISTQB® Successful Candidate Register, after clearing the exam we need to request our concerned member board to update our result in this register. The ISTQB® Successful Candidate Register maintains the achievement of candidates who have passed an ISTQB® certification exam. It allows for the validation of certificates. As an example, employers and recruiters can check validity by inputting the full certificate number and matching the information provided by the certificate holder. Hence make sure to update your details in the official ISTQB SRC portal.
Before I end my article few Personal Opinions:
Do your personal research on the Certification you prefer to appear for.
Questions on the Internet are outdated for CTFL hence please don’t just rely on the dumps available online.
Reading the syllabus and solving samples is not enough, you need to understand the topics clearly.
Questions are Chapter Wise hence please don’t skip any chapters during your preparation.
Theory content in Syllabus 2011 and content in Syllabus 2018 are not the same.
Testing a Software is very similar to cooking, according to me being a cooking lover though 😇
I’m not an expert in cooking, but I do know some things about cooking:
there exist different cuisines
some dishes are famous only in certain areas
some dishes need more time to cook, some can be done in minutes
the correct proportion of salt is a must thing in every dish that we cook
All the above points need to be considered in order to cook a proper dish. To better relate the testing concept with cooking let’s consider an example: Cooking a Biryani.
the foremost important thing to be checked for is the rice variety that you choose for preparing the Briyani. Briyani goes best with Basmati Rice, many out there would agree with me.
another fact is you need a proper place to cook the Biryani.
there's also an important point of the rice to be cooked only 80 percent before giving it a dum.
there's also a need for a proper vessel to cook the Biryani, so it requires a wide thick bottom vessel.
These facts make me relate to an acronym: BELT, for Bait, Equipment, Location, and Timing (Read in an article online). Let’s use this in our later points.
All the above conditions have to be met in order to prepare a delicious yummy Biryani. If even one goes wrong, there would be a major mis in Briyani that was expected...
In the same sense, when you begin to find for a bug, consider the below points:-
not all bugs are the same there exist different varieties of bugs. What kind do you want to find?
you can’t find a bug everywhere. Where are you looking for bugs?
some bugs only exist at particular times. Are you looking at the right time?
some bugs won’t reveal their presence unless you provide the right stimulus. Are you using the right tools and data for the job?
So back to the BELT acronym that I mentioned before - Bait, Equipment, Location, and Timing. Let’s co-relate software testing to this acronym...
Let’s say the variety of bugs you’re looking for is a crash in a Web application. Crashes can be triggered when bad data is passed between functions, or if the application reads something wrong.
What would be the bait in this case? Does the application read data in from the command line? A file? A database? A network?
What would be the equipment? What tools will you use to assist in finding this bug?
Where would an ideal location be? Where would you expect to find this type of bug? At the application’s entry (such as initially reading a file), or deeper in the code (arguments passed between functions)? The approach would be different depending on where you’re cooking :-)
When would you expect to find these issues? Is there a particular time you might find a crash? Does your application behave differently at certain times of day, or when certain other events are happening?
The above questions will help you to a better approach to testing.
Hopefully, this has helped consider what kind of bug you’re looking for, and don’t forget your cooking BELT.
Hi Folks, It's been quite a long time posting in our blog.
Someone rightly said "Learning is a never-ending process", for the past few months got busy with my ISTQB-CTFL Certification preparation, a long time to do the task. With 3 months of continuous study and preparation happy to share that I cleared the exam and now can proudly say that I'm a Certified Testers 😊
There would be many Tester's around who would be in the pace of ISTQB preparation, so thought of sharing some key points from my learning phase.
1. Know about ISTQB Certification
Software testing certification demonstrates your knowledge and skill. The leading software testing standard is ISTQB software testing certification. That’s why ISTQB software testing certification is used in more than 100 countries making it by far the #1 software testing certification in the world.
Before we start let's check out the steps towards this ISTQB certification 😊
5 Steps to ISTQB Certification:
Start by learning about ISTQB Foundation Level Certification.
Then study for the ISTQB exam using the free ISTQB syllabus, sample exam questions & answers, and glossary of software testing terms. Or you can choose taking an accredited (proven) software testing training course.
Next, register for your exam through ISTQB exam provider.
Finally, pass the exam. Excellent! Once you clear the exam you will be added to the ISTQB successful candidate registry. You can now proudly display your software testing certificate and include your certification on your resume, stating that you are on the official ISTQB Certified Software Tester.
Keep moving up. Look at the Software Testing Career Path to see where you should take your career.
Being helpful means providing something of value so your audience comes to see you as a trustworthy and reliable resource. One such resource in recent times I witnessed is the "The Test Chat Community" The idea of The Test Chat is based on the fact that testers do not have an opportunity or platform to talk, discuss our problems, and overcome those challenges, practical situations, misconceptions about testing, and most importantly have fun.
2 months ago The Test Chat Community brought up a challenge of 21 days 21 tips? Where we need to share 1 tip with other testers for the next 21 days and we'll see there's a whole bunch of great tips after 21 days.
As a member of this community, I too shared my part. And to my surprise after 21 days of this challenge, there was an e-book released with all tester's ideas in one place. So why wait checkout the e-Book with great ideas loaded 21 Days 21 TIPS
The most important step in any API development is to check its functionality whether it is constructed to simulate the use of the API by end-user applications and fulfill the provided business requirements. There are several API testing frameworks and tools for getting the job done. Postman is one such tool that is handy and easy to use and offers features like create and send any HTTP requests, write test cases to validate response data, response times, analyze the responses sent by the API, create integration test suites and integrate with build systems.
Today we will discuss the commonly used Assertions while validating responses in POSTMAN.
Before jumping into the Test Scripts, let’s know some facts on Assertions.
Assertions: Assertion is nothing but code that can be used to check or analyze the response that is received from the server. An assertion is a code written in javascript in Postman that is executed after receiving the response. Assertions help us to assert that expected and actual values should match during a test run. If the actual and expected values don't match, then the test will fail with the output pointing to the failure.
Test cases in Postman:
(Note: In the Postman app, the request builder at the top contains the Tests tab where you write your tests. The response viewer at the bottom contains a corresponding Test Results tab where you can view the results of your tests)
To start building test cases quickly, commonly-used snippets are listed below.
