ISTQB® certified

Proof of certification from recognized certification bodies is often a prerequisite for international contracts and is essential for successful project business. Our colleagues are experts and have sound specialist knowledge. Regular training and further education are a matter of course for us. We attach great importance to recognized certifications such as the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB®).

At SBS, multiple team members have been certified with the ISTQB® standard in foundation and advanced levels in different specializations. The latest was in mid-May after successfully completing their ISTQB® certification as Test Manager (Advanced Level) and ISTQB® certification as Technical Test Analyst (Advanced Level) two of our colleagues completed and successfully passed the training and certificate examination for "ISTQB® Certified Tester - Foundation Level Extension: Agile Tester (CTFL-EAT)" at Software Quality Lab.

Our colleagues have been working in quality assurance for several years and, especially in this field, regular training is essential to expand professional skills.

Why agile software development and how does it affect quality assurance?
Agile software development is a method in which it is possible to respond very quickly to change requests from the customer. These can then still be taken into account even if the project status is already very advanced. Functioning software and good cooperation with the customer are the focus here. See also here.

Agile software development usually takes place in short iterations. Classic quality assurance, which often focuses on testing after development, is often made more difficult by this. In order to ensure optimal quality, agile projects increasingly rely on automated tests, supplemented by explorative testing.

Procedure of the course and the certificate exam:
ISTQB® Certified Tester - Foundation Level Extension: Agile Tester (CTFL-EAT)
The preparation course for the ISTQB® certification as an Agile Tester (Foundation Level Extension) primarily looks at the role of a tester in agile software development teams.

The two-day preparation course for the certification exam took place online via a well-known video conferencing solution. Preparation courses in presence at various training locations of the training provider are also offered.

Participation in the course, from the office or home office, offers the advantage of being able to choose and set up your own learning environment. Longer journeys to and from the course can thus be avoided. Another positive aspect is that the training materials are transmitted electronically in advance, so you can prepare yourself optimally in self-study before the course begins. The online format is very routine and runs smoothly.

You will receive a registration link for the certificate exam in time before the end of the training. Unlike on-site training, where the exam was taken immediately after the training, in online training the date of the certification exam can be chosen freely at different dates.

In our experience, it is recommended to take the exam only a few days after the training. The material learned is then still well remembered and can be applied immediately.

The certification exam also takes place online. 15 minutes before the exam begins, you connect to the exam proctor via an exam link. Using a camera and microphone, the identity of the participant is checked by showing a photo ID. It is also checked that the examinee is alone in the room and that there are no training documents at the workplace.
After making sure that the person is the right one and that there are no supporting devices in the room, the one-hour test begins. The camera and microphone must remain activated throughout the exam.

The exam itself, is composed of 40 multiple choice questions. 26 correct answers (65%) are required for successful completion. Immediately after taking the exam, the result is displayed.

Experience from the course
This course provides a good theoretical overview of approaches from the world of agile software development and testing. Uniform terminology and best practices are learned.

However, the exchange of experiences with other participants from the course is only possible to a limited extent in the online version. Here we see the advantage clearly in training offers in presence, since an exchange with other testers from other companies can be very valuable.

The course content is standardized according to ISTQB® to ensure that testers in different companies and countries learn and apply uniform terminology and procedures.

The focus of the training in the preparation courses at basic level (Foundation Level) is mostly on learning the theory. However, the ISTQB® preparation training for the ISTQB® Certified Agile Tester at the Foundation Level Extension offers more practical content, which is very positive.

Further information:
Link to the course provider here.
Link to the test provider here.