INTRODUCTION TO ISTQB

RACHAPONG PORNWIRIYANGKURA
27 APRIL 2010

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AGENDA
• INTRODUCTION
• FOUNDATION
• ADVANCED
• PREPARATION
• SAMPLE QUESTIONS

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HISTORY
• International Software Testing Qualifications Board
(ISTQB)
• Established in Edinburgh Scotland in November
2002
• More than 100k certifications
• Comprise of 45+ countries testing board
• Current President: Yaron Tsubery from Israel

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VISION
• To provide a standard framework for the
development of tester careers
• To be able to compare testing skills across different
countries
• Testers would be able to move across country
borders more easily
• Less cultural bias in the qualification

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CERTIFICATION

ISTQB
Foundation
Advanced
Test Manager
Test Analyst
Technical Test Analyst

Expert
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AGENDA
• INTRODUCTION
• FOUNDATION
• ADVANCED
• PREPARATION
• SAMPLE QUESTIONS

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE
• K1: Remember
• K2: Understand
• K3: Apply
• K4: Analyze
• K5: Synthesize
• K6: Evaluate

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FOUNDATION: ASSESSMENT
• Fundamentals of Testing
• Testing throughout the software life cycle
• Static techniques
• Test design techniques
• Test management
• Tool support

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FOUNDATION: EXAM
• 40 Questions in Total
• Breakdown
– 50% K1 (20 questions)
– 30% K2 (12 questions)
– 20% K3 (8 questions)

• Question Value
– Every question worth one mark each
– No negative for wrong answer

• Pass Marks 65% (26 questions)

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FOUNDATION: EXAM
• Type of exam: On-line
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Pre-requisite: None
• Type of question: Multiple Choices
• Cost: 130 GBP (VAT Exclusive)

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AGENDA
• INTRODUCTION
• FOUNDATION
• ADVANCED
• PREPARATION
• SAMPLE QUESTIONS

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ADVANCED: LEVELS
• Test Manager
– Risk-based test
– Testing processes
– Improving test process
– Test team development
• Test Analyst
– Behavioral and experienced-based testing
– Risk-based testing
– Testing standards
– Business-oriented testers
• Technical Test Analyst
– Advanced test automation
– Structural testing
– Non-functional testing
– Technical-oriented testers and programmers

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ADVANCED: ASSESSMENT
• Basic Aspects of Software Testing
• Testing Processes
• Test Management
• Test Techniques
• Reviews
• Incident Management
• Standard & Test Improvement Process
• Test Tool & Automation
• People Skills

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ADVANCED: EXAM
• 65 Questions in Total
• Breakdown
– 60% K2 (39 questions)
– 25% K3/K4 standard (16 questions)
– 15% K4 complex (10 questions)
• Question values
– K2 questions are worth 1 mark each.
– K3 questions are worth 2 marks each.
– K4 standard questions are worth 2 marks each.
– K4 complex questions are worth 3 marks each.
• Pass Marks 65%

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ADVANCED: EXAM
• Type of exam: Paper
• Duration: 3 hours
• Pre-requisite: Certified Foundation and 5 years
experience in software engineering or 3 years if
holds bachelor degree in engineering
• Type of question: Multiple Choices
• Cost: 180 GBP (VAT Exclusive)

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AGENDA
• INTRODUCTION
• FOUNDATION
• ADVANCED
• PREPARATION
• SAMPLE QUESTIONS

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PREPARATION
• Before Exam
– Always read syllabus thoroughly
– Practice with sample questions
– Read certified books
– Attend accredited training providers
• During Exam
– Keep the watch
– Able to go back to change answers
– Use the mark for unsure answers
• After Exam
– Foundation (on-line) will know result immediately
– Advance will take around a month

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PROCESS AND FEE
• Register via BCS for on-line foundation exam
• Require public exam registration for advanced level
• Fee
– Late Cancellation (7-14 days notice) 50% of examination
fee
– Late Cancellation (less than 7 days notice) 100% of
examination fee

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PASS RATE

80
72

61

50

Foundation
Advanced Test Manager
Advanced Test Analyst
ISEB Practitioner (old)

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AGENDA
• INTRODUCTION
• FOUNDATION
• ADVANCED
• PREPARATION
• STATISTICS
• SAMPLE QUESTION

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SAMPLE QUESTION
• Testing should be stopped when:
a) all the planned tests have been run
b) time has run out
c) all faults have been fixed correctly
d) both a) and c)
e) it depends on the risks for the system being tested

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SAMPLE QUESTION
• Given the following code, which is true about the
minimum number of test cases required for full
statement and branch coverage:
Read P
Read Q
IF P+Q > 100 THEN
Print “Large”
ENDIF
If P > 50 THEN
Print “P Large”
ENDIF
a) 1 test for statement coverage, 3 for branch coverage
b) 1 test for statement coverage, 2 for branch coverage
c) 1 test for statement coverage, 1 for branch coverage
d) 2 tests for statement coverage, 3 for branch coverage
e) 2 tests for statement coverage, 2 for branch coverage

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SAMPLE QUESTION
• The difference between re-testing and regression
testing is
a) re-testing is running a test again; regression testing looks
for unexpected side effects
b) re-testing looks for unexpected side effects; regression
testing is repeating those tests
c) re-testing is done after faults are fixed; regression testing
is done earlier
d) re-testing uses different environments, regression testing
uses the same environment
e) re-testing is done by developers, regression testing is
done by independent testers

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SAMPLE QUESTION
• Consider the following
types of tools:
V. Test management tools Y. Dynamic analysis tools
W. Static analysis tools Z. Performance testing tools
X. Modeling tools
• Which of the following of
these tools is most likely to
be used by developers?
a) W, X and Y c) V, W and Z
b) V, Y and Z d) X, Y and Z

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BOOKS: FOUNDATION
• Foundations of Software Testing: ISTQB
Certification by Dorothy Graham, Erik Van
Veenendaal, Isabel Evans, Rex Black, Paperback,
Jan 2008, ISBN 1844809897

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BOOKS: ADVANCED
• Advanced Software Testing - Vol. 1: Guide to the ISTQB
Advanced Certification as an Advanced Test Analyst by Rex
Black, Rockynook Computing, Paperback, Oct 2008, ISBN:
1933952199
• Advanced Software Testing - Vol. 2: Guide to the ISTQB
Advanced Certification as an Advanced Test Manager by Rex
Black, Rockynook Computing, Paperback, Dec 2008, ISBN:
1933952369
• The Software Test Engineer's Handbook: A Study Guide for
the ISTQB Test Analyst and Technical Analyst Advanced
Level Certificates by Graham Bath & Judy McKay, Rockynook
Computing, Paperback, Jul 2008, ISBN 1933952245

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REFERENCE
• http://www.bsc.org/iseb
• http://www.istqb.org
• http://www.uktb.org.uk

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CONCLUSION
• ISTQB is an international organization certified
testers around the world
• Provide full syllabus freely
• Certificate is evolving and improving every day

• Contact:
[email protected]

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