Course overview
ISTQB® CTFL 4.0 course overview
What you will learn, how each day is laid out, and what is included. Print this page or save it as a PDF to share with your manager.
At a glance
- 24 hours of live, instructor-led teaching over 3, 4, 5 or 6 days, online. The 6-day class runs on weekday evenings and Saturday for people who work.
- Taught by Susan J Ruckman, an instructor certified to teach ISTQB® CTFL 4.0. The course’s ISTQB accreditation is pending.
- Includes two months of simul8R practice exams on the real exam screen (Pearson VUE, Kryterion or iSQI), a class portal with materials, and a certificate of completion.
- Your ISTQB® CTFL exam voucher from Brightest (brightest.org) is included in the course price. We show you how to book, and you can practice the check-in first.
Who it is for
Testers, developers, business analysts, product owners and career changers who want a recognized testing certificate. No prior testing experience is required.
What you will learn
- Fundamentals of testing: what testing is and why it is needed, the seven testing principles, test activities and work products, and the skills of a good tester.
- Testing throughout the software development lifecycle: test levels and test types, how testing fits different lifecycles, and maintenance testing.
- Static testing: work product reviews, review types and roles, and why finding defects early pays off.
- Test analysis and design: black-box techniques (equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision tables, state transition testing), white-box coverage, and experience-based techniques.
- Managing the test activities: test planning, risk-based testing, monitoring and control, configuration management and good defect reports.
- Test tools: which tools support which activities, and the benefits and risks of test automation.
Sample agendas
Typical layouts. Your instructor adjusts the pace to the class, and chapter 4 (test design techniques) always gets extra time because it carries the most exam questions.
| Format | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days · 8 hours | Ch 1 and 2 | Ch 3 and 4 | Ch 5 and 6, exam strategy, full practice exam | – | – | – |
| 4 days · 6 hours | Ch 1 and start of 2 | Ch 2 and 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 and 6, exam strategy, practice exam | – | – |
| 5 days · about 5 hours | Ch 1 | Ch 2 and 3 | Ch 4 (part 1) | Ch 4 (part 2) and 5 | Ch 6, exam strategy, practice exam | – |
| 6 days · 4 hours (evenings) | Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 and start of 4 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 and 6 | Exam strategy and practice exam (Saturday) |
Policies
- A class runs once it reaches its minimum size (normally 12). If it does not, you choose another date or get a full refund.
- Our CTFL 4.0 course is pending ISTQB accreditation. The exam is the same official ISTQB exam whichever course you take.
- ISTQB® is a registered trademark of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board. xSTELLAR8 and simul8R are not affiliated with or endorsed by ISTQB.
Questions? Call 571-327-8726 or send us a message. For teams, see corporate training.