Presently ISTQB provides 4 levels of certification:

• ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL)

• ISTQB Advanced Level (CTAL)

• Advanced Level (CTAL) - Full Advanced Level (after passing the above exams of Advanced Level)

• Expert Level

Revealing more details about the levels, Foundation Level has a theoretical approach to the subject and requires knowledge of software development - especially in the field of software testing.

Meanwhile, the different Advanced Level exams reaches more practical deeper knowledge special areas with some specialization backgrounds. Specifically, the Full Advanced Level categorizes specialization in three areas. Mentioned below are their tags and compact description.

• Test Manager: It deals with planning and control of the test process.

• Functional Tester: It concerns, amongst other things, reviews and Black box testing methods.

• Technical Tester: It includes component tests (also called unit test), requiring knowledge of White boxes testing and non-functional testing methods - this section also includes test tools.

Expert Level also is being bifurcated in four different categories, and they are touted as:

• Improving the Test Process

• Test Management

• Test Automation

• Security Testing

However, there are not pre-requisites for the Foundation Level certification, but the one opting for Advanced Level exam, are needed to pass the Foundation Level exam first and then prove professional experience (for example - the USA requirement is 60 months, India 24 months and Germany 18 months) as must.

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