ISTQB® CTAL-TA - Advanced Level Test Analyst

Domain testing, combinatorial testing, CRUD testing, state transition testing, decision table testing, metamorphic testing: these are techniques the ISTQB CTAL-TA 4.0 syllabus names, and test analysis and design take just over half its teaching time. In the tecnovy training you apply them to exercises and pick the right one for a product risk. As a tecnovy addition, you draft test cases with AI tools and check them with exactly these techniques.

Attendance certificate4.8/5 on ProvenExpert

What this module delivers.

CTAL-TA is the ISTQB Advanced Level certification for the business side of testing: black-box and experience-based rather than white-box. In the tecnovy training you select techniques by product risk, write test charters and find defects in the specification.

How the training runs

Method: Exercises on every test technique, plus an official sample exam
Basis: Official ISTQB CTAL-TA syllabus 4.0
Outcome: 45 questions, 51 of 78 points, exam not in seminar price

Dates & booking

Choose a date that fits

No public dates are scheduled yet.

New dates are published regularly. Join the waitlist or plan an in-house course for your team.

Request in-house training

Fit

Who this module is designed for

Typical roles

You design business-facing tests and want to go beyond equivalence partitions and boundary values.
You check from the business side whether software meets its requirements and business rules.
You want to use AI in test design without handing over the checking of its results.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisites

For exam admission: the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level certificate, preferably version 4.0; earlier versions are also accepted.
Alternatively a certificate that the German Testing Board expressly recognises as equivalent.

What helps you in the course

At least six months of experience, for example as a system or acceptance tester or as a developer. The syllabus strongly recommends it.

Consider instead AI for QA & Testing Uses AI across all test activities, as a tecnovy course with no exam and no CTFL certificate required.

Curriculum

ISTQB CTAL-TA Course in Detail

Syllabus 4.0 splits CTAL-TA into five chapters across at least 20.25 hours of instruction, and just over half of that goes to test analysis and test design. After the five chapters come the AI exercises, which tecnovy adds and which are not part of the exam.

01The Tasks of the Test Analyst in the Test Process

Here you work out what test analysts contribute to each test activity.

Test analysis, test design, test implementation and test execution
High-level and low-level test cases and their quality criteria
Test environment and test data requirements, the test oracle problem
Developing test scripts with keyword-driven testing

02The Tasks of the Test Analyst in Risk-Based Testing

You determine test scope from product risks and changes.

The test analyst's contribution to product risk analysis
Risk control from the test analysis side
Deriving the scope of regression testing from the impact of a change

03Test Analysis and Test Design

Just over half the teaching time, spread across three families of techniques and how to choose among them.

Data-based: domain testing, combinatorial testing, random testing
Behaviour-based: CRUD testing, state transition testing, scenario-based testing
Rule-based: decision table testing, metamorphic testing
Test charters, checklists, crowd testing and choosing a technique by product risk

04Testing Quality Characteristics

The focus stays functional, with contributions to user-facing non-functional testing.

Functional correctness, appropriateness and completeness
The contribution to usability testing
Flexibility testing: adaptability and installability
Compatibility testing with a view to interoperability

05Software Defect Prevention

This part starts before a defect reaches the code.

Defect prevention practices and the test analyst's contribution
Finding defects in a specification with a model of the test object
Applying review techniques to the test basis
Analysing test results and classifying defects for root cause analysis

06AI practice (tecnovy addition, not examinable)

tecnovy adds these exercises; the ISTQB syllabus does not contain them.

Applying test techniques with AI support
Checking AI output with the syllabus's systematic techniques

Official syllabus

Outcome

What you will be able to do afterwards

01
You apply domain testing and combinatorial testing and derive test cases from them.
02
You test workflows with CRUD, state transition and scenario-based testing.
03
You test business rules with decision tables and use metamorphic relations where no exact test oracle exists.
04
You write test charters for session-based testing and checklists for experience-based techniques.
05
You select the test techniques that fit a given product risk and justify the choice.
06
You analyse the impact of a change and set the scope of regression testing from it.
07
You find defects in the specification with models and review techniques before they reach the code.
08
In the tecnovy addition you draft test cases with AI tools and check them with the syllabus techniques.

Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Analyst

Once you pass, you receive the ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Analyst certificate. It is valid for life and never needs renewing.

Certification terms istqb.org ↗

Examination

ISTQB CTAL-TA examination

45Questions

Working time: 120 min
Pass mark: 51 / 78
Format: Multiple Choice
Conditions: Closed Book

The examination is administered by our exam partners iSQI and Brightest, not by tecnovy. 42 of the 78 points come from chapter 3, test analysis and test design. If you do not sit the exam in your native language you can apply for 25 percent more time; the application has to be in at least one week before the exam date.

Official examination rules istqb.org ↗

Proof of attendance

Certificate of participation

≥80%attendance

The tecnovy certificate of participation records your attendance of the CTAL-TA training, not a passed ISTQB examination.

Sample of the tecnovy certificate of participation

Open the Certificate Showroom tecnovy →

Offer scope

What the course price does not cover

Not included

Fee for the ISTQB certification examinationThe exam fee is charged by the exam partner, not by tecnovy, and is not part of the seminar price.

Why tecnovy

What you get on top with us

Certification Guarantee

Our pass rate is impressive. If you do not pass at the first attempt, we cover your second attempt (online exam), provided you sit it within 24 hours of the training.

Certificate Showroom

Get your certificate of participation and, if you have one, add your exam certificate from E-Learning. Fully automated, beautifully designed. Just for you, only at tecnovy.

Flexible Date Change

If you are not able to attend the course, you can rebook your training free of charge up to one week before the start of the training.

Attend Twice, Pay Once

You are welcome to visit the training course online again within a year as a refresher or exam preparation.

No Slideshow, Hands-On!

Promised: no PowerPoint marathon. We work in groups, tie theory to practice, and you get real project examples from our experienced trainers plus the exchange with like-minded people.

Learn from Experts

We always guarantee you the use of didactically and methodically first-class qualified trainers who draw their knowledge from training experience as well as professional practical and project experience.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

01What do I need to be admitted to the CTAL-TA examination?

You need the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level certificate; ISTQB prefers version 4.0 but also accepts earlier versions. Alternatively, a certificate that the German Testing Board expressly recognises as equivalent is accepted. The CTAL-TA syllabus strongly recommends six months of testing or development experience, but it is not an admission condition.

02How is the CTAL-TA examination structured?

The ISTQB CTAL-TA exam has 45 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, and you pass from 51 of 78 points. Questions test understanding, application or analysis and count one, two or three points depending on that level.

03Is the examination part of the tecnovy CTAL-TA training?

No. The tecnovy CTAL-TA training prepares you for the examination, which is administered by our exam partners iSQI and Brightest. The exam is not part of the seminar price.

04Are the AI exercises part of the ISTQB CTAL-TA syllabus?

No. The AI exercises are a tecnovy addition and are not examinable. The CTAL-TA 4.0 syllabus does not teach using AI in testing; it names AI-based systems only as an example for test oracles and for metamorphic testing.

05Which test techniques does CTAL-TA add to CTFL?

The CTAL-TA 4.0 syllabus adds, among others, domain testing, combinatorial testing, random testing, CRUD testing, scenario-based and metamorphic testing, and crowd testing. Test analysis and test design take 615 of its 1215 minutes of instruction.

06Can I take the CTAL-TA exam in German?

Yes. According to the German Testing Board, the CTAL-TA exam is available in German or English depending on the exam provider, and syllabus 4.0 exists in both languages.

07I hold CTAL-TA 3.1. Do I need to retake the exam?

No. Your CTAL-TA 3.1 certificate stays valid, because ISTQB certificates are valid for life. If you want to show you are up to date, you can also take the exam on the rewritten syllabus 4.0, which is what the tecnovy CTAL-TA training prepares you for.

08Which ISTQB modules does tecnovy offer after CTAL-TA?

At tecnovy, CTAL-TM takes you into test management at project level. If you want AI in testing as an ISTQB certification of its own, tecnovy offers CT-GenAI on testing with generative AI and CT-AI on testing AI-based systems, each with its own exam.

What does your training at tecnovy look like?

CTAL-TACTAL-TA - Advanced Level Test Analyst

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