There are two key testing certification bodies – ISTQB & CSTE. ISTQB is easy and popular among UK testers. But CSTE is well recognized in States. (See the comparison table below)
[[ A Must Read –
Why one should go for ISTQB Software Testing Certifications? and ISTQB and AST – Which one should you go for? ]]
Sr. No | Area of comparison | ISTQB | CSTE |
1 | Certification provided by | International Software Testing Qualification Board (ISTQB) | Quality Assurance Institute (QAI) |
http://www.istqb.org/ | http://softwarecertifications.org/ | ||
2 | Prerequisites | None. Anyone can take up this examination | 18 months of experience in Software Testing + minimal educational experience (check the website… It gives this very clearly) |
3 | Levels of Certification offered | Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) | Certified Associate in Software Testing (CAST) |
Certified Tester Advanced Level – Test Analyst (CTAL-TL) | Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE) | ||
Certified Tester Advanced Level – Technical Test Analyst (CTAL-TTL) | Certified Manager of Software Testing: (CMST) | ||
Certified Tester Advanced Level – Test Manager (CTAL-TM) | |||
4 | Certification coverage | Can be considered as a subset of CSTE syllabus. | Superior coverage when compared to ISTQB.. 10 Skill categories are there |
ISQTB certification has 4 levels , starts from Foundation. | Probably somewhere between 2nd level and 3rd level of ISQTB would match CSTE. | ||
5 | Examination pattern | ISTQB Foundation: 75 Mins closed book exam consists of approximately 40 multiple choice questions of 1 points each. An exam amounts to 40 points total, pass is 65%(26 points) | CSTE has four sections and total exam duration is 270 min. There are 2 section having 50 objective questions and time limit is 45 min and 2 sections having subjective 6 to 10 questions and time limit as 75 min. With 10 min, break after each paper the total duration. |
6 | Recertification Required for First Level? | No | Yes – every 3 years |
7 | Others | – CSTE costs approximately thrice compared to ISTQB foundation level | |
– ISQTB is totally objective while CSTE examination consists of written and objective | |||
– CSTE is preferred in US and Asian countries, while ISTQB/ISEB preferred in UK |
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