ISTQB and CSTE Software Testing Certification Comparison – Which one is better?

Certifications


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 – 
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