Learning Hub
Work through the six chapters of the ISTQB CTFL v4.0 syllabus, explore specialist topics from the other ISTQB syllabi, or search the full glossary below.
The CTFL v4.0 Syllabus
All six chapters in syllabus order, with exam weighting and the glossary terms each one covers.
- 1
Fundamentals of Testing
Learn the core concepts and principles of software testing.
- 2
Testing Throughout the SDLC
Understand how testing fits into different software development lifecycles.
- 3
Static Testing
Learn reviews, inspections, walkthroughs, and other static testing techniques.
- 4
Test Analysis and Design
Learn how to analyze requirements and design effective tests.
- 5
Managing the Test Activities
Learn test planning, estimation, monitoring, risk management, and reporting.
- 6
Test Tools
Learn how testing tools improve efficiency and quality.
Beyond the Foundation Syllabus
Specialist topics drawn from the other ISTQB syllabi and from ISO 25010.
Agile Testing
Whole-team approach, ATDD/TDD/BDD, planning poker, the test pyramid, and the testing quadrants.
Security Testing
Attacks, vulnerabilities, SAST/DAST, penetration testing, and the CVE/CWE/CVSS classification schemes.
Usability Testing
Think-aloud protocol, formative and summative evaluation, SUS and SUMI, heuristic review, and accessibility.
Performance Testing
Load and stress testing, operational profiles, virtual users, throughput, and resource utilisation.
AI Testing
Metamorphic testing, neuron coverage, adversarial examples, pseudo-oracles, and ML performance metrics.
Automotive Testing
ASIL and safety integrity levels, model/software/hardware-in-the-loop, Automotive SPICE, FMEA and fault trees.
Game Testing
Playtesting, math and par sheet testing, multiplayer synchronisation, and audio testing.
Advanced Test Management
Test strategy archetypes, TMMi and TPI Next, Wideband Delphi, RACI matrices, and quality gates.
Quality Characteristics
Functional suitability, performance efficiency, reliability, maintainability, portability, and compatibility.
Test Automation
Generic test automation architecture, the four layers, scripting approaches, and service virtualization.
Tell the Confusable Concepts Apart
The CTFL exam builds its wrong answers from neighbouring concepts. These pages work the distinctions that decide the most marks, with the rule for spotting which one a question is asking for.
Search the Glossary
Type to instantly find any of the 584 ISTQB terms, or browse the full A-Z index below.
All Terms A-Z
The complete index of all 584 glossary terms.
A40 terms
- A/B testing
- abnormal end
- abuse case
- acceptance criteria
- acceptance test-driven development
- acceptance testing
- accessibility
- account harvesting
- accountability
- actual result
- ad hoc testing
- adaptability
- adversarial example
- adversarial testing
- agile manifesto
- agile software development
- agile test leader
- agile test team leader
- alpha testing
- analytical test strategy
- analyzability
- anomaly
- anti-malware
- api testing
- application programming interface
- appraisal
- appropriateness recognizability
- assertion
- atomic condition
- attack vector
- attacker
- audio testing
- audit
- authentication
- authenticity
- authorization
- automation code defect density
- automotive safety integrity level
- automotive spice
- availability
B14 terms
C61 terms
- capability maturity model integration
- capacity
- capacity testing
- capture/playback
- causal loop diagram
- cause-effect diagram
- cause-effect graph
- certification
- checklist-based review
- checklist-based testing
- classification tree
- classification tree technique
- cli testing
- closed-loop-system
- code injection
- coding standard
- coexistence
- collaboration-based test approach
- combinatorial testing
- command-line interface
- commercial off-the-shelf
- common attack pattern enumeration and classification
- common vulnerabilities and exposures
- common vulnerability scoring system
- common weakness enumeration
- common weakness scoring system
- compatibility
- compliance
- compliance testing
- component
- component integration testing
- component testing
- computer forensics
- concurrency
- concurrency testing
- condition coverage
- condition testing
- confidence interval
- confidentiality
- configuration management
- confirmation testing
- connectivity
- consultative test strategy
- context of use
- continuous integration
- continuous testing
- contract testing
- control chart
- control flow
- control flow analysis
- convergence metric
- cost of quality
- coverage
- coverage criteria
- coverage item
- critical testing processes
- cross-browser compatibility
- cross-site scripting
- crowd testing
- custom tool
- cyclomatic complexity
D28 terms
- dashboard
- data flow analysis
- data obfuscation
- data privacy
- data-driven testing
- debugging
- decision coverage
- decision table testing
- decision testing
- defect
- defect density
- defect detection percentage
- defect management
- defect management committee
- defect prevention
- defect report
- defect taxonomy
- defect workflow
- defect-based test technique
- definition-use pair
- demilitarized zone
- denial of service
- destructive testing
- device-based testing
- driver
- dynamic analysis
- dynamic application security testing
- dynamic testing
E26 terms
- effectiveness
- efficiency
- efqm model
- emulator
- encryption
- end-to-end testing
- endurance testing
- entry criteria
- environment model
- epic
- equivalence partition
- equivalence partitioning
- equivalent manual test effort
- ergonomics testing
- error
- error guessing
- escaped defect
- ethical hacker
- exhaustive testing
- exit criteria
- expected result
- experience-based test technique
- experience-based testing
- expert usability review
- exploratory testing
- external failure
F27 terms
- failed
- failover
- failure
- failure mode
- failure mode and effect analysis
- failure rate
- false-negative result
- false-positive result
- fault attack
- fault injection
- fault seeding
- fault tolerance
- fault tree analysis
- feature-driven development
- field testing
- finding
- firewall
- follow-up test case
- formal review
- formative evaluation
- functional appropriateness
- functional completeness
- functional correctness
- functional safety
- functional suitability
- functional testing
- fuzz testing
H9 terms
I20 terms
- impact analysis
- incremental development model
- independence of testing
- independent test lab
- informal review
- information assurance
- information security
- input data testing
- insider threat
- inspection
- installability
- integration testing
- integrity
- interactive application security testing
- interface testing
- internal failure
- internationalization
- interoperability
- intrusion detection system
- iterative development model
K1 term
L11 terms
M41 terms
- maintainability
- maintenance
- maintenance testing
- malware
- malware scanning
- management review
- manufacturing-based quality
- master test plan
- math testing
- maturity
- mbt model
- mean time between failures
- mean time to failure
- mean time to repair
- measurement
- memory leak
- metamorphic relation
- metamorphic testing
- method table
- methodical test strategy
- metric
- ml functional performance
- ml functional performance criteria
- ml functional performance metrics
- ml model
- ml model testing
- mock
- model coverage
- model in the loop
- model-based test strategy
- model-based testing
- moderator
- modifiability
- modified condition/decision coverage
- modified condition/decision testing
- modularity
- monitoring tool
- multiplayer testing
- multiple condition coverage
- multiple condition testing
- myers-briggs type indicator
N6 terms
O9 terms
P31 terms
- pair testing
- pairwise testing
- par sheet testing
- pass/fail criteria
- passed
- password cracking
- peer review
- penetration testing
- performance efficiency
- performance testing
- performance testing tool
- pharming
- phase containment
- phishing
- planning poker
- player perspective testing
- playtest
- portability
- post-release testing
- postcondition
- precondition
- priority
- prisma
- process assessment
- process-compliant test strategy
- process-driven scripting
- product risk
- product-based quality
- project risk
- proximity-based testing
- pseudo-oracle
Q12 terms
R38 terms
- raci matrix
- ramp-down
- ramp-up
- random testing
- reactive test strategy
- reactive testing
- reconnaissance
- recoverability
- regression testing
- regression-averse test strategy
- regulatory acceptance testing
- reliability
- reliability growth model
- remote test lab
- replaceability
- requirement
- requirements-based testing
- resource utilization
- retrospective
- reusability
- review
- review plan
- reviewer
- risk
- risk analysis
- risk appetite
- risk assessment
- risk control
- risk identification
- risk impact
- risk level
- risk likelihood
- risk management
- risk mitigation
- risk monitoring
- risk-based testing
- root cause
- root cause analysis
S59 terms
- safety integrity level
- salting
- scalability
- scalability testing
- scenario-based review
- schema validation
- scribe
- script kiddie
- scripted testing
- security
- security attack
- security audit
- security policy
- security procedure
- security risk
- security testing
- sequential development model
- service virtualization
- session-based test management
- session-based testing
- severity
- shift left
- shift right
- sign change coverage
- sign-sign coverage
- simulator
- smart goal methodology
- smoke test
- social engineering
- software development lifecycle
- software in the loop
- software lifecycle
- software process improvement
- software qualification test
- software usability measurement inventory
- source test case
- specification by example
- spike testing
- standard-compliant test strategy
- state transition testing
- statement coverage
- statement testing
- static analysis
- static application security testing
- static testing
- stress testing
- structural coverage
- structured scripting
- stub
- summative evaluation
- system hardening
- system integration testing
- system of systems
- system qualification test
- system testing
- system throughput
- system under test
- system usability scale
- systematic test and evaluation process
T105 terms
- technical review
- test
- test adaptation layer
- test analysis
- test approach
- test architect
- test automation
- test automation architecture
- test automation engineer
- test automation framework
- test automation manager
- test automation solution
- test automation strategy
- test basis
- test case
- test case explosion
- test charter
- test closure
- test completion
- test completion report
- test condition
- test control
- test cycle
- test data
- test data management
- test data preparation
- test definition layer
- test design
- test director
- test double
- test environment
- test estimation
- test execution
- test execution automation
- test execution layer
- test execution schedule
- test execution tool
- test fixture
- test generation layer
- test harness
- test histogram
- test hook
- test implementation
- test infrastructure
- test item
- test leader
- test level
- test log
- test logging
- test management
- test management tool
- test manager
- test maturity model integration
- test mission
- test model
- test monitoring
- test object
- test objective
- test oracle
- test plan
- test planning
- test point analysis
- test policy
- test procedure
- test process
- test process group
- test process improvement
- test process improvement manifesto
- test progress
- test progress report
- test pyramid
- test report
- test reporting
- test result
- test run
- test schedule
- test scope
- test script
- test selection criteria
- test session
- test specification
- test step
- test strategy
- test suite
- test technique
- test type
- test-driven development
- test-first approach
- testability
- tester
- testing
- testing capability
- testing in production
- testing quadrants
- testware
- think aloud usability testing
- think time
- threshold coverage
- time behavior
- total quality management
- tour
- tpi next
- traceability
- traceability matrix
- transcendent quality
U22 terms
- unit test framework
- usability
- usability evaluation
- usability lab
- usability requirement
- usability test participant
- usability test script
- usability test session
- usability test task
- usability testing
- use case testing
- user acceptance testing
- user error protection
- user experience
- user interface
- user interface aesthetics
- user interface guideline
- user story
- user story testing
- user survey
- user-agent based testing
- user-based quality
V11 terms
W8 terms
X1 term
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