ISTQB CTFL v4.0 Exam Prep — Concepts + Practice

About this course

An independent, practice-heavy preparation course for the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0 exam, covering all six syllabus chapters through worked exam-style exercises, technique drills and coverage calculations. It is not affiliated with ISTQB; the official exam is booked through an ISTQB member board such as ITB in India or an accredited exam provider. You finish with a timed mock-exam drill and a capstone portfolio that applies the whole syllabus to a real practice app.

What you will be able to do

• Explain all six CTFL v4.0 chapters in your own words and map them to real project work
• Derive test cases with equivalence partitioning, 2- and 3-value boundary value analysis, decision tables and state transition testing
• Calculate EP, BVA, decision table, transition, statement and branch coverage for exam and project scenarios
• Run reviews, log anomalies and use a static analysis tool on real code
• Produce a test plan, three-point estimate, risk register, defect reports and test completion report
• Classify test tools and justify automation with benefits, risks and a break-even calculation
• Apply a three-pass time strategy to a 40-question, 60-minute mock exam and target a 32+ score
• Publish a CTFL-aligned capstone portfolio on GitHub and LinkedIn

Syllabus

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   1. Exam Blueprint, K-Levels & Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Testing Understand the CTFL v4.0 exam format, K-levels and chapter weightage, then master Chapter 1 (principles, error/defect/failure, test activities, testware and roles) through worked exam exercises. Lesson + Lab · 75 min · 7 lab tasks · 5-question quiz · Free preview
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   2. Chapter 2: Testing Throughout the SDLC — Levels, Types, Shift-Left & Maintenance Learn how SDLC models shape testing, how TDD/ATDD/BDD, DevOps and shift-left change the tester's role, and classify test levels, test types and maintenance triggers through exam-style drills. Lesson + Lab · 70 min · 6 lab tasks · 5-question quiz
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   3. Chapter 3: Static Testing — Reviews, Roles & Static Analysis Learn what static testing finds, the generic review process, review roles and the four review types, then review a flawed requirement set and run pylint as a static analyser. Hands-on Lab · 60 min · 6 lab tasks · 5-question quiz
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   4. Chapter 4 Black-Box I: Equivalence Partitioning & 2/3-Value BVA Drills Master Equivalence Partitioning and 2-value/3-value Boundary Value Analysis with six worked drills, coverage calculations and a Python helper to check your answers. Hands-on Lab · 90 min · 7 lab tasks · 5-question quiz
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   5. Chapter 4 Black-Box II: Decision Tables & State Transition Testing with Coverage Build, collapse and measure decision tables for a loan-eligibility rule, then model a PIN-lockout state machine and calculate all-states, valid-transitions and all-transitions coverage. Hands-on Lab · 100 min · 7 lab tasks · 5-question quiz
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   6. Chapter 4: White-Box Coverage, Experience-Based & Collaboration-Based Testing Measure statement vs branch coverage with coverage.py, solve pseudo-code coverage questions, run a session-based exploratory test on SauceDemo, and write ATDD acceptance tests in Gherkin. Hands-on Lab · 100 min · 7 lab tasks · 5-question quiz
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   7. Chapter 5: Managing Test Activities — Planning, Estimation, Risk, Monitoring & Defects Work through test planning, entry/exit criteria, estimation (ratios, extrapolation, Wideband Delphi, three-point), prioritisation, the test pyramid and quadrants, risk-based testing, reporting, configuration and defect management. Hands-on Lab · 105 min · 7 lab tasks · 5-question quiz
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   8. Chapter 6: Test Tools — Categories, Automation Benefits, Risks & ROI Classify test tools into syllabus categories, compare benefits and risks of automation, calculate an automation break-even point and wire a small GitHub Actions pipeline with test execution and coverage tools. Lesson + Lab · 50 min · 6 lab tasks · 5-question quiz
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   9. Full Mock Exam Drill — Timed Practice Set with Explained Answers Assemble a realistic 40-question CTFL mock, apply a three-pass time strategy, and solve 16 tough exam-style questions across all six chapters with explained answers and an error log. Hands-on Lab · 120 min · 6 lab tasks · 5-question quiz
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    10. Capstone Project: Apply the Full CTFL Syllabus to Swag Labs + Exam-Day Plan Act as the sole tester on a Swag Labs release: review the spec, write a test plan and risk register, derive test cases with EP/BVA, decision tables and state transitions, report defects and completion, publish the portfolio and lock in your exam-day plan. Capstone Project · 120 min · 8 lab tasks · 5-question quiz