ISTQB® releases Certified Tester Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst v4.0 (CTAL-TTA)

ISTQB® has released the Certified Tester Advanced Level (CTAL) Technical Test Analyst (TTA) Version 4.0. This is a major update to the CTAL-TTA certification. CTAL-TTA is a “Core” module within the ISTQB® Certified Tester Scheme and an in-demand next step after the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL).

The release consists of the ISTQB® Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst Syllabus (v4.0), Sample Exam Questions and Answers (v4.0), CTAL TTA Overview (v4.0) and Accreditation Guidelines (v4.0) each supported by ISTQB® Glossary keyword items and Business Outcomes with full Learning Objectives traceability. The combined Exam Structure and Rules has been updated and released also (v1.1).

An overview of the main changes in the new 4.0 version compared with the 3.0 (2019) version can be found in the Release Notes on the ISTQB® website. Overall v4.0 updates impact 8 out of 40 Learning Objectives.

Please note the year of the syllabus release is no longer specified in the version control naming convention for CTAL-TTA meaning:

• 2021 version is referred to as v4.0
• 2019 version is referred to as v3.0
• 2012 version is referred to as v2.0

What does this CTAL-TTA update mean?

From June 30th 2021 the following will apply

• For English language - the 4.0 syllabus for CTAL-TTA will be the prevailing current version.
• The previous 3.0 version in English will be valid to June 30th 2022
• For non-English Syllabi, the 3.0 version will be valid to December 31th 2022
• Accredited Training will remain as 3 days
• Accredited courses require accreditation of training materials, as described in the ISTQB® Accreditation Process
• Training courses and exams in other languages may continue for the CTAL-TTA 2012 (v2.0) syllabus until August 3rd 2021 and for the CTAL-TTA 2019 (v3.0) until December 31st 2022
• Training courses and exams in English language for CTAL-TTA 2019 (v3.0) will be valid until June 30th 2022
• Training courses and exams in English language for CTAL-TTA 2012 (v2.0) are no longer valid
• Holders of the CTAL-TTA 3.0 and any previous versions continue to hold a valid certification.

ISTQB® President Olivier Denoo stated:

"The ISTQB® is proud to release a major update to Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst (CTAL-TTA).

This update was required in order to address important and relevant issues in the 2019 version reported by Member Boards and other stakeholders.

A timely response was required to protect the reputation of ISTQB® and to improve the acceptance of the CTAL-TTA syllabus in the testing community.

Therefore, the Advanced and Expert Level Working Group has spared no effort to make the necessary changes to make this syllabus an even better and even stronger international reference.

I would like to thank the entire team for having been able to make these corrections quickly and effectively in these times troubled by the health crisis.

I hope that you will immediately start using these updated materials as part of the career development programs in your organizations to accelerate your technical testing skills.

I wish you all a happy reading. Stay tuned and take care..."

Chair of ISTQB® Marketing Working Group Sebastian Małyska, noted:

"Our organization is never giving up on our journey to quality. We are committed to the QA community and always open for constructive feedback. If this occurs we react. Never forgetting the need for business continuity which is very important for our partners and those aiming for certification."

Thank you to all who have supported the update including Mette Bruhn-Pedersen (ISTQB Advanced & Expert Level Working Group Chair), Armin Born, Adam Roman, Christian Graf, Stuart Reid (Authors) and many others from Exam & Marketing Work Groups.