CTFL (ISTQB Foundation Level)
Also called: ISTQB Foundation, Certified Tester Foundation Level
ISTQB's entry-level testing certificate, the Certified Tester Foundation Level.
Definition
CTFL is the Certified Tester Foundation Level, the entry-level certificate in the ISTQB scheme. The current syllabus is version 4.0, released in 2023, with six chapters: Fundamentals of Testing, Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle, Static Testing, Test Analysis and Design, Managing the Test Activities, and Test Tools. The exam is multiple choice; whether employers value it varies by country and company.
In practice
A new tester studies the free syllabus and sample exams for a few weeks and passes the CTFL exam, which helps them get past the CV filter at an outsourcing company.
Related terms
- ISTQBThe International Software Testing Qualifications Board, which defines a widely used scheme of testing certifications.
- Static testingExamining requirements, designs or code without running the software.
- Equivalence partitioningSplitting inputs into groups that should behave the same, then testing one value from each group.
- Boundary value analysisTesting values at and just around the edges of valid ranges, where bugs love to hide.