ISTQB Foundation Level Exam - Basic Information

Today, I shall be talking about the basic information for ISTQB Foundation Level exam. Again, this information is for the exam conducted by Indian Testing Board. It might be different for exams conducted by other national testing boards. Please refer to the websites of your respective national testing boards for details.

Target Audience: ISTQB Foundation Level exam aims to evaluate the understanding of basic software testing concepts gained by an individual. It helps everyone use a common terminology for discussing software testing issues and is useful for all team members of a software project. It is equally useful for developers, testers, project leads as well as project managers.

Examination Format: In India, the Foundation Level exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions. Each question is worth 1 point and you need to answer at least 26 questions correctly in order to successfully clear the exam. This is a closed book exam, meaning you are not allowed to take along with you any books or other study material with you in the examination hall. Also, the candidates need to physically visit the examination center in order to appear in the exam. The exam is not administered online presently. A total of 75 minutes are available to answer all the questions. However, one good news is that there is no negative marking. So, make sure that you do not leave any question unanswered, even if you are not sure of the correct answer.

Examination Fees: The examination fees for general candidates is Rs 4000/-. However, for candidates from accredited training institutes or employees of affiliated companies, the fees is Rs 3500/- (please look at my previous post for details). Once deposited, the fees is non-refundable. However, you can request for a change in the examination date or venue at least one month prior to the scheduled examination date.

Re-examination Fees: You need to pay Rs 2500/- for re-appearing in the FL exam, if you are not able to clear it in the first attempt.

Results: Examination results are usually available within 2 weeks. All candidates, who clear the exam successfully, should receive their certificates within 8 weeks.

Validity: ISTQB Foundation Level certification is valid for life.

Difficulty Level: Based on my experience as well as that of my friends, I can say that the exam is not really tough. Even though you might be coming across a number of posts in which aspirants are looking for study material and books for the Foundation Level exam, I sincerely believe that a thorough study of the syllabus and glossary of terms available at the Indian Testing Board website is enough to help you successfully attain this certification. However, experience always helps. Even though no experience is officially required to be eligible for sitting in the Foundation Level exam, I would recommend that you work for at least 6 months in a software testing role before appearing in this exam. This way, you will be able to relate the concepts that you study, with your experiences in real life as well as increase your chances of success in the exam.