ISTQB Certification Path 2026: Which Exam to Take After CTFL

The ISTQB certification path has four levels: Foundation, Advanced, Specialist and Expert. As of October 2026 the scheme contains 27 current exams: 1 Foundation, 5 Advanced, 16 Specialist and 5 Expert modules. Every one of the 26 exams above Foundation lists CTFL as a prerequisite, so the path always starts in the same place; where it goes next depends on the job you do, not on how many letters you want after your name.

This guide maps the levels, the entry conditions and the exam sizes, then suggests a second exam for six common roles. All exam figures come from the ISTQB Exam Structures and Rules tables (v1.19) published on istqb.org, checked on 18 October 2026.

How the four ISTQB levels fit together

Foundation is a single exam, CTFL v4.0, and the only level without a prerequisite. Advanced is five role-based exams that each require CTFL plus, for four of them, practical experience. Specialist is 16 topic or industry exams that require CTFL and, in a few cases, experience. Expert is five modules across two qualifications that require CTAL-TM and years of documented practice.

The important structural fact: the levels are not a ladder you climb rung by rung. Specialist exams do not require Advanced exams, and Advanced exams do not require each other. After CTFL you can go to any of the 21 Advanced or Specialist exams directly. Only Expert sits strictly on top of Advanced.

Foundation: CTFL v4.0, the mandatory start

CTFL v4.0 is 40 questions, 40 points, 26 points to pass (65 percent), 60 minutes. It has no prerequisite, never expires and is the only certification where every question is worth exactly one point. If you hold an older Foundation certificate (v3.1 or the 2018 syllabus), it still satisfies the prerequisite for every exam above it; you do not need to retake v4.0.

If you are starting from zero, the CTFL v4.0 complete guide covers the six chapters and their weights, and the free CTFL mock exams let you measure yourself against the 26-point line before you book.

Advanced Level: five role exams

The Advanced Level is organised by role rather than by topic. Each exam is larger and more heavily weighted than CTFL, because K3 and K4 questions carry two and three points:

• CTAL-TA v4.0 (Test Analyst): 45 questions, 78 points, 51 to pass, 120 minutes. Test analysis and design from a business and user perspective.

• CTAL-TTA v4.0 (Technical Test Analyst): 45 questions, 78 points, 51 to pass, 120 minutes. White-box techniques, static and dynamic analysis, non-functional testing close to the code.

• CTAL-TM v3.0 (Test Management): 50 questions, 88 points, 58 to pass, 120 minutes. Managing test activities, the product and the team. 14 of 50 questions are K4.

• CTAL-TAE v2.0 (Test Automation Engineering): 40 questions, 66 points, 43 to pass, 90 minutes. Designing and maintaining automation architectures.

• CTAL-AT v2.0 (Agile Tester): 40 questions, 52 points, 34 to pass, 90 minutes. Released April 2026 as the successor to CTFL-AT and CT-ATT, which retire for English exams on 6 May 2027.

Entry for CTAL-TA, CTAL-TTA, CTAL-TM and CTAL-TAE is CTFL plus practical experience, and the exam provider (your national board or a global provider) sets the exact criteria, typically a few months to a couple of years in the role. CTAL-AT v2.0 recommends Agile experience but does not enforce it.

Two Advanced exams are a common pairing: analysts often take CTAL-TA then CTAL-TTA, and leads take CTAL-TM after one of the analyst exams. If you are choosing between the two most popular ones, CTAL-TA or CTAL-TM: which first walks through the decision.

Specialist Level: 16 topic and industry exams

Specialist exams are narrower, usually 40 questions in 60 minutes, and most of them only require CTFL. They fall into three groups.

Technology and practice topics: CT-AI v2.0 (AI Testing: 40 questions, 44 points, 29 to pass), CT-GenAI v1.1 (Testing with Generative AI: 46 points, 30 to pass), CT-QDO v1.0 (Quality in DevOps: 45 points, 30 to pass), CT-TAS v1.0 (Test Automation Strategy: 49 points, 32 to pass, experience required), CT-MBT v1.1 (Model-Based Tester), CT-AcT v1.0 (Acceptance Testing), CT-UT v1.0 (Usability Testing) and CT-MAT v1.0 (Mobile Application Testing).

Non-functional and security: CT-PT v1.0 (Performance Testing: 40 points, 26 to pass, but 90 minutes), CT-STE v1.0.1 (Security Test Engineer: 43 points, 28 to pass, 75 minutes) and CT-SEC v1.0 (Security Tester: 45 questions, 80 points, 52 to pass, 120 minutes, and the one Specialist exam that demands three years of relevant experience). The differences are unpacked in CT-SEC vs CT-STE vs CT-STA.

Industry domains: CT-AuT v2.1.1 (Automotive), CT-GaMe v1.0.1 (Game Testing), CT-GT v1.0 (Gambling Industry) and CT-FT v1.0 (Finance Testing, released May 2026: 45 points, 30 to pass). CT-ATLaS v2.0 (Agile Test Leadership at Scale) is the outlier: 71 points, 47 to pass, 120 minutes, and practical experience criteria apply.

Note the pattern in the numbers: on most Specialist exams the point total is higher than the question count, because K3 questions are worth two points. The pass mark is always 65 percent of the points, not of the questions. How ISTQB exams are scored explains why this matters when you plan how many questions you can afford to miss.

Expert Level: two qualifications, five modules

Expert Level has two qualifications. Test Management has three modules (Strategic Test Management, Operational Test Management, Managing the Test Team) and Improving the Testing Process has two (Assessing Test Processes, Implementing Test Process Improvement). Each module is its own exam combining multiple-choice questions with essays, scored out of 135 points with 88 needed to pass over 135 minutes.

Certification requirements are the strictest in the scheme: CTFL plus CTAL-TM, five years of testing practice and two years in the Expert topic. Expert certificates are the only ones that expire; they are valid for seven years. For most testers the Expert Level is a ten-year horizon, not a next step.

Which exam second? A role-based map

• You design tests from requirements and user stories: CTFL, then CTAL-TA. Add a Specialist exam for your domain later.

• You work close to the code, review coverage, run static analysis: CTFL, then CTAL-TTA.

• You lead a test team or own the test plan: CTFL, then CTAL-TM. Expert Test Management once you have the years.

• You build automation frameworks: CTFL, then CTAL-TAE. Choose CT-TAS instead if your job is planning automation programs rather than writing them.

• You test in Agile teams: CTFL, then CTAL-AT v2.0. Add CT-ATLaS if you coordinate testing across many teams.

• You test or use AI: CTFL, then CT-AI v2.0 to test AI-based systems, or CT-GenAI to use generative AI in your own testing. The split is explained in CT-GenAI vs CT-AI.

Two or three exams that match your actual work are worth more on a CV than a long row of Specialist badges. Hiring managers who know ISTQB read the combination, not the count.

Three mistakes people make on the path

Treating Advanced as a prerequisite for Specialist. It is not. A performance tester with CTFL can book CT-PT tomorrow.

Booking a retiring syllabus. CTAL-TA v3.1 English exams ended in May 2026 and other languages end 16 November 2026; CT-AI v1.0 English ends 21 April 2027; CTFL-AT and CT-ATT end 6 May 2027. Existing certificates stay valid, but new study should target the current version.

Studying the question count instead of the point total. On CTAL-TM, 14 K4 questions carry 42 of 88 points. Practising only K2 recall will not get you to 58.

Practising at each level

ExamCaliber publishes free mock exams with a written rationale on every answer option for CTFL, CT-AI, CT-GenAI, CTAL-TA, CTAL-TM, CTAL-AT, CT-PT and CT-STE, each sized and timed like the real exam. Start with CTFL, then pick the branch that matches your work.