So I had first year anniversary working as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer in the field of IT last July 21, 2015, and I’ve been thinking on where I should go from there. Questions such as whether I should continue working in my current company, whether I should start looking for a different one, whether I should just start a business, or whether I should take up a degree in Interior design started popping up.
Although I’m still doing okay with my current company, I’ve thought that I needed to find ways to increase my worth and marketability, at least in the field of IT for now. One way to do so is through years of experience, which unfortunately takes some time. So in order to leverage myself, I decided to take a certification under the ISTQB – International Software Testing Qualifications Board.
ISTQB has been issuing certifications since its foundation in 2002.
For Test Engineers, the first step would be to take up the Foundation Level Certification. Here, you’ll be taking an exam which consists of 40 questions and is within a one-hour time limit. The review materials can be downloaded here and here.
Since most of the details can already be found in their website (http://www.istqb.org/), I’ll talk about how to get it here in the Philippines by taking the exam at a testing center:
5. Once you are on the homepage, select “View Exam”.
6. Choose “ISEB-SWT2 Certified Tester Foundation Level”.
7. Click “Schedule this Exam”.
8. Choose the testing centers closest to you (up to 3).
9. Select a test center, the date, and time.
10. You will then proceed to check out and enter your payment details.
Finally, you will receive a confirmation email detailing the exam schedule.
Update: I got a score of 33/40 and officially certified! Also, I took the next level Agile Tester Foundation certification and passed with a score or 28/40. However, the latter one was more nerve-wracking since more of the questions can’t be answered through self-studies alone.
Hi Ian! I did a self-study for around 2-3 weeks before taking the exam. The review materials are available for download on ISTQB’s website. You can also take mock exams online to test your knowledge. Going to a review center would be better but I think there are particular schedules and corresponding fees for them. Good luck!
Hi Ian! I got the results immediately after taking the exam. The moderator at the testing center told me to wait a bit while the results were being tallied. This might be different for each testing center so you should probably confirm it with them.
Hello, did you just self study or went to a review center? I am planning to take this as well 🙂 Thank you!!
Hi Ian! I did a self-study for around 2-3 weeks before taking the exam. The review materials are available for download on ISTQB’s website. You can also take mock exams online to test your knowledge. Going to a review center would be better but I think there are particular schedules and corresponding fees for them. Good luck!
Thank you Kevin! Will do. 🙂
Hello, I just had my exam today. How long did it take you to know your result? I am nervous. Thanks
Hi Ian! I got the results immediately after taking the exam. The moderator at the testing center told me to wait a bit while the results were being tallied. This might be different for each testing center so you should probably confirm it with them.