The ISTQB® Certified Tester Advanced Level – Test Analyst (CTAL-TA) focuses on the role of the test analyst (TA) as a person in a ‘testing role’ who is responsible for testing the technical or business aspects, primarily addressing system testing, acceptance testing and system integration testing. In terms of quality characteristics, the focus is on functional suitability and certain user-related non-functional characteristics such as usability, adaptability, installability and interoperability.

What is taught in the CTAL-TA course and what has changed compared to the old version v3.1.2

Our blog post aims to give you a brief overview of the syllabus content and highlight the changes from the previous version. If you already hold the certificate, you do not need to repeat the course, as the ISTQB® Certified Tester Advanced Level - Test Analyst certificate is valid for life. However, it is worth reading the new syllabus to familiarise yourself with any changes to terminology and new terms.

Below, we provide a brief insight into the content in line with the syllabus.

1. The tasks of the test analyst in the testing process

The curriculum for the foundation level of ISTQB training, the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (ISTQB-CTFL, v4.0.1), describes seven main activities within the testing process. The TA focuses primarily on four of these: test analysis, test design, test implementation and test execution.

The course teaches how the test analyst

  • performs these four typical main activities (test analysis, test design, test implementation, test execution),
  • how they are integrated into various software development life cycle models,
  • what tasks they perform in relation to test artefacts/test resources (testware) – including quality criteria for test cases, requirements for test environments, test data and the test oracle problem.

Another explicit learning objective is to apply keyword-driven testing to develop test scripts and to gain an overview of the types of tools available for managing test resources (testware).

2. The tasks of the test analyst in risk-based testing

The test analyst contributes to product risk analysis (including workshops, brainstorming, checklists, interviews), supports risk assessment (e.g. frequency of use, criticality, damage, quality of the test basis, legal/safety-related requirements) and derives appropriate test activities from this – as far as possible ‘shift left’, i.e. as early as makes sense.

The topic of risk management is also addressed, including regression test scope review and the idea of selecting regression tests using impact analysis tools, among other things.

3. test analysis and test design

Chapter 3 is the core of the course, to which most of the time is devoted. It covers black-box and experience-based methods, which are now classified in more detail than in the old v3.1.2 syllabus:

  • data-based testing techniques (e.g. domain testing, combinatorial testing, random testing)
  • behaviour-based testing techniques (e.g. CRUD testing, state transition testing, scenario-based testing)
  • Rule-based testing methods (e.g. decision table testing, metamorphic testing)
  • Experience-based methods (including session-based testing, crowd testing, checklists/test charts)

Examples explicitly mentioned in the course:

  • Random testing: benefits/limitations, e.g. helpful when domain knowledge is limited or large amounts of test data are required, but with typical challenges such as semantic blindness or dependence on an automated test oracle
  • CRUD testing: Testing the life cycle of data entities (create/read/update/delete), including via a CRUD matrix and completeness and consistency testing (including negative tests).

In addition, the course will discuss how testing procedures can be combined to increase efficiency and effectiveness (examples and combination ideas are explicitly described in the syllabus).

4. Testing quality characteristics

The chapter ‘Testing Quality Characteristics’ focuses on functional testing as the core task of TA and delves deeper into the sub-characteristics of functional suitability (functional completeness/correctness/appropriateness) – including the selection of suitable test levels/procedures and the importance of traceability.

In addition, v4.0 explicitly addresses user-related non-functional topics, including usability testing, as well as other quality topics such as flexibility (transferability) and compatibility.

5. Software defect prevention – new/expanded in Syllabus v4.0

A key difference from previous ISTQB Advanced Level Test Analyst syllabuses: v4.0 has a separate chapter on ‘Software Defect Prevention’ and covers not only reviews but also other defect prevention practices, e.g.

  • using models to identify defects in specifications,
  • analysing test results to improve defect detection,
  • defect classification to support root cause analysis.

Which version of the ISTQB CTAL-TA is currently valid and what happens to ‘old’ certificates?

Version v4.0 is the current basis for the training scheme. Training providers and exam providers must comply with it and have their courses accredited by the ISTQB in accordance with this new version. The STQB® Advanced Level Test Analyst (CTAL-TA) syllabus defines, among other things, the chapter structure, learning objectives and time weighting. However, as a certificate holder, you do not need to worry, because the ISTQB® Advanced Level Test Analyst certificate is valid for life. Nevertheless, it is worth familiarising yourself with the new Syllabus 4.0 and the new wording so that you do not miss out on further developments in this professional field.

At trendig, we will be teaching according to the new CTAL-TA 4.0 syllabus from March 2026 onwards, preparing students for the new exams. And because trendig is not just about ‘passing’, certificate holders receive special conditions – just contact us at training@trendig.com.

Would you like to complete the training?

You can find the specific upcoming course dates and the booking website here.

What has changed in the ISTQB CTAL-TA v4.0 syllabus compared to v3.1.2?

Has the structure of the test procedures in ISTQB CTAL-TA 4.0 changed compared to the previous version 3.1.2?

Yes. Chapter 3 reflects a more detailed classification than v3.1.2: Black-box techniques are now organised according to data-based, behaviour-based and rule-based.

What new topics/techniques have been added to ISTQB CTAL-TA 4.0 compared to the previous version 3.1.2?

v4.0 introduces (among other things) random testing, CRUD testing, metamorphic testing and crowd testing as new or explicitly highlighted topics.

Was wurde aus Äquivalenzklassenbildung und Grenzwertanalyse im CTAL-TA in der Version 4.0? 

In v3.1.2 waren Äquivalenzklassenbildung und Grenzwertanalyse explizite Black-Box-Unterkapitel. In v4.0 wurden diese Lernziele durch ein allgemeineres Lernziel zu Wertebereichstests („Domain Testing“) ersetzt (und Redundanzen zum ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level wurden entfernt).

What happened to equivalence class formation and boundary value analysis in CTAL-TA version 4.0?

In v3.1.2, equivalence class formation and boundary value analysis were explicit black-box subchapters. In v4.0, these learning objectives were replaced by a more general learning objective on domain testing (and redundancies with the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level were removed).

What happened to pairwise testing and classification tree methods in ISTQB CTAL-TA 4.0?

In v4.0, content on pairwise testing and the classification tree method (Classification Tree Method) was merged into a more general learning objective on combinatorial testing (Combinatorial Testing).

Have ‘Reviews’ been replaced in ISTQB CTAL-TA 4.0?

Not replaced, but clearly classified and expanded: In v3.1.2, there was a separate chapter on ‘Reviews’. In v4.0, the former chapter on reviews alone has been expanded to cover software defect prevention (Software Defect Prevention). Reviews are still included, but supplemented by additional defect prevention practices.