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What is ISTQB for a QA specialist and what benefits does a tester get after successfully passing the exam?To begin with, let’s understand: what exactly is ISTQB, and also consider the same, basic level of the ISTQB Foundation Level exam for the tester.So, ISTQB is a non-profit organization that deals with the development of software testing and was founded by representatives of 8 countries, Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland. Currently, the received certificate is recognized in 126 countries of the world.Now about the certification itself, or rather, Foundation Level. The structure of the presented material is as follows, 6 main sections, each of which in turn is divided into several paragraphs.

Istqb.org

The exam itself consists of 40 questions, the passing score is at least 65% of correct answers, 1 hour is given for taking the exam, and if the candidate takes the exam in a language other than his or her native language, an additional 15 minutes is added.It would seem that it is not so difficult, but the candidate needs to take into account certain nuances, namely:

• Price.The cost of the exam is about 200-300 dollars, and if the candidate does not prepare himself, according to the free syllabus, then the cost of the courses should be added.
• Time to prepare.For a person who is just starting his career, the course will be quite difficult, since the person does not have certain skills and terminology, and may not know certain nuances that are inherent in certain areas of software development. If a person is already engaged in testing in one of the companies, he will have to find additional time and motivation for self-training, sometimes, in conditions of heavy workload on projects, this can be difficult.
• The language in which the exam will be held. You will not be able to take the exam in Ukrainian. In addition, companies often set certain requirements for their employees to pass the exam, one of which is to pass the exam in English. Therefore, the candidate must be confident in his level of English so that all exam questions are understandable and he does not waste time translating unfamiliar words

So, is it worth taking the exam? Everyone answers this question individually, but in general it is possible to determine certain advantages in case of obtaining a certificate.

• Increasing your level of training and standardization of knowledge;
• The possibility of involving a certified specialist by the company in more complex and interesting projects from the point of view of professional growth;
• The possibility of involving a certified specialist by the company in more complex and interesting projects from the point of view of professional growth;

There are certain advantages for the company as well:

• To have as many certified specialists as possible;
• The opportunity to participate in tenders for projects, as very often demands are made for the percentage ratio of certified specialists on the project.
• The more professionally trained people in the company (certification can be a certain confirmation), i.e

Summarizing, we can say that ISTQB certification brings enough benefits to both employees personally and the company as a whole.Currently, two specialists received ISTQB certification in our QA department that week, with which we congratulate them!And four QAs are preparing to take the exam and receive the certificate.We wish you success, guys!

WRITTEN BY: Alex Kulko, Speroteck QA team.