The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL, syllabus v4.0) is a 40-question multiple-choice exam. You have 60 minutes and need 26 correct answers (65%). If you do not take it in your native language, you get 25% extra time.
Most study guides give every chapter the same attention. The exam does not.
How the 40 questions are split
| Chapter | Topic | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fundamentals of testing | 8 |
| 2 | Testing throughout the software development lifecycle | 6 |
| 3 | Static testing | 4 |
| 4 | Test analysis and design | 11 |
| 5 | Managing the test activities | 9 |
| 6 | Test tools | 2 |
Chapters 4 and 5 are 20 of the 40 questions, and they hold all eight application questions (level K3). Chapter 6 is worth two questions. Spending a third of your time on tools is a bad trade.
What a K3 question looks like
K3 means you must apply a technique, not recall a definition. Example, boundary value analysis:
A field accepts an age from 18 to 65 inclusive. Which test values does 2-value boundary analysis give?
The answer is 17, 18, 65, 66: each boundary, plus its nearest value on the other side. With 3-value analysis you also take the neighbour inside the range: 17, 18, 19, 64, 65, 66.
If you can do this by hand, with equivalence partitioning, decision tables and state transitions too, you are covering the heart of chapter 4.
A way to spend your hours (my suggestion, not an ISTQB rule)
- Give chapter 4 the biggest share, and do exercises, not only reading.
- Read chapters 1 and 2 once carefully: vocabulary questions are quick points if you know the definitions.
- Keep chapters 3 and 6 for a final pass.
- Take mock exams early. Aim for 75% on mocks before the real exam, since the pass mark is 65% and you want margin.
- Train under the same conditions: 40 questions, 60 minutes.
If you want a guided path
At AutomationDataCamp we run a CTFL v4.0 preparation: 2 × 7 hours online over a weekend (21-22 November 2026), then practice sessions and mock exams. It is taught in French. The price includes the official exam with a second attempt, from €450 VAT incl. if you fund it yourself.
Details and the programme: ISTQB CTFL v4.0 preparation.
If you prefer to study alone, the chapter split above is the part worth keeping.
Which part of the exam worries you most: the application questions of chapter 4, or the vocabulary ones? Tell me in the comments.
Sources: ISTQB CTFL v4.0 syllabus and exam structure (istqb.org). Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by the AutomationDataCamp team. More at automationdatacamp.com.
