The ISTQB® Certified Tester program provides certification for software testers internationally. There are currently two levels of certification: The Foundation Level certificate(one module) and the Advanced Level certificates(three modules). An Expert Level is currently being developed. For all three levels, international working groups develop and maintain internationally uniform curricula and exams. One of the core principles of the program is a strict separation between the administration of exams and the training to those who would like to prepare for the exam in ISTQB® compliant courses. This is not true of other testing and/or quality assurance organizations.

The Certified Tester Foundation Level certificate shall be obtained before taking the Advanced LevelTest Analyst certification exam.

That depends on the training company you choose. Since all accredited training companies operate independently, their pricing will vary. One of the core principles of the ISTQB® certification program is to ensure competition at the training level.

By checking whether or not that training company is listed on ISTQB®'s website as an ISTQB® accredited training provider.

An Advanced Level Test Analyst exam is intended for someone who can perform the appropriate testing activities based on the software development lifecycle being used. Also, the candidate will be able to determine the proper prioritization of the testing activities based on the information provided by the risk analysis. Moreover, this certification requires candidates who is able to select and apply appropriate test techniques to ensure that tests provide an adequate level of confidence, based on defined coverage criteria.

Truly international nature of the certification: This certificate is recognized in multiple countries in multiple continents. Hardly any other certification has adoption in as many countries as this one. Please see ISTQB® Geographic Coverage. The people behind this exam: Test experts from various countries are constantly working towards defining and refining the syllabus, the exam pattern, the examination questions and compiling the valuable information on testing around the World. Non-profit nature of ISTQB®: The non-profit nature of ISTQB® ensures that nobody has a vested interest in promoting a particular Body of Knowledge (BOK) or a particular book. All material developed by ISTQB® is developed on a voluntary basis and are made available for free by ISTQB®.