ISTQB CT-AI exam-day guide
ISTQB CT-AI · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Printed or downloaded appointment confirmation
Have the confirmation email ready with your appointment time, test centre address or online-proctoring link, and your registration/candidate ID. Keep it accessible offline in case the network is flaky.
Valid government-issued photo ID with signature
The name on the ID must match the name on your registration exactly. Bring the original document, not a photocopy or a photo on your phone. If you changed your name, confirm the accepted documents with the exam provider in advance.
A second form of identification, if your provider requires it
Some delivery partners ask for two IDs. Check your admission instructions and confirm with the provider rather than assuming.
Confirmed exam format details (question count, duration, pass mark)
The CT-AI exam is commonly described as 40 questions in 60 minutes with a 65% pass mark (roughly 90 seconds per question). Confirm the current numbers for your syllabus version in the official exam structure document or with your provider, since these can be updated between releases.
Confirmed policy on extra time and language accommodations
ISTQB schemes typically allow additional time when the exam is taken in a language other than your native language, and other accommodations may exist. These are not automatic - confirm eligibility and how to request it well before exam day.
Travel plan or a quiet, private room for online delivery
For a test centre, arrive with buffer time for check-in and security. For online proctoring, use a private room with a closed door, decent lighting, and a stable wired or strong Wi-Fi connection.
System and equipment check completed (online delivery)
Run any required equipment test on the exact machine you will use: webcam, microphone, browser version, and bandwidth. Have a phone available as a backup contact for the proctor, and confirm whether it must be placed out of reach.
Clean workspace with no prohibited materials
Remove notes, sticky notes, textbooks, printed glossary pages, smart watches, and second screens from arm's reach. Unless your provider explicitly permits scratch paper, assume none is allowed and that you must request permission from the proctor.
Personal admin done before the clock starts
Use the toilet, drink water, take medication, and silence your phone before check-in. You generally cannot pause the clock for breaks, so remove the need for one.
A one-page personal recall sheet - for use BEFORE the exam only
Summarise the concepts you personally keep mixing up (for example precision vs. recall, validation vs. test data, overfitting vs. underfitting, functional vs. non-functional AI quality attributes, the difference between AI-assisted testing and testing AI-based systems). Study it, then put it away - do not carry it into the session.
Timed practice completed at least once
Do a full 40-question set in 60 minutes under exam conditions so you know your pacing and can decide in advance how many minutes you can afford to spend on a flagged question.
Syllabus and glossary revision plan for weak chapters
Review the official syllabus chapter list and the ISTQB glossary terms for AI testing. Prioritise the chapters you score lowest on and the topics easiest to confuse: ML workflow stages, evaluation metrics, test data preparation, test oracles for non-deterministic systems, and risk/ethics considerations.
Plan the day
Stop reading new material. Re-read the syllabus chapter summaries, then work through timed practice sets and review every miss by tracing it back to the syllabus section that covers it. Maintain a short 'errors log' of the concepts you keep getting wrong. Confirm your appointment logistics now: time, location or link, ID documents, accommodation requests, and equipment test. Do not leave a system check to the last hour.
Do one light revision pass over your error log and glossary terms, then stop. Confirm travel or log-in details a second time and check whether any pre-exam instructions require action (identity verification, photo upload, software install). Pack your ID and confirmation, prepare the room or bag, set two alarms, and get a full night's sleep. No new topics, no intensive cramming - it reliably costs more in fatigue than it earns in marks.
Eat a normal meal, hydrate, and look at only your error log - not full chapters. Arrive or log in early as instructed (commonly 15–30 minutes before the start, but confirm the provider's requirement). Complete the ID check and any legal/conditions-of-use agreements calmly. Close other applications, silence notifications, and have your phone nearby only if the proctor instructs it.
Read any on-screen instructions and confirm the timer has started as expected. Note the total number of questions and compute your per-question budget. Answer the question actually asked - several CT-AI items hinge on one qualifying word such as 'most', 'first', 'least', or 'not'.
Answer everything you know on sight and flag anything that takes more than about 90 seconds. Do not allow yourself to be drawn into a long calculation early. Use elimination on four-option items: if two options are near-synonyms or one is a distractor built on a commonly confused term, that usually narrows the field immediately.
Return to flagged questions with the remaining time. Change an answer only when you can point to a specific reason - a misread qualifier, a recalled definition, or a unit/metric you mis-mapped. Do not leave blanks unless incorrect answers are penalised, and confirm the scoring rule with your provider before exam day.
Check that every question has a response, then submit. Do not start a new line of reasoning you cannot finish. Capture your result or a screenshot of the confirmation screen if the provider issues one, and note how the certificate or score report is delivered.
Rules to check
Bring original, valid government-issued photo ID with a signature. The name must match your registration exactly; a mismatch is one of the most common reasons candidates are turned away, and the provider's remedy options are limited on the day.
Arrive or log in at the time instructed and expect a check-in process. Candidates who arrive late may be refused entry or have their time reduced - the exact cut-off is set by the provider, so confirm it in your admission instructions rather than estimating.
Assume no personal belongings, notes, textbooks, or unapproved devices are allowed in the exam room. Lockers may be available at a test centre, but do not count on storage; leave valuables at home. For online delivery, the proctor may ask you to pan the camera around the room.
Breaks are generally not permitted during the exam, and the timer keeps running in most delivery formats. If you have a documented need for a break or other accommodation, arrange it in advance with the provider - it cannot usually be granted on the day.
Confirm with the provider whether unanswered questions are scored as incorrect and whether there is any penalty for guessing. In most ISTQB-style multiple-choice exams there is no negative marking, so a reasoned guess on any remaining item is better than a blank - but verify this for your delivery format.
Follow the proctor's instructions immediately and completely. Any behaviour that looks like consulting material, speaking to another person, or using a second device can lead to invalidation of the attempt, and appeals later are difficult to win.
Do not attempt to reproduce or share exam content afterwards. Exam questions are confidential; posting or distributing them breaches the scheme's terms and can invalidate your certification.
If something goes wrong technically - disconnection, a frozen screen, a lost timer - stop and contact the proctor or provider helpdesk straight away rather than continuing. Disruptions reported at the time are far easier to resolve than those raised afterwards.