ISTQB CT-AT study plan
ISTQB CT-AT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Agile techniques and testing techniques
Map the Domain 1 syllabus sections on agile testing techniques and test-driven approaches to your own project context
Explain in writing how whole-team quality practices change test design decisions in an agile iteration
Draft a one-page comparison of acceptance-test-driven development and behaviour-driven development, including when each fits
Identify three exploratory testing session structures you could run in a sprint
Your checkpoint
A one-page written summary contrasting ATDD and BDD with a worked example of turning a user story into acceptance criteria
Agile techniques and testing techniques
Practise deriving test conditions from a user story and its acceptance criteria
Design a set of black-box test cases for a small feature using equivalence partitioning and boundary value analysis
Apply experience-based techniques to a risk list for the same feature and justify each choice
Assess which test techniques pair best with short iterations and explain the trade-offs
Your checkpoint
A test design package for one sample feature: acceptance criteria, technique-justified test cases, and a short rationale table
Test automation approaches
Classify test automation by purpose (regression, data setup, environment checks) and match each to a suitable tool category
Compare scripted, keyword-driven, and data-driven automation designs on maintainability
Identify the layers of a test automation architecture and what belongs at each layer
Evaluate the total cost of ownership of an automation suite over a release cycle
Your checkpoint
An automation architecture sketch for a sample system showing layers, tool responsibilities, and maintenance risks
Agile techniques and testing techniques & Test automation approaches
Integrate automated checks into the test design from week 2 and decide which cases stay manual
Write a risk-based justification for automating or not automating each test condition
Review an automation suite for anti-patterns such as brittle locators and duplicated setup
Produce a maintenance plan covering flaky tests and test data refresh
Your checkpoint
A consolidated test strategy document covering manual and automated coverage with a risk-based automation decision log
Continuous deployment and delivery
Distinguish continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment by their gates and outcomes
Describe the deployment pipeline stages and the quality checks appropriate at each
Explain how test environments and test data must be managed to support frequent releases
Analyse the testing implications of feature toggles and canary releases
Your checkpoint
A deployment pipeline diagram with the test activities and exit criteria annotated at each stage
Continuous deployment and delivery & Technical testing skills in Agile organizations (scope as described in the official syllabus)
Define release readiness criteria that support continuous delivery without bypassing risk
Apply non-functional considerations such as performance and security checks into a delivery pipeline
Explain how test results and quality metrics feed deployment decisions
Identify the technical testing risks introduced by frequent small releases and propose mitigations
Your checkpoint
A release readiness checklist with measurable criteria and a short risk register for continuous delivery
Technical testing skills in Agile organizations (scope as described in the official syllabus)
Describe how technical testing skills support whole-team quality in an agile organisation
Explain the tester's role in code review, static analysis, and unit-level quality discussions
Compare test levels and test types in agile versus sequential lifecycles
Outline how to use coverage and defect data to steer technical testing effort
Your checkpoint
A two-page note on the tester's technical role in an agile team, covering reviews, static analysis, and metrics
Agile techniques and testing techniques & Test automation approaches & Continuous deployment and delivery & Technical testing skills in Agile organizations (scope as described in the official syllabus)
Synthesise all four domains into a single end-to-end quality approach for a sample product
Answer practice questions across all domains and record which concepts need revision
Revisit weak areas identified in earlier weeks and close the gaps
Build a personal exam-day strategy covering question triage and time allocation
Your checkpoint
A full mock exam attempt with a scored error log and a one-page revision sheet of weak concepts
Milestones
Week 2: Can derive and justify test cases from user stories using at least three different techniques without notes
Week 4: Can explain the trade-offs between manual and automated coverage and defend an automation decision for a given test condition
Week 6: Can describe a deployment pipeline end to end, naming the test activities and exit criteria at each stage
Week 8: Scores at least 65 percent on a full mixed-domain mock exam and has a written plan for the remaining weak areas