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ISTQB CT-AuT study materials
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ISTQB CT-AuT: Testing E/E Systems in the Automotive Environment Based on Established Standards

ISTQB CT-AuT · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Testing E/E Systems in the Automotive Environment Based on Established Standards

What the exam tests

This domain checks whether you can connect Automotive SPICE®, ISO 26262, and AUTOSAR® to concrete test planning. You must know what each standard requires, what it leaves to the organization, and how those requirements change test scope, rigor, and evidence.

Core rules

  • Automotive SPICE is a process assessment model. It does not prescribe test techniques; it requires defined, documented, and traceable processes. Test-relevant process groups include SYS.1–SYS.5 and SWE.1–SWE.6, supported by processes such as SUP.1 (quality assurance) and SUP.8 (configuration management). Bidirectional traceability from requirements to test cases and results is central.
  • ISO 26262 is a functional-safety standard. It uses ASIL A–D. Higher ASILs demand more rigorous verification methods, greater independence, and more evidence. The safety lifecycle separates item development from safety validation; confirmation measures (confirmation reviews, functional safety audit, functional safety assessment) depend on ASIL.
  • AUTOSAR is an architecture standard, not a test process. It defines layered software (application SWCs, RTE, BSW), communication stacks, and mechanisms such as E2E protection and diagnostics. Tests must cover the RTE, BSW configuration, bus communication, and safety mechanisms.

Worked example

A brake-by-wire ECU is classified ASIL D, and the project targets Automotive SPICE capability level 3. ISO 26262 requires highly rigorous verification and independent confirmation for the ASIL D item. The test plan therefore needs requirements-based tests, back-to-back model/code tests, fault injection, and traceability evidence. Automotive SPICE adds process evidence: test strategy, test specification, test results, and bidirectional traceability. AUTOSAR adds interface and E2E-protection tests. The reasoning is that each standard contributes a different constraint: safety rigor, process evidence, or architecture coverage.

Traps

  • Treating an Automotive SPICE capability level as a safety integrity level.
  • Expecting Automotive SPICE to name specific test design techniques.
  • Ignoring ISO 26262 independence requirements at ASIL C and D.
  • Assuming AUTOSAR prescribes test coverage metrics.