ISTQB Foundation study plan
ISTQB Foundation · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Fundamentals of Testing
Define testing, quality assurance, and debugging, and explain in your own words how they differ
Restate all seven testing principles and attach a concrete real-world example to each
Sequence the test process activities and name the testware produced by each
Explain the psychology of testing, including the tester/developer mindset difference
Answer 30 fundamentals practice questions and log every miss with a reason
Your checkpoint
A one-page personal glossary of 15 fundamentals terms plus a closed-book 20-question quiz scored at 80% or higher.
Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle
Compare sequential and iterative/incremental lifecycle models and name one testing risk for each
Describe the test levels (component, integration, system, acceptance) with their objectives, test basis, and typical testware
Distinguish functional, non-functional, and white-box test types, giving two examples of each
Explain shift-left, the tester's role in DevOps, and the triggers for maintenance testing
Your checkpoint
A test-level matrix covering four levels against objectives, test basis, testware, and roles, plus a 25-question quiz scored at 75% or higher.
Static Testing
Separate static from dynamic testing and list the work products that can be reviewed
Order the review process activities and assign the responsibilities of manager, moderator, author, reviewer, and scribe
Compare informal review, walkthrough, technical review, and inspection by formality, objectives, and roles
Apply a review checklist to a written requirement snippet and classify each defect found
Explain why early static testing is cheaper than finding the same defect later
Your checkpoint
A completed review record for a self-written one-page requirement document: checklist applied, at least five defects logged with type and severity, and the chosen review type justified in three sentences.
Test Techniques
Derive equivalence partitions and boundary values from an input specification and calculate the resulting test case count
Build a decision table and a state transition model for a set of given business rules
Calculate statement and branch coverage for a short code snippet and identify the untested branches
Choose between black-box, white-box, and experience-based techniques for stated scenarios and justify each choice
Your checkpoint
A technique portfolio of four worked exercises (equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision table, branch coverage) with computed test counts matching the answer key at 90% or better.
Test Techniques & Test Management
Complete practice items on experience-based techniques and error guessing with a written rationale for each test chosen
Draft a test plan outline covering scope, objectives, approach, entry and exit criteria, and risks
Perform a likelihood-by-impact risk analysis on a small feature and rank its tests accordingly
Explain how risk level drives the extent of testing and the choice of technique
Your checkpoint
A one-page risk-based test plan for a self-chosen small feature, including a prioritized list of ten tests, each traced to an identified risk.
Test Management
Interpret test progress and completion metrics such as planned versus executed versus passed, and defect density
Describe configuration management and explain how it supports reproducible testing
Trace a defect through the standard status workflow from new to closed and to rejected
Write defect reports that contain every mandatory field, including steps to reproduce and expected versus actual results
Your checkpoint
Three complete defect reports on a self-written specification plus a metrics summary in which five given data points are interpreted correctly without notes.
Tool Support for Testing & Fundamentals of Testing & Static Testing
Categorize test tools by the testing activity they support and name two example tools per category
State the benefits and the risks of test automation and of tool adoption in an organization
Re-take the two lowest-scoring domain quizzes from earlier weeks and correct every missed item in writing
Re-verify recall of the seven principles and the four review types without reference material
Your checkpoint
A tool mind map of at least eight categories, each with one benefit and one risk, plus a corrected list of every previously missed question with a one-line reason per item.
Fundamentals of Testing & Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle & Static Testing & Test Techniques & Test Management & Tool Support for Testing
Complete two full-length timed mock exams under exam conditions with no interruptions
Classify every incorrect answer as a knowledge gap, a misread question, or a calculation error
Rehearse final recall of coverage formulas, review roles, defect workflow, and test levels
Book the exam date and confirm the test-center or remote-proctoring requirements
Your checkpoint
Two full 40-question mocks scored at 75% or higher each, both finished within 60 minutes, with a weak-spot list in which every item is marked resolved.
Milestones
Week 2: Can name all four test levels and their testware without notes, and score 75% or higher on an untimed 25-question domain 2 set.
Week 4: Timed 40-question mock covering domains 1 to 3: score 65% (26/40) or higher within 60 minutes.
Week 6: Compute branch coverage from a code snippet and complete a defect report from memory; domain 4 and domain 5 practice sets each at 75% or higher.
Week 7: All six domain quizzes have been taken at least twice, and no domain sits below 70%.
Week 8: Two consecutive full mocks at 75% or higher within the 60-minute time limit, with no recurring error type.