As part of its commitment to continuous improvement and the advancement of the software testing profession, in 2013 ISTQB® conducted an international online survey of test engineers and managers. This report presents the results of the “ISTQB® Test Certification – 2013-2014 Survey” and we would like to sincerely thank everybody who contributed.
The most significant findings from the first ISTQB® Effectiveness survey
- The majority of Test Engineers undertook the ISTQB® CTFL certification in order to enhance their career path (80%) and develop their testing skills (70%).
- The majority of Test Managers believe that participating in the ISTQB® certification scheme will positively impact testing quality in their projects (75%) and will enable them to provide a positive career path to their employees (55%).
- Test Engineers and Test Managers alike are highly satisfied with the ISTQB® CTFL certifications and happy to recommend these to their colleagues (91% – Test Engineers, 94% – Test Managers).
- The ISTQB® Foundation Level certification exams are seen as providing a reliable assessment of candidate knowledge.
- Test Managers would like to have approximately 75% of their staff certified at the Foundation Level.
- Approximately 70% of Test Managers consider it important to obtain Advanced Level certifications, and this opinion is shared by 63% of Test Engineers.
- The new Expert Level certifications are generating a significant amount of interest.
- There is strong demand for Agile certification throughout the world and across all major industries (85% of respondents are interested).
- Approximately 70% of survey participants attribute a significant part of their certification success to the courses they undertook from accredited training providers.
- In addition to Agile Testing, the following have emerged as the most important topics for the future: Performance Testing, Testing for Mobile Devices, and Usability Testing.