Common search engine questions about testing #9: “Which software testing certification is the best?”

This is the penultimate part of a ten-part blog series in which I will answer some of the most common questions asked about software testing, according to search engine autocomplete results (thanks to Answer The Public).

In this post, I answer the question “Which software testing certification is the best?“.

There has been much controversy around certification in our industry for a very long time. The certification market is dominated by the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB), which they describe as “the world’s most successful scheme for certifying software testers”. The scheme arose out of the British Computer Society’s ISEB testing certification in the late 1990s and has grown to become the de facto testing certification scheme. With a million-or-so exams administered and 700,000+ certifications issued, the scheme has certainly been successful in dishing out certifications across its ever-increasing range of offerings (broadly grouped into Agile, Core and Specialist areas).

In the interests of disclosure, I am Foundation certified by the ANZTB and I encouraged all of the testers at Quest in the early-mid 2000s to get certified too. At the time, it felt to me like this was the only certification that gave a stamp of professionalism to testers. After I received education from Michael Bolton during Rapid Software Testing in 2007, I soon realised the errors in my thinking – and then put many of the same testers through RST with James Bach a few years later!

Although the ISTQB scheme has issued many certifications, the value of these certifications is less clear. The lower level certifications, particularly Foundation, are very easy to obtain and require little to no practical knowledge or experience in software testing. It’s been disappointing to witness how this de facto simple certification became a pre-requisite for hiring testers all over the world. The requirement to be ISQTB-certified doesn’t seem to crop up very often on job ads in the Australian market now, though, so maybe its perceived value is falling over time.

If your desire is to become an excellent tester, then I would encourage you to adopt some of the approaches to learning outlined in the previous post in this series. Following a path of serious self-learning about the craft (and maybe challenging yourself with one of the more credible training courses such as BBST or RST) is likely to provide you with much more value in the long-term than ticking the ISTQB certification box. If you’re concerned about your resume “making the cut” when applying for jobs without having ISTQB certification, consider taking Michael Bolton’s advice in No Certification, No Problem!

Coming back to the original question. Imagine what the best software testing certification might be if you happen to be a for-profit training provider for ISTQB certifications. Then think about what the best software testing certification might be if you’re a tester with a few years of experience in the industry looking to take your skills to the next level. I don’t think it makes sense to ask which (of anything) is the “best” as there are so many context-specific factors to consider.

The de facto standard for certification in our industry, viz. ISTQB, is not a requirement for you to become an excellent and credible software tester, in my opinion.

If you’re interested in a much fuller treatment of the issues with testing certifications, I think James Bach has covered all the major arguments in his blog post, Against Certification. Ilari Henrik Aegerter’s short Super Single Slide Sessions #6 – On Certifications video is also worth a look and, for some light relief around this controversial topic, see the IQSTD website!

You can find the first eight parts of this blog series at:

• Why is software testing important?,
• How does software testing impact software quality?
• When should software testing activities start?
• How is software testing done?
• Can you automate software testing?
• Is software testing easy?
• Is software testing a good career? and
• Can I learn software testing on my own?

I’m providing the content in this blog series as part of the “not just for profit” approach of my consultancy business, Dr Lee Consulting. If the way I’m writing about testing resonates with you and you’re looking for help with the testing & quality practices in your organisation, please get in touch and we can discuss whether I’m the right fit for you.

Thanks again to my review team (Paul Seaman and Ky) for their helpful feedback on this post, their considerable effort and input as this series comes towards an end has been instrumental in producing posts that I’m proud of.