ISTQB Foundation Level Certification Guidelines

ISTQB Foundation Level Certification Guidelines

a) All questions must be written in US English.
b) Use good grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
c)  Questions must be based on the syllabus but should also be consistent with the 'real world'.
d) Type of the exam: Objective (Multiple choices)
e) Total no of Questions: 40
f)  Pass marks: 26 (65%), No negative marks
g)  Examination fees: 4000 (Through authorized organization like NRSTT- 3500 only)
h) Re-examination fees: 2500
i)  Exam duration: 75 Minutes
j) Result will be announced in 2 weeks, certificate will be sent in 8 weeks
k)  ISTQB Foundation Level Certification Validity: Lifetime, where as Advanced Certification Validity is 3 years.
l) No pre-requisites for ISTQB Foundation Level Certification, where as Advanced Certification requires 'Foundation Certification and 2 years of work experience'.
m) 100000 ISTQB Certifications by Sep 2008

Types of multiple-choice questions

Within the multiple-choice format, questions can be presented in different ways. For example, the amount of information presented in a question's stem can be limited or extensive. Also, a question writer can include written code within the stem, specifically for example, when writing questions to test knowledge of white box techniques.
Following are examples of the type of multiple-choice items to be used in any ISTQB qualification. Correct answers should always be the first option.

Basic Type Questions

The basic multiple-choice question has a short stem and a single correct response. A limited amount of information is presented in the stem, and a single set of response options is presented to the candidates. The following example of a basic multiple-choice question is targeted to assess knowledge of static testing at K1 cognitive level of application.
Example:

What does a tester do during "Static testing"?

a) Reviews requirements and compares them with the design
b) Runs the tests on the exact same setup each time
c) Executes test to check that all hardware has been set up correctly
d) Runs the same tests multiple times, and checks that the results are statistically meaningful

Roman Type Questions

Another variation of the basic multiple-choice question is the Roman type. In this format, the candidate is presented with several statements; each proceeded by either a Roman numeral or a letter of the alphabet. This differs from the multiple-choice questions already discussed in that the response options may require the candidate to know or derive several pieces of related information. The task for the candidate is to select the option that represents the correct combination of statements; as shown in the following example:

Which of the following answers reflect when Regression testing should normally be performed?

A. Every week
B. After the software has changed
C. On the same day each year
D. When the environment has changed
E. Before the code has been written

1) B ,D are true, A, C, E are false
2) A ,B are true, C, D , E are false
3) B, C and D are true, A , E are false

4) B is true, A, C, D and E are false