Specialist certification guide
CT-AcT v1.0: Acceptance Testing
Consider this qualification when you help business stakeholders, product owners and testers agree what acceptance means and how to demonstrate it. Check the entry requirements below before you book.
Syllabus: ISTQB CT-AcT Syllabus v1.0 2019. Exam facts checked: October 4, 2026
Is CT-AcT the right certification for you?
Consider this qualification when you help business stakeholders, product owners and testers agree what acceptance means and how to demonstrate it.
When to choose another route: If you mainly want more general functional test-design depth, compare CTAL-TA. If your current gap is running usability sessions, compare CT-UT. Acceptance testing is a good fit when agreements between business expectations and test evidence are your main concern.
Exam at a glance
40multiple-choice questions
40total available points
26 / 40minimum passing score in points
60 minstandard exam duration
These figures describe CT-AcT v1.0. Use the listed point threshold, rather than assuming a fixed number of correct answers on a weighted exam.
Source: Official exam structures and rules. Appointment arrangements and any approved extra time must be confirmed with your provider.
How the exam is weighted
Question count and available points are different measures. Use the chapter allocation to set priorities, then check your own weak learning objectives. Every chapter remains examinable.
| Syllabus chapter | Questions | Points | Question share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction and Foundations | 6 | 6 | 15% |
| 2. Acceptance Criteria, Acceptance Tests and Experience- Based Practices | 10 | 10 | 25% |
| 3. Business Process and Business Rules Modeling | 8 | 8 | 20% |
| 4. Acceptance Testing for Non-Functional Requirements | 8 | 8 | 20% |
| 5. Collaborative Acceptance Testing | 8 | 8 | 20% |
| Total | 40 | 40 | 100% |
Start your planning with Acceptance Criteria, Acceptance Tests and Experience- Based Practices, which accounts for 10 of 40 questions. Give additional attention to difficult application and analysis objectives. Question share alone is not a personal study timetable.
Source: ISTQB Exam Structures & Rules Tables v1.19, checked October 4, 2026.
Entry requirements
CTFL is required. Confirm which certificate evidence the provider accepts before purchasing or scheduling the exam.
Also known as: CT AcT, Acceptance Testing, Certified Tester Acceptance Testing.
Source: Official syllabus and qualification overview.
What the syllabus covers
Use these chapters to organize your reading. The practice prompts are our editorial guidance. Use the official learning objectives to check the required depth.
Chapter 1: Introduction and Foundations
Connect a business need with acceptance work and the roles involved. Describe who can resolve an ambiguity and who supplies the evidence for a decision.
Chapter 2: Acceptance Criteria, Acceptance Tests and Experience- Based Practices
Rewrite unclear criteria into checkable examples and tests. Examine whether two people interpret the same wording consistently before increasing the number of cases.
Chapter 3: Business Process and Business Rules Modeling
Use process and rule models to expose missing paths and combinations. Explain how a model-derived test connects back to an acceptance condition.
Chapter 4: Acceptance Testing for Non-Functional Requirements
Make relevant non-functional acceptance needs measurable. Separate an attractive but vague goal from a criterion that supports an actual acceptance decision.
Chapter 5: Collaborative Acceptance Testing
Plan collaboration around examples, reviews and feedback. Decide how a tool supports the conversation rather than replacing agreement about expected behavior.
Source: ISTQB CT-AcT Syllabus v1.0 2019. ISTQB and the syllabus authors own the official syllabus. The study prompts above are original editorial guidance.
How to prepare
The suggestions below are our editorial advice, not ISTQB requirements.
- Practice turning an ambiguous request into questions before drafting criteria.
- Use a small process or rule model to find missing acceptance scenarios.
- Include measurable non-functional needs when they matter to acceptance.
- Review criteria and tests with someone playing the business stakeholder role.
Try this study exercise
Invent a user story for canceling a subscription. Write acceptance criteria that make timing, refunds and account access explicit. Ask another person to derive tests without extra explanation. Compare the resulting tests with your intended rules and revise any ambiguous criteria. Keep business acceptance separate from a vague statement that the feature works.
A study plan with milestones
Use four passes through the material rather than a guaranteed number of weeks. The pace depends on your experience and available study time. This plan is our editorial recommendation, not an official course duration.
| Pass | Focus | Evidence of progress |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Orient | Read the learning objectives and Introduction and Foundations, Acceptance Criteria, Acceptance Tests and Experience- Based Practices | A chapter map with terms you can explain and objectives you cannot yet demonstrate. |
| 2. Apply | Business Process and Business Rules Modeling, Acceptance Testing for Non-Functional Requirements, Collaborative Acceptance Testing | A small acceptance package containing clarified criteria, traceable tests, a process or rule model and explicit unresolved business questions. |
| 3. Diagnose | Take the matching official sample without looking at the answers | An error log separating missing knowledge, reasoning mistakes and rushed reading. |
| 4. Consolidate | Rework weak objectives and repeat the relevant exercises | A reasoned explanation of corrected answers, plus a confirmed exam version and booking checklist. |
For each uncertain answer, record the learning objective, why your choice seemed plausible, the official explanation and the example you will use to check your understanding again. Revisit guesses even when they happened to be correct.
Use the official sample exams
Take one sample under timed conditions before you open the answers, then review every guess as well as every wrong answer. Our sample exam guide shows how to turn a practice score into a study plan.
Before you book
Confirm the exam version, language and your eligibility with the provider before you pay. Use our booking checklist, the USA and India guides, and the exam day checklist.
Common questions
Does passing mean I can sign off a product for the business?
No. Acceptance authority is an organizational responsibility. The qualification supports testing knowledge. The organization must decide who can approve a product and on what evidence.
Is acceptance testing limited to functional requirements?
No. The syllabus also addresses acceptance of non-functional requirements. Your examples should include a measurable quality need when it affects the acceptance decision.
Can business analysts and product owners use this qualification?
Yes, its scope includes their collaboration with testers. The formal CTFL prerequisite still needs to be met before the exam.
Is a user story enough to design acceptance tests?
Only if its expectations are sufficiently clear. Identify missing rules, exceptions and quality needs before treating the wording as a complete test basis.
Related certification guides
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Fees and booking
Use our exam fees overview to compare exam prices, taxes, retake charges and booking terms. Check the dated fee records in our USA guide or India guide. For other countries, use the member board directory to find the appropriate booking route. Your provider sets the final price and terms, so ask for them before you pay.
Sources and how we checked
Syllabus and exam facts checked on October 4, 2026. Scope summaries are based on the official documents linked below. Decision advice, study routines and the worked exercise are our editorial guidance. Provider availability and booking terms can change.