Specialist certification guide
CT-QDO v1.0: Quality in DevOps
Consider this qualification when your testing work spans delivery and operations, and you want a shared approach to quality across the team. Check the entry requirements below before you book.
Syllabus: CT-QDO Syllabus v1.0, Exam facts checked: October 4, 2026
Is CT-QDO the right certification for you?
Consider this qualification when your testing work spans delivery and operations, and you want a shared approach to quality across the team.
When to choose another route: Wait if you cannot yet describe your delivery process from change request to operation. Start by mapping that process with your team. For deeper automation architecture work, compare CTAL-TAE. For Agile team testing decisions, compare CTAL-AT.
Exam at a glance
40multiple-choice questions
45total available points
30 / 45minimum passing score in points
60 minstandard exam duration
These figures describe CT-QDO 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. Fundamentals of DevOps | 8 | 8 | 20% |
| 2. Quality Assurance (QA) and Testing in DevOps | 9 | 11 | 22.5% |
| 3. Automated and Manual Tasks in DevOps | 13 | 16 | 32.5% |
| 4. Tools and Practices in DevOps | 10 | 10 | 25% |
| Total | 40 | 45 | 100% |
Start your planning with Automated and Manual Tasks in DevOps, which accounts for 13 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 QDO, Quality in DevOps, Certified Tester Quality in DevOps. Also listed in some catalog summaries as CT-CDO.
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: Fundamentals of DevOps
Describe the purpose of a DevOps approach using the flow of one product change. Identify where organizational habits create delayed feedback or unclear ownership.
Chapter 2: Quality Assurance (QA) and Testing in DevOps
Map quality activities across the value stream. Explain who receives each piece of evidence and how it can affect a decision before or after release.
Chapter 3: Automated and Manual Tasks in DevOps
Choose a task for automation and a task for human investigation. Explain the different information each produces and the consequences of removing either.
Chapter 4: Tools and Practices in DevOps
Assess a proposed tool or practice against a bottleneck and a quality risk. Avoid equating a longer tool list with a more effective delivery process.
Source: CT-QDO Syllabus v1.0. 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.
- Use one value-stream sketch throughout your notes, adding the practices you study to the relevant stage.
- Explain where a manual investigation contributes information that an automated check cannot provide.
- Compare feedback from development, deployment and operation instead of treating testing as one final gate.
- For each proposed tool, identify the question it helps answer and the people who need the result.
Try this study exercise
Draw the journey of a small change from idea to production feedback. Mark the queues, hand-offs, checks and places where a defect could be detected. Choose one slow or weak feedback point and propose a small improvement. Explain who owns the change and what evidence would show that it improved quality or flow.
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 Fundamentals of DevOps, Quality Assurance (QA) and Testing in DevOps | A chapter map with terms you can explain and objectives you cannot yet demonstrate. |
| 2. Apply | Automated and Manual Tasks in DevOps, Tools and Practices in DevOps | A value-stream map with a justified quality improvement, its feedback mechanism and the people responsible for acting on the information. |
| 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
Is Quality in DevOps a DevOps engineering course?
It is a quality and testing qualification. Use it to reason about quality across delivery and operation. Learn platform administration and implementation skills separately where your role needs them.
Does DevOps mean every test must be automated?
No. The syllabus explicitly covers automated and manual tasks. In preparation, explain which information a task supplies and whether automation is a suitable way to obtain it.
Which acronym should I use when booking?
Use CT-QDO and the full name Quality in DevOps, together with syllabus v1.0. The official catalog contains a CT-CDO summary variant, so the acronym alone is a weak booking identifier.
Should I choose CT-QDO or automation engineering?
Compare CT-QDO for quality across a delivery value stream. Compare CTAL-TAE for the technical design and maintenance of an automation solution. The two goals can overlap in practice.
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.