Advanced certification guide
CTAL-AT v2.0: Agile Tester
Consider this qualification when you want to make better testing decisions within an Agile team, including how the team collaborates, gets feedback and improves its approach. Check the entry requirements below before you book.
Syllabus: ISTQB CTAL-AT Syllabus v2.0, Exam facts checked: October 10, 2026
Is this the right certification for you?
Consider this qualification when you want to make better testing decisions within an Agile team, including how the team collaborates, gets feedback and improves its approach.
When to choose another route: If you are still learning basic testing terminology, strengthen CTFL first. If the main problem you want to solve is cross-team flow or organizational test strategy, compare CT-ATLaS. A team-level Agile guide cannot substitute for that wider perspective.
Exam at a glance
40multiple-choice questions
52total available points
34 / 52minimum passing score in points
90 minstandard exam duration
These figures describe CTAL-AT v2.0. 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. Test Strategy and Test Approach Challenges | 5 | 5 | 12.5% |
| 2. People and Teams | 5 | 5 | 12.5% |
| 3. Test Management and Test Process Improvement | 7 | 11 | 17.5% |
| 4. Shift Left | 9 | 11 | 22.5% |
| 5. Agile Approaches and Test Techniques | 12 | 18 | 30% |
| 6. Test Automation and Test Tools | 2 | 2 | 5% |
| Total | 40 | 52 | 100% |
Start your planning with Agile Approaches and Test Techniques, which accounts for 12 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 v4.0 or an earlier CTFL certificate is required. Agile testing experience is strongly recommended, but the official transition FAQ says it is not a formal entry requirement.
Also known as: CTAL AT, Agile Tester, Certified Tester Advanced Level Agile Tester.
Source: Official syllabus and qualification overview.
What the syllabus covers
Open the detailed syllabus guide
The v2.0 syllabus, released April 17, 2026, has six examinable chapters and sets 780 minutes (13 hours) of training for accredited courses. It defines eight business outcomes.
| Syllabus chapter | Course training time |
|---|---|
| 1. Test strategy and test approach challenges | 60 min |
| 2. People and teams | 60 min |
| 3. Test management and test process improvement | 210 min |
| 4. Shift left | 135 min |
| 5. Agile approaches and test techniques | 285 min |
| 6. Test automation and test tools | 30 min |
| Total | 780 min (13 hours) |
What each chapter covers
- Chapter 1: test strategy and test approach challenges in Agile delivery, including regression approaches and contract testing.
- Chapter 2: the whole team, T-shaped specialists, pairing and coaching, and tissue testers.
- Chapter 3: Agile test planning with the testing quadrants, lightweight monitoring and control, and improvement driven by metrics, goal-question-metric, retrospectives and value stream mapping.
- Chapter 4: shift left through example mapping, storyboarding and testboarding, cognitive biases such as confirmation, anchoring and conformity, and user story slicing.
- Chapter 5: exploratory testing, test heuristics, test tours, test charters, mob and pair testing, and test smells.
- Chapter 6: test automation in Agile teams and categories of test tools.
Three K4 learning objectives cover analysis: CTAL-AT-3.1.2 (outline a project test strategy using testing quadrants) and CTAL-AT-3.4.1 (select test process improvement measures based on metrics). A third K4 objective, CTAL-AT-5.1.4, asks you to analyze user stories and epics to create test charters. The K3 objective CTAL-AT-4.1.5 asks you to apply user story slicing to get testable stories.
Source: CTAL-AT v2.0 syllabus and ISTQB Exam Structures & Rules Tables v1.19.
How to prepare
The suggestions below are our editorial advice, not ISTQB requirements.
- Keep a decision journal: for each practice scenario, record the team’s context, the quality risk and your chosen approach.
- Use an unfamiliar user story to practice asking questions and finding assumptions before discussing tools.
- Compare two plausible improvements. Explain their trade-offs rather than merely naming an Agile practice.
- Review a sample question against its learning objective, especially when it asks you to analyze a situation.
Try this study exercise
Imagine a team delivering an online booking service every two weeks. Late discoveries repeatedly delay release, while automated checks stay green. Write three possible explanations, identify what evidence would distinguish them, and propose one experiment the team could try in its next iteration. Explain who should participate and how you would judge whether the experiment helped.
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 Test Strategy and Test Approach Challenges, People and Teams, Test Management and Test Process Improvement | A chapter map with terms you can explain and objectives you cannot yet demonstrate. |
| 2. Apply | Shift Left, Agile Approaches and Test Techniques, Test Automation and Test Tools | A written analysis of an Agile team’s quality problem, with a selected approach, alternatives, owners and a way to evaluate the improvement. |
| 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
Open the sample-exam walkthrough
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.
Moving from CTFL-AT or CT-ATT
The official Agile transition FAQ says English exams, retakes and training for CTFL-AT and CT-ATT end on May 6, 2027. Non-English availability ends on November 6, 2027. Existing certificates remain valid. There is no automatic upgrade.
ISTQB says CTAL-AT replaces CT-ATT with a broader qualification and is not an updated CTFL-AT. These certificates must not be described as equivalent. Older references also use CT-AT for CTFL-AT, and CTAL-ATT for Agile Technical Tester.
Already preparing? Check your exact syllabus, language and appointment first, then decide whether to finish the retiring exam or start CTAL-AT. Reuse the concepts you know, and map your preparation against the current learning objectives.
Official Agile transition FAQ, All current transition dates
Mistakes that cost candidates points
- Treating CTAL-AT as an updated CTFL-AT. ISTQB says it is not. It is a broader Advanced qualification with K3 and K4 objectives.
- Skipping the “soft” topics. Cognitive biases, tissue testers and coaching are named in the syllabus and examinable.
- Underestimating chapter 3. It holds two of the three K4 objectives; the third is in chapter 5. Its 7 questions are worth 11 points.
- Not practicing user story slicing and test charters. Reading about them is not enough for application questions.
Before you book
Before you pay for CTAL-AT, confirm the exam version, the language and your eligibility with the provider. Our booking checklist, country guides and exam day checklist walk you through it.
How CTAL-AT compares with related certifications
| Feature | CTAL-AT v2.0 | CTFL-AT (retiring) | CT-ATLaS v2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Advanced | Foundation-level Agile extension | Specialist |
| Questions | 40 | Check the retiring syllabus | 40 |
| Points to pass | 34 of 52 | Check the retiring syllabus | 47 of 71 |
| Standard time | 90 min | Check the retiring syllabus | 120 min |
| Focus | Testing decisions inside Agile teams | Agile testing basics | Quality across many Agile teams |
| Status | Current | English exams end May 6, 2027 | Current |
Common questions
Does CTAL-AT require the retiring Agile Tester certificate?
No. The current entry requirement is CTFL, including earlier CTFL versions. The Agile transition FAQ recommends Agile experience but does not make CTFL-AT or CT-ATT a prerequisite.
Is CTAL-AT an automatic upgrade from CTFL-AT?
No. Candidates must pass the CTAL-AT exam. Existing Agile certificates remain valid, but they are not converted into the current Advanced qualification.
Why practice analysis instead of only definitions?
The exam includes application and analysis questions. In your preparation, explain why an action suits the scenario and why a plausible alternative is weaker. Recognizing the name of a practice is only a starting point.
Should I finish a retiring Agile exam?
It depends on your booked version, your language, how far you have got and what you want. Read the transition dates below, and confirm your appointment with the provider before you switch materials or buy another exam.
Can I take the CTAL-AT exam online?
Usually, yes. Most exam providers offer remote-proctored exams. Check your provider and language before you buy.
What is the CTAL-AT pass rate?
We found no scheme-wide ISTQB pass-rate figure as of October 10, 2026. Some providers publish numbers for their own candidates. If you find one, look at the exam version, the reporting period, the sample size and whether it counts first attempts or retakes before you trust it.
Should I take CTFL-AT before it retires or go straight to CTAL-AT?
If you need an Agile credential quickly and can sit CTFL-AT before its sunset date, it remains a valid certificate. If you have Agile experience and some time, CTAL-AT is the current, broader qualification. The two are not equivalent.
How long is CTAL-AT training?
The syllabus sets 780 minutes, or 13 hours, for accredited courses. Chapter 5 takes the largest share with 285 minutes.
Key takeaways
- CTAL-AT v2.0 has 40 questions worth 52 points, a 34-point pass mark and 90 minutes.
- Chapter 5 carries the most questions (12). Chapter 3 holds two K4 objectives, and chapter 5 holds the third.
- CTFL is the only formal prerequisite. Agile experience is recommended.
- CTFL-AT and CT-ATT certificates stay valid, but there is no automatic upgrade.
- The certificate does not expire.
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. Our country guides carry dated fee records where we have verified them. If your country is not listed, the provider guides cover international routes. 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.