CTAL-TA v4.0 sample exams

Official sample questions and answer explanations

Use the question file before opening the answers. These downloads belong to ISTQB and remain on its official site. The walkthrough below is our preparation guidance. The sample-file revision can differ from the syllabus version.

• ISTQB-CTAL-TA-Sample-Exam-Questions-v4.1.pdf (PDF)
• ISTQB-CTAL-TA-Sample-Exam-Answers-v4.1.pdf (PDF)

One question-and-answer pair is linked here. Once you have studied its explanations, later repeats are useful revision but no longer an unseen test of readiness.

The CTAL-TA sample exam and the current exam format

Questions	Total points	Pass mark	Standard duration
45	78	51 points	120 minutes

The pass mark is a points threshold, not a simple count of correct answers. Follow the question and answer instructions for selection rules and scoring. Use a sample’s own point allocation to mark that file. Do not silently replace it with the current live-exam total.

Additional time requires the provider’s approval under the applicable rules. Use your confirmed duration for realistic timing practice. A sample is an illustration of the style and objectives, not a guarantee of the questions you will receive.

Use the sample in three passes

1. First attempt: hide the answer file, follow the sample instructions and work without notes. Record your confidence as well as your selected answer. If you use a timer, note unanswered questions and time pressure.
2. Diagnosis: read the official explanations, identify the objective behind each wrong or guessed response, and explain why each rejected alternative does not fit. Keep calculation or scenario-reading mistakes separate from knowledge gaps.
3. Targeted practice: return to the relevant syllabus section, create a changed example and attempt it later. Reuse the original sample only after the learning gap has been addressed.

For a first timed attempt, distribute your time across the paper and leave a deliberate review margin. If a scenario stalls you, record it for later review and continue. The useful skill is recognizing the relevant constraints and showing correct reasoning, not solving every question in the same number of seconds.

Review what the result actually tells you

Record	Why it matters
First-attempt points	Shows how you handled this sample before seeing its answers.
Wrong and guessed objectives	Identifies what to study next, even where a guess gained points.
Time or reading mistakes	Shows whether the problem was knowledge, execution or an overlooked constraint.
Repeat score	Shows revision progress. It is affected by familiarity with the answers.

For each difficult item, write a one-sentence explanation of the decisive constraint, then a short reason each tempting alternative fails. If you cannot do that without reading the answer again, the objective needs more work.

Practice beyond the official sample

Independent practice prompt, not an ISTQB exam question: An invented membership service gives a discount when a member is at least 65 and has an active annual subscription. A second rule gives a different discount to annual subscribers renewing before expiry. Discounts cannot be combined. The specification does not say which discount wins when both apply. What should a test analyst do before deriving a final set of expected results?

Suggested reasoning

Record the missing precedence rule and get it clarified rather than inventing an expected result. A decision table helps expose the overlap. After clarification, derive cases for each applicable rule, the overlap, and neither rule. Add age-boundary and renewal-timing cases where relevant. State which coverage each case adds. The number of cases alone does not demonstrate that the ambiguity has been resolved.

Try a fresh version: Introduce a suspended subscription state. Decide whether your existing decision table is enough, or whether a state model is needed to describe how suspension affects renewal and discount eligibility.

This exercise has no official point allocation. Judge it by the assumptions you identify, the evidence you use and the explanation of your choice. Use the official objective list to decide which further examples you need.

• Avoid using v3.1 sample questions as if they fully cover the v4.0 syllabus.
• Avoid counting test cases without explaining the coverage they provide.
• Avoid combining data, state and rule models without checking their assumptions.
• Avoid choosing a technique by habit rather than the product risk and test basis.

Next steps

Use the syllabus guide to identify missing objectives and the study plan to schedule repairs. Check eligibility, booking options and source-linked exam facts in the overview. Fees belong in the country guides.