CTAL-TTA 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-TTA Sample Exam Questions v4.2 (PDF)
• ISTQB CTAL-TTA Sample Exam Answers v4.2 (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-TTA 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 function grants access when active AND (paid OR trial) is true. Your tests use active=true, paid=true, trial=false, and active=false, paid=true, trial=false. Both overall decision outcomes have occurred. What coverage claim can you support, and what important condition behavior have you not exercised?

Suggested reasoning

For this one decision, the tests show true and false decision outcomes. They do not show both outcomes for paid or trial, and do not establish that each condition can independently change the result. Make a condition-value table before claiming any stronger coverage. Add carefully chosen inputs and trace their effect. Also check whether short-circuit evaluation changes which conditions are actually evaluated.

Try a fresh version: Make trial true in a new case while paid is false and active is true. Explain what new evidence this provides, and which other condition outcomes or independence claims still need checking.

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 claiming stronger coverage from a weaker coverage result without tracing the conditions.
• Avoid confusing a static finding with proof that a failure has occurred.
• Avoid describing performance results without the workload and environment that produced them.
• Avoid naming a tool instead of explaining the evidence required for the technical risk.

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.