Practitioner Certificate
ISEB Practitioner Certificate in Systems Testing
According to the British Computer Society, this Certificate is for experienced testing practitioners and demonstrates a depth of knowledge of testing topics and the ability to perform testing activities in practice. To take the exam you must hold the Foundation Certificate in Software Testing and need either at least 18 months experience in Software Testing OR to have completed an ISEB accredited practitioner training course (preferably all three). The objectives are:
- describe strategies for the software testing of both new development and the maintenance of existing systems
- describe different strategies for the testing for both complete life cycles and individual phases
- plan the testing needed at any level from component to user acceptance testing and document it in compliance with IEEE Std. 829-1998
- analyse risks and use the results to prioritise the testing
- specify and design test cases
- define requirements for an appropriate test environment
- run tests using defined test procedures
- log, analyse and report incidents
- interact effectively with others such as users, developers and managers
- participate in reviews
- select and implement tools to support testing activities
- assess testing and development activities for possible improvement
The syllabus is as follows:
- Introduction
Review of the Foundation Certificate Syllabus; testing in the life cycle - Test Process
Generic test process; test planning; test specification; test execution; test checking and recording; checking for test completion. - Test Management
Test management documentation; test plan documentation; test estimation; scheduling of test planning; test progress monitoring and control. - Testing and Risk
Introduction to testing and risk; risk management - Test Techniques
Functional/structural testing techniques; non-functional testing techniques; dynamic analysis; static analysis; non-systematic testing techniques; choosing test techniques. - Reviews
Introduction to reviews; the principles of reviews; informal review; walkthrough; technical review; inspection. - Incident Management
- Test Process Improvement
- Test Tools
Overview; tool selection; tool implementation. - People Skills
Individual skills, test team dynamics, fitting testing within an organisation; motivation.
ISEB defines a testing practitioner is anyone involved in software testing; including testers, test analysts, test engineers, test consultants, test managers, user acceptance testers, and software developers.
The examination is three hours long based on the entire syllabus and consists of questions requiring narrative/essay style answers. There is one double length compuslory question (40%). In addition three single-length questions should be chosen out of five, each worth 20%. 60% gets you a pass, and 80% a distinction.
The BCS says that candidates should contact an accredited Training Provider. The BCS suggests a time for training provuders to spend on portion of the syllabus (total 56 hours including practical work, which may take up between 30% and 70% of the total), and students may spend extra time on reading and research.
The versions of standards referenced in the BCS Syllabus must be followed. The specialist terminology is from BS 7925-1:1998 or, if not in that standard, from IEEE Std. 829-1998 and IEEE Std. 610-1990.
This page and those following are very heavily based on the ISEB Practitioner Certificate Syllabus. This is unavoidable, as to pass the exam, you have to use their terminology and syllabus.