ISTQB Certified Tester Test Automation Engineer (CT-TAE) Certification: A Comprehensive Guide

The software testing market grew by $45 Billion in 2022 alone and is expected to grow at a 5% CAGR from 2023 to 2032. Software testing is an indispensable term for businesses dealing in technical or digital products, such as software, games, websites, apps, etc.

Any business with such products needs a skilled and trained software tester who can help them: analyze and troubleshoot the defects and also manage to protect from future faults. 

However, to be a suitable candidate for the software testing industry, you must demonstrate your competence in times like today, where every business relies on automation testing methods. You need to be proficiently equipped with knowledge of automation testing tools, techniques, and capabilities that you can acquire through automation testing certification.

## Why is automation testing in demand?

Automation testing is essential to the product life cycle, especially for ensuring quality. Automation testing is the process of using software tools to perform tests that would otherwise require manual intervention. Certified automation testers are responsible for performing these functions and play a vital role in product development. Therefore, many organizations are constantly looking for certified automation testers.

 Automation testing has many benefits for product development, such as:

Faster feedback

Automation testing can run tests faster and more frequently than manual testing, so you can identify and fix bugs early in development. 

Lower costs

Automation testing can reduce the resources needed for testing, such as human testers, hardware, and software. 

Better results

Automation testing can handle complex and repetitive test cases in which manual testing might miss or make errors. Automation testing also provides more detailed and accurate reports than manual testing.

What is the ISTQB CT-TAE certification?

The ISTQB Certified Tester Test Automation Engineer (CT-TAE) Certification is a well-known credential demonstrating the ability to design, develop, and maintain test automation solutions offered by ISTQB. It also covers the knowledge of the concepts, methods, tools, and processes for automating dynamic functional tests and how they relate to test management, configuration management, defect management, software development processes, and quality assurance. The methods described apply to various software life cycle approaches, software system types, and test types.

Exam format

Questions: 40 questions Total points: 75  Passing score: 49 Exam duration: 90 minutes

## Course prerequisites

To earn the ISTQB Certified Tester Test Automation Engineer (CT-TAE) certification course, professionals must have the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level certification (CTFL) or the BCS/ISTQB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing. The ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) Advanced Level Test Automation Engineer course aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals in test automation. 

The ISTQB CT-TAE certification program covers the concepts, methods, tools, and processes required to automate dynamic functional tests, manage test activities, support configuration management, software development, and quality assurance. The course applies to various software life cycle approaches, such as agile, sequential, incremental, and interactive. The ISTQB CT-TAE certification program is also relevant to software systems (including embedded, distributed, and mobile) and test types (functional and non-functional testing).

Business outcomes

After passing the "Advanced Test Automation Engineer" module exam, Advanced Level testers should be able to achieve the following business outcomes:

• Develop a plan for integrating automated testing within the testing process.
• Evaluate tools and technologies for automation suitability for each project and organization.
• Establish an approach and methodology for building a test automation architecture (TAA)
• Design and develop (new or modified) test automation solutions that meet the business requirements
• Facilitate the transition of testing from a manual to an automated approach.
• Generate automated test reports and metrics collection
• Manage and optimize testing assets to ensure maintainability and adaptability to evolving (test) systems

Learning objectives

• The ISTQB Certified Advanced Test Automation Engineers should be able to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in the following areas:
• Explain the objectives, advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of test automation.
• Identify technical success factors of a test automation project.
• Analyze a system under test to determine the appropriate automation solution.
• Analyze test automation tools for a given project and report technical findings and recommendations.
• Understand the "design for testability" and "design for test automation" methods applicable to the SUT.
• Explain the structure of the Generic Test Automation Architecture.
• Analyze implementation, use, and maintenance requirements factors for a given Test Automation Solution.
• Explain the factors to be considered when identifying the reusability of components.
• Apply guidelines that support effective test tool pilot and deployment activities.
• Analyze deployment risks, identify technical issues that could lead to failure of the test automation project, and plan mitigation strategies.
• Understand which factors support and affect maintainability.
• Classify metrics that can be used to monitor the test automation strategy and effectiveness.
• Explain how a test execution report is constructed and published.
• Apply criteria for determining the suitability of tests for automation.
• Understand the factors in transitioning from manual to automation testing.
• Explain the factors to consider in implementing automated regression testing, new feature testing, and confirmation testing.
• Verify the correctness of an automated test environment, including test tool setup.
• Verify the correct behavior for a given automated test script and/or test suite.
• Analyze the technical aspects of a deployed test automation solution and provide recommendations for improvement.

Course outline

Introduction and Objectives for Test Automation

• Purpose of test automation
• Success factors in test automation  

Preparing for Test Automation

• SUT factors influencing test automation
• Tool evaluation and selection
• Design for testability and automation  

The Generic Test Automation Architecture

• Introduction to gTAA
• TAA design
• TAS development  

Deployment Risks and Contingencies

• Selection of test automation approach and planning of deployment/rollout
• Risk assessment and mitigation strategies
• Test automation maintenance  

Test Automation Reporting and Metrics

• Selection of TAS metrics
• Implementation of measurement
• Logging of the TAS and the SUT
• Test automation reporting  

Transitioning Manual Testing to an Automated Environment

• Criteria for automation
• Identify steps needed to implement automation within regression testing
• Factors to consider when implementing automation within new feature testing
• Factors to consider when implementing automation of confirmation testing  

Verifying the TAS

• Verifying automated test environment components
• Verifying the automated test suite  

Continuous Improvement

• Options for improving test automation
• Planning the implementation of test automation improvement

Who is this certification for?

The ISTQB Certified Tester Test Automation Engineer (CT-TAE) certification is intended for anyone interested in software testing, who has already gained some experience in the field, and who wants to advance their skills further. The ISTQB CT-TAE certification is especially suitable for the following:

• Software testers
• Test analysts, test developers, test managers
• Software developers

The Importance of ISTQB CT-TAE certification

ISTQB Test Automation Engineering certification is a valuable credential for your career. Test automation skills are highly sought after by employers, as they can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of testing. ISTQB Test Automation Engineering certification teaches you the principles of test automation engineering that apply to any test automation tool, whether an open-source tool such as Selenium or a commercial product. 

ISTQB Test Automation Engineering C]certification can enhance your software testing career by:

• Showing your strong commitment to the testing profession and self-improvement.
• Demonstrating your advanced software testing skills in test automation. Your test automation skills distinguish you from others.
• Proving your readiness to advance in your career and your organization. Your test automation skills create new opportunities for software testing jobs and promotions.

Benefits of taking ISTQB Certified Advanced Level Test Automation Engineer certification

The ISTQB-Advanced Level Test Automation Engineer course includes practical labs or exercises that enable professionals to apply the theories discussed in each module. This allows individuals to demonstrate the knowledge acquired and clarify questions or doubts.    Upon completion of this course, professionals are capable of:

• Developing a plan for integrating automated testing within the testing process
• Evaluating tools and technologies for automation suitability for each project and organization
• Establishing an approach and methodology for building a test automation architecture (TAA)
• Designing and developing (new or modified) test automation solutions that meet the business requirements
• Facilitating the transition of testing from a manual to an automated approach
• Generating automated test reports and metrics collection
• Managing and optimizing testing assets to ensure maintainability and adaptability to evolving (test) systems

This ISTQB-Advanced Level Test Automation Engineer course helps professionals to further prove their skills as test automation engineers. The average salary for this position is USD 88,390. The certification enhances salary prospects while showcasing a more specialized set of skills than non-ISTQB certificate holders. Experienced test automation engineers can earn up to USD 137,500.

The final verdict

Software development is more comprehensive than large-scale technology companies. With many innovative ideas, businesses of different sizes and sectors engage in large-scale application development that often requires continuous development. Businesses need to hire qualified professionals for the development and critical testing phase. The ISTQB is an internationally recognized institution that offers professionals an opportunity to enhance and validate their skills.

Automation testing is not a new concept, but it has become more popular recently as businesses use it to accelerate their test environments, deliver complex projects faster and reduce costs.

The demand for skilled and certified automation testers has increased significantly over the past years. There needs to be more than a skilled automation tester; certification has also become a criterion for getting more job opportunities and higher compensation than non-certified candidates. Getting certified is still a personal choice. However, considering how companies are hiring and rewarding certified resources, it shows the importance of getting the automation testing certification online.