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Top 5 Quality
Assurance
Certifications
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By Jason Boog

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If you are interested in working in quality

assurance or are already on a QA team, then
attaining QA certification can be a bonus for
your career.

Why Are Quality

Assurance
Certifications
Important?
Attaining certification in QA software testing is
imperative not only for personal knowledge but
also for maintaining consistent quality in the
industry. In software development, the QA team
is a significant part of the process making sure
the product is usable and maintains a standard
of quality. Having a certification adds to your
resume or CV while expanding your knowledge
base and the borders of your personal
understanding.

Good QA training helps with strategic thinking

and long-term quality sustainability. When
choosing your certification goals, make sure to
match your experience with the level of the QA
course. There are learning institutes such as
ASQ or ISTBQ where you can investigate
certification but always do your research so
you choose the one best for your particular
area of work.

5 Top Quality
Assurance
Certifications
Quality Assurance certifications vary. Every
country has different standards for various
products. It is important to find the certification
that standardizes your industry and meets the
requirements of your country as well. Make
sure you choose the right course for your level
of experience. Whether you go with ASQ
certification or ISTQB, having it on your resume
is always beneficial. Classroom or online
quality assurance certification is available so
there are a lot of options that fit both your level
of experience and schedule.

1. Certified Test
Engineer (CSTE)
This software quality assurance certification is
to set and maintain the standards required for
an initial software quality assurance
qualification showing competence in the
basics of QC in the IT profession. A CSTE
certification brings an association with a
recognized professional association, good
career advancement, and demonstrates the
ability to advise management. The certification
is for those who are newer to the industry and
looking to boost their resume and experience.

Candidates must have one of the prerequisites

below:

4-year degree from an accredited

college + 2 years of experience

3-year degree from an accredited

college + 3 years of experience

2-year degree from an accredited

college + 4 years of experience

6 years of experience in the Ueld

AND have worked in the field within the 18

months leading up to the application.

The CSTE fee ranges from $350 to $420 US

and includes access to the PDF file that helps
with exam prep and the exam itself. You must
attain 70% to pass.

2. Certified Software
Quality Analyst
(CSQA)
This certificate background is more advanced
than the CSTE. It covers both quality control
and quality assurance. The course is taken
once someone has attained their CSTE and
moved farther along in their QA roles.

Candidates must have one of the prerequisites

below:

4-year degree from an accredited

college + 2 years of experience

3-year degree from an accredited

college + 3 years of experience

2-year degree from an accredited

college + 4 years of experience

6 years of experience in the Ueld

AND have worked in the field within the 18

months leading up to the application.

The CSTE fee ranges from $350 to $420 US

and includes access to the PDF file of the
Software Quality book that helps with exam
prep. This fee also includes the exam itself.
You must attain 70% to pass.

3. Certified Associate
in Software Testing
(CAST)
This certification shows a foundational level of
understanding of QA testing and technical
features in software for IT and demonstrates
the ability to use the techniques learned in the
course itself. It is good QA training for the
beginner.

Candidates need to have one of the three

prerequisites:

3 or 4-year degree from an

accredited college

2-year degree from an accredited

college and 1+ year of experience

3 years in the Ueld

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The fee for the CAST course is $100 US and

includes the exam itself as well as a PDF file
for Software Testing Body of Knowledge for
CAST which is helpful for exam prep. You must
attain a 70% to pass the exam.

4. CMSQ (Certified
Manager of Software
Quality)
Attaining this certification shows that the
person is professionally competent with the
principles, skills, and abilities of software QA
and has good management skills to lead a QA
team.

Candidates need to have:

CSQA CertiUcation
(recommended)

Currently working in the Ueld of

certiUcation

Be ready to take a manager’s level

exam

With one of the 3 prerequisites

BA from accredited college + 4

years experience in QA Ueld.

Associate degree + 6 years

experience

8 years experience

The fee is $450US and includes the exam and

the PDF file for appropriate reading material.
You must attain 70% to pass the exam.

5. ISTQB
(International
Software Testing
Qualifications Board)
This board is a software testing qualification
body that certifies people as an ISTQB tester
internationally and is internationally accepted
as the standard for software testing
qualifications. It has a universal syllabus,
National boards, and worldwide acceptance.
You can work on foundational, advanced, or
expert levels.

Foundational has no prerequisites other than a

suggested 6 months of practical experience.
Advanced requires the Foundational level
certification as well as practical experience and
Expert requires Advanced certification and
further expert-level modules. They also suggest
seven years of practical experience.

The fees for these courses are different in

every country. The US exams start at $250 US
and can go up from there depending on the
level of exam you are taking. You can also
purchase study materials at varying costs as
well. The quality assurance training offered by
these courses is for the future leaders of the
QA community and those who want to be
certified field associates.

Is it worth getting ISTQB

certification?
Yes. This certification is one of the most widely
accepted across the globe and is great to have
on a resume. Well worth the investment.

Not only does staff ISTQB certification

(Foundational to Expert) assure buyers that
those products will meet all industry standards,
but it can improve your chances of getting ore
access to QA jobs throughout the industry. In
general, most managers want at least 75% of
their staff certified, at least at the Foundational
ISTBQ level.

Which QA
Certification do
you
recommend?
Have you taken QA courses? If so, what is the
best QA certification? Do you want to know
how to get the quality assurance certification
the suits you best? Share your ideas below.

Join Our
Community Of
Technology
Leaders in
Quality
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technology leaders and quality engineers—it's
an opportunity to connect and develop
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leaders of technology, quality and teams.

We’re passionate about quality and exist to

equip you with the resources and support to
save the world from bad software. :)

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Automation Platform for web and mobile.

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By Jason Boog

Over his 15-year career, Jason Boog has

worked as a QA tester, QA analyst, and Senior
QA Analyst on video games, commercial sites,
and interactive web applications. He spent
more than a decade building out the QA team
and process as Director of Quality & Client
Support at a full-service digital agency.

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