Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Management (CTAL-TM) v3.0

CTAL-TM is a globally recognised credential from the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) for professionals who manage testing activities across the software development lifecycle. It validates your ability to design a test approach aligned with organisational strategy, build and lead a test team, plan and control testing, manage risk, and report progress to stakeholders. Tezzonix Academy's CTAL-TM programme is built around the six core areas of the syllabus — test management fundamentals, strategic test planning, risk-based testing, test monitoring and control, defect management, and leadership and communication.

CTAL-TM is designed for QA leads and test managers, typically with 3 or more years of testing experience, senior QA professionals targeting leadership roles, and anyone preparing to take ownership of test governance or process improvement. It also suits scrum masters, project managers, product owners, business analysts and IT directors who want a structured, advanced understanding of how testing is planned and managed, even where “Test Manager” isn't their formal job title.

The only formal prerequisite enforced by ISTQB is holding the Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) certificate — you'll need to provide proof of this when registering for the exam. ISTQB doesn't mandate a fixed number of years of professional experience, but Tezzonix Academy generally recommends this path for QA professionals with 3+ years of testing experience, since the syllabus — test strategy, risk-based testing, team leadership, stakeholder management — is written for people ready to lead a test process, not learn one from scratch.

Yes. ISTQB's scheme runs Foundation → Advanced → Specialist → Expert, and CTAL-TM holders are well placed to move into other Core, Agile, or Specialist stream certifications depending on where their career is heading — for example Agile-focused tracks like CT-ATLaS (Agile Test Leadership at Scale) for those leading testing across multiple Agile teams. Tezzonix Academy offers several of these as natural next steps once you're CTAL-TM certified. 

No. Like all ISTQB certifications below Expert Level, CTAL-TM has lifetime validity once you pass the exam — there's no renewal requirement, no continuing-education obligation, and no expiry date. Only ISTQB's separate Expert Level tier follows a 7-year renewal cycle. 

The exam has 50 multiple-choice questions, with 120 minutes to complete it — candidates sitting the exam in a language other than their native language are entitled to extra time. A score of 65% or higher is required to pass. 

Yes. Depending on the course tier you choose, the programme includes an Exam Simulation Lab and structured mock tests built around real exam scenarios, so you sit the actual ISTQB exam having already practised under timed, exam-like conditions rather than meeting that format for the first time on exam day. 

The programme combines structured theory across all six syllabus areas with practical exam preparation. Depending on the tier you choose, this can include an Exam Simulation Lab, multiple mock tests, dedicated Q&A sessions, and the Career Accelerator add-on (1:1 doubt-clearing, resume and LinkedIn profile optimisation, and a one-month internship opportunity). Every tier is built around a flexible schedule of around 4 hours per week. 

The CTAL-TM programme is delivered 100% online, so you can join from anywhere. Tezzonix Academy already trains professionals across 56+ countries, with hubs in Kerala, India and Bergamo, Italy. 

The programme runs across roughly 4 weeks, with a flexible schedule designed around just 4 hours per week — built so working QA professionals can prepare for CTAL-TM without putting their day job on hold. 

Sessions are led by ISTQB-accredited trainers and assessors with hands-on test management experience, not just syllabus knowledge. That's deliberate: CTAL-TM is as much about judgement — how to run a risk session, how to report to stakeholders — as it is about terminology, and that's best taught by people who've actually done the job.