ISTQB Dumps For Foundation Level Certification Exam (CTFL v4.0.1 Syllabus)

Latest ISTQB Dumps and Sample Questions for the CTFL v4.0.1 Exam

If you searched for “ISTQB Dumps”, you are almost certainly preparing for the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) exam and looking for realistic practice questions. This page is updated for the current syllabus, CTFL v4.0.1, released by the ISTQB on 15 September 2024 as an errata to the v4.0 syllabus published on 21 April 2023.

The previous CTFL 2018 syllabus (v3.1) was retired in English on 9 May 2024, and in other languages on 9 November 2024. Any older ISTQB dumps, sample papers or question banks based on the 2018 syllabus are now out of date for live exams. If you are sitting the exam in 2026, you must prepare against the v4.0.1 syllabus.

This page lists fresh sample question sets aligned to v4.0.1, a chapter-by-chapter exam pattern breakdown, an updated FAQ, and one recommended premium resource if you want a faster, structured path to passing.

ISTQB Dumps PDF for CTFL v4.0.1 (Free Sample Papers)

We are currently rebuilding the free PDF question sets for the new v4.0.1 syllabus. The 28 legacy papers that previously sat on this page were written against the 2018 syllabus and would mislead candidates preparing for the current exam, so we have removed them rather than leave outdated content live.

Bookmark this page. The new free sets will be added here as soon as they are reviewed and aligned to the current learning objectives. In the meantime, the four official sample exams published by the ISTQB itself are the safest free practice material you can use today.

Recommended Premium Study Material for CTFL v4.0.1

Free dumps will get you familiar with the question style, but most candidates who fail the CTFL exam fail by fewer than 10 marks. The usual reason is patchy coverage of Chapters 4 and 5, which together carry 50% of the exam.

If you want a single, structured resource that maps to every learning objective in the v4.0.1 syllabus, including worked examples for the K3 application questions in Chapter 4, see the CTFL Study Guide on ISTQB Guru. It includes:

1. A chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the v4.0.1 syllabus
2. Practice questions written against the new learning objectives
3. Worked examples for equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision tables, state transition testing, branch coverage and statement coverage
4. The full ISTQB glossary aligned to v4.0.1 terminology
5. A study plan that prioritises chapters by exam weight

This is the resource we recommend if you want preparation that reflects the current exam rather than older 2018 material.

What Changed in CTFL v4.0.1 vs the 2018 Syllabus

The structural change is significant. The 2018 syllabus had six chapters with a heavy focus on test management and tool support. The v4.0.1 syllabus reorganises the content, removes some legacy material, and adds modern practices such as DevOps, shift-left, the test pyramid, the whole team approach, and ATDD.

The six current chapters are:

1. Fundamentals of Testing
2. Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle
3. Static Testing
4. Test Analysis and Design
5. Managing the Test Activities
6. Testing Tools

Notable changes you must know if you previously studied the old syllabus:

1. Use case testing has been removed from the Foundation Level (it lives in the Advanced Test Analyst syllabus now).
2. Decision testing and coverage has been replaced with branch testing and coverage.
3. Integration testing is now split into component integration testing and system integration testing as two separate levels.
4. Review techniques as a K3 learning objective have been removed from Chapter 3.
5. Test strategy and test approach content has been trimmed from the management chapter.
6. New K3 estimation learning objective added to Chapter 5.
7. DevOps, shift-left, retrospectives, test pyramid, testing quadrants are now examinable.
8. The whole team approach is now a Chapter 1 K1 objective.
9. Collaboration-based testing including ATDD, user stories and acceptance criteria has been added to Chapter 4.

If you are using any free ISTQB dumps from 2018 to 2023 without checking these changes, you are practising for an exam that no longer exists.

CTFL v4.0.1 Exam Pattern

The exam itself has tightened up in the v4.0 generation. Confirm against your local board, but the standard structure is:

Compared with the older 2018 exam (which most candidates remember as 75 minutes), the v4.0 exam for native English speakers is shorter at 60 minutes. That works out to roughly 90 seconds per question. Time pressure is a real factor and most candidates underestimate it.

Question Distribution Per Chapter

The ISTQB publishes the per-chapter question count and K-level distribution in the official Exam Structures and Rules document. The current distribution for CTFL v4.0.1 is:

Three practical takeaways:

1. Chapters 4 and 5 are 50% of the exam. If your study time is limited, do not under-invest here. Most candidates who fail did exactly that.
2. K3 questions concentrate in Chapter 4. You will be asked to actually apply test design techniques on the exam, not just describe them. Reading is not enough. You need to work through equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis (two-value and three-value), decision tables, state transition testing, and code coverage by hand.
3. Chapter 6 is only 2 questions. Do not over-study tools. Read it, understand it, move on.

Updated Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are these ISTQB dumps valid in all countries?

Yes. The CTFL syllabus is set globally by the ISTQB. Sample questions aligned to v4.0.1 are valid whether you are taking your exam through BCS/UKTB, iSQI, ASTQB, ATSQA, ITB, GASQ, CSTB, K-STQB or any other national Member Board. Local boards do not write their own questions independently of the global syllabus.

That said, a few caveats:

1. ASTQB exams (delivered through Kryterion or AT*SQA) often have slightly different question phrasing.
2. BCS and iSQI exams tend to be the most literal in their adherence to the syllabus wording.
3. Older dumps from 2018 to 2023 cover content that is no longer on the exam. Do not rely on them.

2. What is the latest ISTQB Foundation Level syllabus?

The current syllabus is CTFL v4.0.1, released on 15 September 2024. It is an errata update to CTFL v4.0 (21 April 2023), which became mandatory for English exams on 9 May 2024. The previous version was v3.1 (the “2018 syllabus”), which is now retired.

3. What is the exam pattern for CTFL v4.0.1?

40 multiple choice questions, 60 minutes (75 for non-native English speakers), pass mark 65% (26 of 40), no negative marking, lifetime validity. Questions are distributed across six chapters as shown in the table above. The cognitive level mix is approximately 20% K1 (recall), 60% K2 (understanding), 20% K3 (application).

4. What is the passing mark for CTFL v4.0.1?

You need 26 correct answers out of 40, which is 65%. There is no distinction grade in the standard ISTQB result. You receive a pass or fail.

5. Is there negative marking in the ISTQB exam?

No. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so always attempt every question. If you do not know an answer, eliminate the obviously wrong options and make your best guess. Leaving a question blank guarantees zero on it.

6. How long should I prepare for CTFL v4.0.1?

Honest answer: it depends on your background.

1. No testing experience: 6 to 8 weeks of focused study (roughly 40 to 60 hours total). You need time to absorb the vocabulary as well as the concepts.
2. 1 to 3 years of testing experience: 3 to 4 weeks. Most of your effort should go into Chapter 4 techniques and Chapter 5 management vocabulary, which often differ from what you do day to day.
3. Senior tester or QA lead: 2 to 3 weeks. Do not skip preparation just because you have experience. The exam tests ISTQB terminology specifically, and real-world testers often use terms loosely (the smoke vs sanity testing debate is a classic example).

Practising with realistic sample questions is the single highest-leverage activity. Read the syllabus once, then spend 60% of your remaining time on practice questions and reviewing why you got them wrong.

7. Do dumps actually help, or are they risky?

Be honest about what you are doing. Two distinctions matter:

1. Practice questions and sample papers (what this page provides) are legitimate study aids. They teach you how ISTQB phrases questions and where the syllabus gets tested in depth.
2. Verbatim leaked exam questions are a different thing. The ISTQB explicitly prohibits their distribution, and circulating them is a violation of the Code of Ethics in the syllabus itself. They also rotate the question pool, so leaked questions become stale quickly.

The page you are reading is in the first category. Use sample questions to build pattern recognition, but understand the underlying concepts. Candidates who try to memorise answers without learning the material tend to fail when the wording changes.

8. Is CTFL v3.1 (2018 syllabus) still valid for sitting the exam?

No. CTFL v3.1 English exams were withdrawn on 9 May 2024. All current ISTQB Foundation Level exams worldwide are now based on v4.0 or v4.0.1. If you hold a v3.1 or older certificate, it remains valid for life and you do not need to retake. But if you are sitting the exam now, you must prepare against v4.0.1.

9. What is the best book for ISTQB v4.0.1 preparation?

The two most widely used books for the previous syllabus (Rex Black’s “Foundations of Software Testing” and Dorothy Graham’s “Foundations of Software Testing”) are both being updated for v4.0. Check publication dates carefully before buying. For a curated v4.0.1 aligned set of materials including books, practice questions and a study plan, see the CTFL Study Guide.

A Realistic Plan to Pass CTFL v4.0.1

If you want the shortest honest plan, do this:

1. Week 1: Read the official v4.0.1 syllabus once end to end. Do not try to memorise. Just map the territory.
2. Week 2: Re-read Chapters 1, 2 and 3. Take notes in your own words. Do the official ISTQB sample exam A under timed conditions.
3. Week 3: Focus entirely on Chapter 4. Work through every test technique on paper. Build at least three decision tables. Calculate statement and branch coverage for at least two pseudo-code examples. Do sample exam B.
4. Week 4: Focus on Chapter 5 (risk, defect management, test estimation, configuration management) and Chapter 6 (tools categories, automation benefits and risks). Do sample exams C and D.
5. Final 3 days: Re-do every question you got wrong. Read the glossary. Sit one final full-length timed mock.

That gets most candidates with a basic testing background to a comfortable pass. Candidates with zero testing experience should double the timeline.

Get the CTFL v4.0.1 Study Guide

If you want a structured path rather than assembling materials yourself, the CTFL Study Guide on ISTQB Guru covers the full v4.0.1 syllabus with practice questions, worked examples, a study plan, and the glossary. It is the resource we recommend for candidates who want to pass on the first attempt with a strong score.

ISTQB Guru’s premium dumps are fantastic if you are preparing your exam from UK Board (BCS), iSQI, Indian Board, ASTQB, GASQ, CSTB and other national boards.