10 free ISTQB CTAL-TM practice questions with the correct answer and a full explanation for each, taken from the CertStash pack of 65 questions. Work through them, then open each answer to check your reasoning.
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Question 1
You are working as a test manager in the medical domain leading a team of system testers. You are currently working on a major release of the product which gives customers many new features and resolves a number of problem reports from previous releases.
You are about to release a test progress report to a senior manager, who is not a test specialist.
Which of the following topics should NOT be included in the test progress report? 1 credit
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Detailed overview of the risk-based test approach being used to ensure the exit criteria to be achieved
being used to ensure the exit criteria to be achieved A test progress report to senior management should focus on business-relevant information including mitigated and outstanding risks, recommendations for action, and status against exit criteria. A detailed overview of the risk-based test approach is a technical implementation detail that belongs in test documentation but is unnecessarily granular for senior management reporting, which requires high-level summaries rather than methodological deep-dives.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Product risk status is essential information for senior management decision-making.
- B. Recommendations for controlling actions are critical for management to understand what decisions are needed.
- C. Exit criteria status is fundamental to demonstrating whether the release decision can be made.
Question 2
You are working as a test manager in the medical domain leading a team of system testers. You are currently working on a major release of the product which gives customers many new features and resolves a number of problem reports from previous releases.
Explain how the above mentioned report may differ from a report that you produce for the project manager, who is a test specialist Select TWO items from the following
options that can be used to report to the project manager and would not be included in a report to senior management. 1 credit
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A, B
A. Show details on effort spent B. List of all outstanding defects with their priority and severity A project manager who is a test specialist needs detailed technical and operational information that senior management does not require. Details on effort spent and the complete list of outstanding defects with priority and severity are granular, technical metrics useful for project management and resource planning but too detailed for senior management, who need only summary-level information and strategic recommendations.
Why the other options are wrong
- C. Product risk status is equally important for both senior management and test specialists.
- D. Trend analysis is useful for both audiences to understand progress over time.
- E. Recommendations for release are critical for senior management to make business decisions.
Question 3
You are working as a test manager in the medical domain leading a team of system testers. You are currently working on a major release of the product which gives customers many new features and resolves a number of problem reports from previous releases.
Consider the typical objectives of testing.
Which of the following metrics can be used to measure the effectiveness of the testing process in achieving one of those objectives? 1 credit
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Percentage of requirements covered
The percentage of requirements covered directly measures the primary objective of testing: to ensure adequate verification that the system meets its specified requirements. This metric demonstrates whether testing has achieved sufficient coverage of the defined functionality. The other options either measure process efficiency (A and D) or development productivity (C) rather than testing effectiveness in meeting core testing objectives.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This metric measures defect resolution speed, not the effectiveness of finding defects or verifying requirements.
- C. This measures development productivity, which is unrelated to testing objectives.
- D. This measures the allocation of testing effort but not whether testing has verified requirements adequately.
Question 4
You are working as a test manager in the medical domain leading a team of system testers. You are currently working on a major release of the product which gives customers many new features and resolves a number of problem reports from previous releases.
You have been given responsibility for the non-functional testing of a safety-critical monitoring & diagnostics package in the medical area.
Which of the following would you least expect to see addressed in the test plan? 1 credit
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Portability
For a safety-critical medical monitoring and diagnostics system, availability, safety, and reliability are critical non-functional characteristics that must be rigorously tested and documented. Portability, the ability to run on different platforms or environments, is generally the least relevant concern in a safety-critical medical device context, where the system typically operates on defined, regulated hardware and is not expected to be easily portable across different environments.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Availability is critical for a medical monitoring system that must function continuously.
- B. Safety is paramount in any safety-critical medical system and must be extensively addressed.
- D. Reliability is essential to ensure the medical device functions dependably without failures.
Question 5
You are working as a test manager in the medical domain leading a team of system testers. You are currently working on a major release of the product which gives customers many new features and resolves a number of problem reports from previous releases.
Since the system is in the medical domain and therefore in the safety critical area, testing needs to be rigorous and evidence is required that the system has been adequately tested.
Identify THREE measures that would typically be part of the test approach in this domain and which are not always applicable in other domains! 1 credit
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A, B, C
A. High level of documentation B. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) sessions C. Traceability to requirements In safety-critical medical domains, three measures stand out as particularly distinctive and rigorous compared to non-safety-critical projects. High-level documentation is required to provide evidence of testing for regulatory compliance. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) sessions are specialized safety engineering practices to identify potential failures. Traceability to requirements is mandatory to demonstrate that every requirement has been tested and verified. While non-functional testing, master test planning, test design techniques, and reviews are important across domains, these three (A, B, C) are most characteristic of and most emphasized in safety-critical medical testing.
Why the other options are wrong
- D. Non-functional testing is important across many domains beyond safety-critical systems.
- E. Master test planning is a standard practice across most testing domains.
- F. Test design techniques are widely applicable across different domains.
- G. Reviews are standard practice in quality assurance across all domains.
Question 6
You are working as a test manager in the medical domain leading a team of system testers. You are currently working on a major release of the product which gives customers many new features and resolves a number of problem reports from previous releases.
A test log is one of the documents that need to be produced in this domain in order to provide evidence of testing. However, the level of detail of test logs can vary.
Which of the following is NOT an influencing factor for the level of detail of the test logs being produced? 1 credit
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Experience level of testers
The level of detail in test logs for safety-critical medical systems is influenced by technical and regulatory factors: the extent of test automation (A) affects what is automatically recorded versus manually documented, the test level (B) determines the scope and granularity required at each stage, and regulatory requirements (C) mandate specific evidence and documentation standards. The experience level of testers (D) does not legitimately determine the required detail level; safety-critical testing has absolute documentation requirements regardless of who performs the testing.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Automation level directly affects how much manual logging versus automated capture is needed.
- B. Different test levels (unit, integration, system) require different documentation depths.
- C. Regulatory requirements for medical devices specify mandatory documentation and traceability details.
Question 7
You are working as a test manager in the medical domain leading a team of system testers. You are currently working on a major release of the product which gives customers many new features and resolves a number of problem reports from previous releases.
Considerable attention will be given in this project to defining exit criteria and on reporting back on their status.
Which combination of TWO exit criteria from the list would be best to use? 1 credit I: Total number of defects found II: Percentage of test cases executed III: Total test effort planned versus total actual test effort spent IV: Defect trend (number of defects found per test run over time
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. (ii) and (iv)
Effective exit criteria should be measurable, objective, and indicative of product quality readiness. Percentage of test cases executed (II) provides a concrete measure of test completion. Defect trend analysis (IV) shows whether defect discovery is stabilizing or increasing, indicating product maturity. Together these criteria demonstrate both the extent of testing performed and the quality trajectory. Total defects found (I) without context is meaningless, and effort spent versus planned (III) measures project management, not product quality or test adequacy.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Total defects found alone does not indicate quality; a low count could mean insufficient testing.
- B. Total defects without trend analysis provides no insight into whether the system is stabilizing.
- C. Effort metrics measure project management efficiency, not testing adequacy or product quality.
Question 8
A software development organization wants to introduce some specific improvements to its test process. Currently, most of their testing resources are focussedon system testing. They are developing embedded software, and do not have a simulation environment to enable them to execute software modules on the development host. They have been advised that introducing inspections and reviews could be the most appropriate step forward.
Identify the THREE types of formal peer reviews that can be recognized. 1 credit
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A, C, E
A. Inspection C. Walkthrough E. Technical review The three recognized types of formal peer reviews in software testing are Inspection (A), which is the most formal and rigorous with defined roles and metrics; Walkthrough (C), which is a moderate-formality review where the author leads peers through the work; and Technical Review (E), which involves technical experts examining work against standards and specifications. Management review (B) is a managerial activity, not a peer review. Audit (D) is a compliance check, not a peer review. Informal review (F) and Assessment (G) are not recognized formal review types in the testing standards.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Management review is a managerial oversight activity, not a formal peer review type.
- D. Audit is a third-party compliance check, not a formal peer review activity.
- F. Informal review is not a recognized formal peer review type.
- G. Assessment is not a recognized formal peer review type.
Question 9
A software development organization wants to introduce some specific improvements to its test process. Currently, most of their testing resources are focussedon system testing. They are developing embedded software, and do not have a simulation environment to enable them to execute software modules on the development host. They have been advised that introducing inspections and reviews could be the most appropriate step forward.
As part of the improvement program, the organization is also looking at tool support.
Which type of tool could be used to ensure higher quality of the code to be reviewed? 1 credit
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Static analysis tool
Static analysis tools examine code without executing it, making them ideal for this embedded software scenario where no simulation environment exists. They identify potential defects, code quality issues, and violations of coding standards before code review, thereby ensuring higher quality of code to be reviewed. This is particularly valuable when dynamic testing cannot be performed on the development host.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Review tools support the review process itself but do not improve code quality independently before review.
- B. Test execution tools require a simulation environment or ability to run code, which the organization lacks.
- D. Test design tools focus on creating test cases and strategies rather than analyzing existing code for defects.
Question 10
A software development organization wants to introduce some specific improvements to its test process. Currently, most of their testing resources are focussedon system testing. They are developing embedded software, and do not have a simulation environment to enable them to execute software modules on the development host. They have been advised that introducing inspections and reviews could be the most appropriate step forward.
What is the main reason why reviews are especially beneficial in the above-mentioned scenario? 2 credits
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. They can be performed without exercising the code.
The critical constraint in this scenario is the absence of a simulation environment, preventing code execution on the development host. Reviews and inspections are especially beneficial because they can identify defects through static analysis without requiring code execution. This makes them the most practical improvement avenue given the organization's limitations, unlike dynamic testing approaches that depend on execution capabilities.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. While common understanding is beneficial, it is not unique to this scenario or specifically why reviews help when execution is impossible.
- B. Finding defects early is generally true but not specifically advantageous in this context where execution capability is the limiting factor.
- C. Enhanced communication is a benefit of reviews but not the primary reason they solve this particular constraint.
That was 10 of 65.
The full ISTQB CTAL-TM pack has all 65 questions, each with the answer, the explanation and why the other options are wrong, plus a questions-only copy for timed runs. US$39, paid once, with free monthly updates and a pass-or-your-money-back guarantee.