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The CTM Certification was developed based on the Test Management Body of Knowledge (TMBOK) to fill the gap in the management skills required by test managers and test leads to effectively manage the test process, the test project and the test organization.   Specifically, CTM aims at the following objectives:

• Help individuals develop their test management skills through formal education
• Establish a common skill set for software test managers and test leads based on a well-defined Test Management Body of Knowledge
• Create a pool of qualified software test managers
• Prepare test professionals, especially those who achieved the Certified  Software  Test Professional  - Master Level Certification, for management  and lead positions in software testing projects
• Provide professional recognition and career enhancement  for those who manage test projects

• Any person who has worked in software testing for at least 3 years
• People with a management or leadership role in testing
• Development managers and development leads who wish to move to a test management or lead position
• Auditors, inspectors, and others who must evaluate the work product of the testing process
• Individuals who successfully completed CSTP – Master Level

Certified Software Test
Professional Associate Level

Certified Software Test
Professional Practitioner Level

Certified Software Test
Professional Master Level

Certified Software Test
Automation Specialist

Certified Software
Quality Manager

Certified Test Manager

Two requirements must be satisfied before the CTM certification can be granted. These are the Formal Education Requirement and Job Experience Requirement.

Formal Education Requirements

Ten days of training as follows:

1. Seven days to cover the seven areas of the Test Management Body of Knowledge (TMBOK)
2. Three days elective to cover any testing-related or quality-related area. Elective training may also be selected to cover any of the TMBOK in more depth.

Written Exam:

Candidates are required to complete a written exam for each course and pass with a level of performance no less than 80%. For courses conducted by IIST, a candidate is allowed to retake the exam for a second time without having to attend the course again. There is a $100 fee for retakes. If 80% performance is not achieved on a second attempt, the candidate must retake the course or take another course covering the same BOK area. If the course failed was taken on-line you will get access to the on-line course and a retake exam for $100. If the course was taken on-site or at public training and is available on-line you can get access to both the on-line course and retake exam for half the original price of the on-line course.

Transfer of Credit

A CTM candidate may receive credit for attending courses by providers outside the CTM program for credit towards the CTM certification under any of the following conditions:

1. A CTM candidate who has been awarded the Certified Software Test Professional (CSTP) designation may receive a credit for THREE days as elective training towards the CTM certification.
2. A CTM candidate who has been awarded the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification may receive a credit for TWO days as elective training towards the CTM certification.
3. A CTM candidate may receive credit for courses attended by providers other than IIST for a maximum of TWO days as elective training towards the CTM certification. Candidates must submit evidence of successful completion from a recognized training institution along with detailed course material for evaluation and a certificate of completion.  Materials must be accompanied by a fee of $25.00 for each course to be evaluated.

Transfer credit is subject to the following rules:

1. A CTM candidate is allowed to transfer credit only based on one of the three conditions listed above.
2. The maximum number of training days transferable is three days
3. Transfer credits can be used only to satisfy elective training and may not be used to satisfy any Body of Knowledge area.

Job Experience Requirements

In order for the CTM certification to be granted, a candidate must have a total of at least three years working in test projects, including 1 year in a lead or management position in areas relevant to testing. This requirement must be completed by the time CTM is granted. This requirement shall be met by means of a letter of support describing the candidate’s specific role and responsibilities over a period of three years or more. The letter must be authored and signed by any of the following:

1. The candidate’s current or former supervisor/manager
2. The candidate’s client or customer (if self-employed)
3. A co-worker currently holding a CTM certification who has worked with the candidate on a testing project.
4. Multiple sources may be submitted to cover the three-year period. Any variation from this requirement must be reviewed and approved by the IIST Chairperson.

Graduation:

Upon satisfying both formal education and job experience requirements, a candidate shall submit an application to the IIST Chairperson for the certification to be granted. Application forms can be obtained by contacting the IIST office. The application must be accompanied by payment of the $120 non- refundable graduation fee. This fee covers the cost associated with record-keeping, grading exams, and certification plaque.

Rationale:

Based on the objectives of the CTM Certification and in response to the demands imposed on test professionals to handle a wide range of responsibilities using different development environments and technologies, re-certification through continuous education has become necessary.  This necessity has also been confirmed by CTM graduates who continuously inquire about a mechanism by which they can further develop skills in more advanced and specialized areas of software testing.  In response to this need, the IIST Advisory Board has approved the requirements for re-certification as outlined below.

Formal Education Requirements:

CTM Certification will expire 3 years after it is granted. As a result, all CTM holders must complete the re-certification requirements before that time. An applicant for the re-certification shall complete a total of 10 educational units as described in the table below. An applicant must complete at least 4 units from Category A.  The remaining units can be completed from Categories B or C. However, the 10 units must not include more than 6 units from Category B or more than 4 units from Category C.

The following table shows some examples of number of units from each category to complete the re-certification requirements.

Activities that qualify for each of the categories are described above.  In order to count toward re-certification units, activities must be performed during the re-certification period.  Evaluation of all activities will be at the discretion of the IIST Chairman.

An applicant for re-certification may submit Non-IIST courses for pre-evaluation for credits. An applicant must submit evidence of successful completion from a recognized training institution along with detailed course material for evaluation. The fee for this evaluation is $25 per course.

Job Experience Requirements:

An applicant shall provide evidence that he or she has continued performing job responsibilities in software testing or related areas. This requirement may be satisfied through a letter from the applicant's manager describing the specific activities performed over the specified period of time.

Application:

An applicant for re-certification shall submit the CTM re-certification Application to the Chairman of IIST accompanied by evidence of completing both the educational and experience requirements and $180 processing fee no later than 60 days before the date the certification expires. The CTM re-certification Application form can be downloaded from our web site at http://www.iist.org/certification.php.

The CTM Body of Knowledge