After nearly 10 years of QA experience across different industries, I finally decided to take the ISTQB Foundation Level exam.

This wasn’t something completely new to me. I had been thinking about getting the certification for a while, but never really found the right moment. I wanted to take the exam, but sometimes there were other priorities, and sometimes I didn’t have enough time to prepare. As time has flown, 10 years have passed, and I still haven’t applied to take the exam.

So when an opportunity came up through my company, I saw it as the perfect time to finally do it.

First Step: The Syllabus

The first thing that I did after I said that I would take the exam was to start with the syllabus. I have downloaded it from the official ISTQB site and started to read.

As I was reading it, everything felt familiar, from terminology, concepts, processes, etc. To be honest, nothing really surprised me.

At that point, I thought: “Okay… this might actually be easier than I expected.”

But that confidence didn’t last long.

Reality Check: The Sample Exams

After reading the syllabus for one time, without going into many details, I decided to try the official sample exams.

And that’s where things changed.

Here were my results on the first attempt:

• Test 1: 24/40 ❌
• Additional Question of Test 1: 18/26
• Test 2: 27/40 ⚠️
• Test 3: 22/40 ❌
• Test 4: 27/40 ⚠️

Some failed. Some are barely on the edge. Honestly, I didn’t expect this at all while I was reading the syllabus, and before I looked into the exams.

The Key Realization

That’s when I concluded:

• This exam is not about your real-world QA experience.
• It’s about how well you understand the ISTQB way of thinking.

I knew the concepts. But I wasn’t answering the questions the way the exam expected.

The questions were:

• Very precise
• Sometimes tricky
• Heavily based on exact wording

In many cases, two answers felt correct — but only one matched the exact definition from the syllabus.

Changing My Approach

At this point, after seeing these results, I knew I had to change something.

So I went back and started to read the syllabus again, but this time I was reading it with a completely different mindset:

• I slowed down
• I paid attention to every definition
• I focused on small differences between similar terms
• I tried to understand how the concepts are formally defined

Second Attempt: Everything Clicked

After going through the syllabus again, this time much slower and in a lot more detail than before, I went back to the sample exams.

The difference was huge:

• Test 1: 36/40 ✅
• Additional Question of Test 1: 20/26
• Test 2: 35/40 ✅
• Test 3: 30/40 ✅ (still the hardest for me)
• Test 4: 34/40 ✅

The Real Exam

Before the exam, I did one final pass through the syllabus, just to refresh everything.

And then I passed with 30/40 ✅

What Actually Made the Difference

Here’s what truly helped me:

1. Reading is not enough – You need to analyze the syllabus, not just go through it.
2. Learn the exam mindset – This is not real-life QA. It’s structured, definition-based thinking.
3. Sample exams are critical – This was the biggest turning point for me. Without them, I would have probably failed.
4. Focus on confusing terminology – A lot of mistakes come from similar definitions and small wording differences.
5. Repetition, but with understanding – The second read of the syllabus is where things really start to click.

Tips for the Exam Day (What Helped Me During the Test)

Here are a few things that really helped me while I was taking the exam:

1. Don’t rush – but don’t overthink either. Some questions are designed to make you doubt yourself. If something feels straightforward, it probably is.
2. Read every question twice – This made a big difference for me. Many questions have subtle wording and small details that change the meaning. Missing one word can lead to the wrong answer.
3. Eliminate wrong answers first – In many cases, you’ll have 2 answers that feel correct. Start by eliminating the clearly wrong ones. This increases your chances immediately.
4. Think in terms of definitions – When stuck, ask yourself, “Which answer matches the definition from the syllabus exactly?” That helped me choose between similar options.
5. Watch out for tricky wording – Be careful with words like “always“, “never“, “only“, “verification”, “validation”. These are often signals that something might be wrong.
6. Trust your preparation – If you’ve practiced enough, your first instinct is often correct. Don’t change answers unless you have a clear reason.
7. Stay calm when questions feel confusing – You will get a few questions that feel unclear. That’s normal. Don’t panic, don’t lose time, just move on and come back later.

Is ISTQB useful?

I would say yes, because it will help you think in a more systematic way, it will structure your knowledge, and improve your terminology.

If you’re planning to take the exam:

• Don’t underestimate it
• Don’t rely only on your experience
• And don’t skip the sample exams

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If you are planning to take this exam or if you have already passed it, let me know what your thoughts and experience are.

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