- What it is: the ISTQB Certified Tester Usability Testing (CT-UT) certifies that you can evaluate the usability, user experience (UX) and accessibility of a product using recognized methods.
- Current version: the 2018 syllabus, part of the ISTQB Specialist stream, provided by the German Testing Board.
- Prerequisite: the ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL) certification.
- Content: 8 chapters and 845 minutes (about 14 hours) of minimum training; the core chapter, usability testing with users, takes 270 minutes.
- Exam: 40 questions, 40 points, pass mark 26 points (65%), 60 minutes (75 if it isn't your native language).
- Who it is for: testers, analysts, UX designers, product owners and anyone who wants to test whether software is easy, pleasant and accessible to use.
A system can work perfectly and still fail: if users can't find the pay button, if the form confuses them or if someone with a visual impairment can't use it, the product misses its goal. The ISTQB Usability Testing (CT-UT) certification gives you a method to catch those problems before they reach production. This guide explains what it covers, what the exam looks like and how to prepare.
What CT-UT is and where it sits in the ISTQB portfolio
CT-UT belongs to the ISTQB Specialist stream. The current syllabus is the 2018 version (released July 8, 2018), which replaced the 2016 version, made Foundation Level a prerequisite and renamed the module Usability Testing. It was provided to ISTQB by the German Testing Board.
The syllabus works with three concepts worth separating from the start:
- Usability: how effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily a user achieves their goals in a context of use.
- User experience (UX): the person's perceptions and responses before, during and after using the product; it goes beyond usability.
- Accessibility: the product can be used by people with the widest possible range of abilities, including people with disabilities.
To place this certification on the full map, check our ISTQB certification guide, with the portfolio, costs in your currency and how the exam works.
Who it is for and prerequisites
According to the syllabus, CT-UT is aimed at anyone involved in software testing who wants to broaden their knowledge of usability testing, anyone who wants to start a specialist career in this field, and people in usability engineering who want to understand how it is tested. In practice it fits:
- QA testers who already do functional testing and want to contribute to the user experience.
- Business analysts and product owners who define usability requirements.
- UX/UI designers who want a formal evaluation method.
- Digital product teams in banking, government, healthcare or e-commerce, where accessibility has legal implications.
Official requirements
- Mandatory: hold the ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL) certification before taking the exam.
- Not mandatory: an accredited course or prior UX experience.
What you will be able to do: the syllabus business outcomes
| Code | What you will be able to do |
|---|---|
| UTFL-1 | Understand the basic concepts of usability and usability testing. |
| UTFL-2 | Identify and classify the severity of usability risks and potential accessibility violations at any stage of development. |
| UTFL-3 | Cite the relevant usability, UX and accessibility standards and verify that the product complies with them. |
| UTFL-4 | Set up procedures to verify usability, UX and accessibility goals in practice. |
| UTFL-5 | Design and monitor a test plan to achieve those goals. |
| UTFL-6 | Explain the rationale, process and results of evaluations to non-specialist stakeholders. |
The CT-UT syllabus chapter by chapter
This syllabus sets a minimum time for each learning objective, not just per chapter. Here is the summary:
| Chapter | Minimum time | Max K-level | Key topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Basic concepts | 200 min | K2 | Usability, UX and accessibility; formative and summative evaluation; human-centered design; Agile |
| 2. Usability, UX and accessibility risks | 80 min | K4 | Typical risks and project risks (organizational, technical, supplier) |
| 3. Usability and accessibility standards | 105 min | K2 | ISO 9241-110, ISO 9241-210, ISO 25066, manufacturer guidelines, ISO 9241-171, WCAG, legislation |
| 4. Usability reviews | 90 min | K4 | Informal review, expert review, heuristic evaluation |
| 5. Usability testing | 270 min | K3 | Plan, script, tasks, location, lab, pilot, sessions, analysis, severity, reporting |
| 6. User surveys | 30 min | K2 | Step-by-step approach, SUS, SUMI and WAMMI questionnaires |
| 7. Selecting methods | 40 min | K4 | Criteria for choosing the right method for a project |
| 8. Roles and responsibilities | 30 min | K2 | Usability tester, moderator and note-taker |
Chapter 1. Basic concepts
It defines usability, UX and accessibility and the goals of evaluating them. It introduces the three main evaluation approaches developed in the rest of the syllabus: usability review, usability testing and quantitative satisfaction surveys. It also separates two kinds of evaluation:
- Formative (qualitative): aims to find problems and improve the design while it is being built. Example: watching 5 users try a prototype and noting where they get stuck.
- Summative (quantitative): measures whether the product meets targets. Example: "90% of users must complete checkout in under 3 minutes".
It closes with human-centered design (users, evaluation and iterations), usability requirements and evaluation approaches that work well in Agile development, where there are no weeks for a formal study every sprint.
Chapter 2. Usability, UX and accessibility risks
It explains typical risks: users who can't reach their goal, who get frustrated and leave, or who are shut out by accessibility barriers. It also covers project risks: organizational (no budget or sponsorship for usability), technical and supplier risks. The K4 objective asks you to analyze a project at the design or evaluation stage and identify the usability risks most likely to occur. Example: a banking app for older adults with small text, sessions that time out quickly and a verification flow with many steps.
Chapter 3. Usability and accessibility standards
It reviews the general content and applicability of the key standards:
- ISO 9241-110: principles of human-system interaction.
- ISO 9241-210: human-centered design for interactive systems.
- ISO 25066: common industry format for usability evaluation reports.
- Manufacturer guidelines for platforms (for example, mobile operating system design guidelines).
- ISO 9241-171 (software accessibility) and the W3C WCAG, with conformance levels A, AA and AAA. The syllabus is based on WCAG 2.0; in day-to-day work you should also check the later versions published by the W3C.
- Legislation: the UK Equality Act 2010 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as examples of accessibility law.
Chapter 4. Usability reviews
It teaches you to evaluate a product without real users, with a step-by-step approach and its risks. It separates informal from expert reviews and goes deep into heuristic evaluation, a K4 objective: analyze an application with the list of 10 Jakob Nielsen heuristics included in the syllabus, such as visibility of system status, error prevention or recognition rather than recall.
A practical example: a sign-up form wipes every field when the password doesn't meet the rules. It violates error prevention (it didn't state the rules up front) and helping users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors (it forces you to start over). One point the syllabus stresses: heuristics must drive the review; finding problems by intuition and then assigning them a heuristic afterwards is the wrong approach.
Chapter 5. Usability testing
This is the heart of the syllabus (270 minutes). It follows three steps: prepare the test, conduct the sessions and communicate results.
- Preparation: usability test plan, session script, test tasks (K3 objective: define a simple, good task for a project), location, pros and cons of a usability lab, and a pilot session.
- Sessions: the key activities in each session with the participant.
- Analysis: a procedure for analyzing findings and classifying them as usability problem, positive finding, good idea or functional problem, with minor, major, critical or catastrophic severity based on frequency, impact and persistence.
- Communication: review a usability test report (K3), overcome internal resistance to findings and apply reporting best practices (K3).
- Quality control of the test and the most frequent and serious mistakes.
Example of a well-written task: "You have a trip to Bogota next month. Book the cheapest round-trip flight for two adults." A badly written one would be "Use the search price filter", because it tells the participant how to do it and doesn't measure whether they would find it on their own.
Chapter 6. User surveys
It explains the purpose and step-by-step approach of surveys and recommends standardized questionnaires over home-made questions. It describes three public ones: SUS (System Usability Scale, 10 statements with 5 response levels), SUMI (50 statements) and WAMMI (20 statements, focused on websites). These questionnaires allow benchmarking against databases of earlier measurements and can serve as acceptance criteria.
Chapter 7. Selecting appropriate methods
A single objective, but at K4: choose the right method for a project. Criteria include the purpose of the evaluation, the organization's usability maturity, the time available and the project stage. An example from the syllabus itself: if usability maturity is low, a test with users is better than an expert review, because review results can be dismissed as "just opinions".
Chapter 8. Roles and responsibilities
It summarizes the tasks of the usability tester, the moderator (guides the session without influencing the participant) and the note-taker (records what happens for analysis).
Download the official syllabus
Download the syllabus to study from the original source. At the time of writing, it is available in English.
The CT-UT exam
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | 40 (multiple choice) |
| Total points | 40 |
| Pass mark | 26 points (65%) |
| Duration | 60 minutes; 75 minutes if you take it in a language that isn't your native language (+25%) |
| Prerequisite | ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL) certification |
Source: ISTQB exam structure tables. Although most objectives are K2, there are K3 and K4 objectives (risks, heuristic evaluation, tasks, reports and method selection) that tend to show up as scenarios.
Exam formats
- Online with remote proctoring (iSQI FLEX): from home, 24/7, with a webcam, microphone, a second camera (your phone) and a government-issued ID. Book ahead and confirm the minimum lead time when you book.
- Pearson VUE: iSQI states this exam is also available at Pearson test centers.
- At your company: groups of 6 or more can take it in person with a proctor brought by Cool Testers.
Paper exams are no longer offered. At the time of writing, iSQI offers the exam in English, German, French and Brazilian Portuguese; if you take it in a language that isn't your native language, you get 25% extra time. The certification is worth the same in any language.
Where to buy it
- Directly from iSQI, our partner and official exam provider, if you are paying yourself.
- Through Cool Testers, with 1 or 2 attempts and 1 year to take it, if your company pays, you get reimbursed or you need an invoice: buy or get a quote for your certification exam.
Questions? Message us on WhatsApp.
How to prepare for CT-UT
Cool Testers doesn't currently offer a dedicated CT-UT course. Here is the path we recommend:
- Start with Foundation Level. It is mandatory and gives you the testing vocabulary the syllabus takes for granted (reviews, risks, acceptance criteria). If you don't have it yet, take our ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL 4.0) course, with 40 live hours, a pre-recorded course, an Express review course and 4 practice exams, and plan your path with the ISTQB certification guide.
- Read the whole syllabus and build your own glossary (formative, summative, moderator, test task, severity).
- Practice heuristic evaluation with the syllabus's 10 heuristics on a site you use daily, and document each finding with its heuristic.
- Run a mini usability test: write 3 tasks, ask 3 people to do them while thinking aloud and classify what you observe with the syllabus severity scale.
- Give those same people a SUS questionnaire and calculate the score.
- Take the official sample exam and review the K4 objectives.
Want to train a team in usability and accessibility? Request a proposal for your company.
Benefits and career paths
- Bridges QA and UX: few testers know how to run a test with users or a heuristic evaluation with method; it is a clear differentiator.
- Accessibility as a requirement: more and more digital products must meet accessibility criteria by regulation or contract, especially on projects for the US and Europe.
- Better communication with the business: you learn to present findings with severity and evidence and to overcome team resistance.
Related roles: UX-focused QA, usability tester, junior UX researcher, accessibility testing specialist, digital product quality analyst.
How it relates to other certifications and what comes next
- Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT): complements usability with validating that the product meets business needs.
- Mobile Application Testing (CT-MAT): mobile usability has its own challenges (screens, gestures, context of use).
- Test Analyst (CTAL-TA): the advanced level for analysts, which includes quality characteristics such as usability.
- Game Testing (CT-GaMe): if you are interested in user experience in video games.
- Agile Tester (CTFL-AT): to build usability evaluation into sprints.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CT-UT certification?
It is the ISTQB Certified Tester Usability Testing certification. It shows you can evaluate the usability, user experience and accessibility of a product with reviews, tests with users and surveys.
What are the CT-UT prerequisites?
You need the ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL) certification before taking the exam. An accredited course or UX experience is not mandatory.
What is the CT-UT exam like?
It has 40 multiple-choice questions worth 40 points in total; you pass with 26 (65%). It lasts 60 minutes, or 75 if you don't take it in your native language.
Which syllabus version is current?
The 2018 version, released on July 8, 2018, which replaced the 2016 version and made Foundation Level a prerequisite.
Does CT-UT cover accessibility?
Yes. The syllabus covers accessibility risks, ISO 9241-171, the WCAG guidelines with levels A, AA and AAA, and legislation examples such as the US ADA and the UK Equality Act.
Which languages is the CT-UT exam available in?
At the time of writing, iSQI offers it in English, German, French and Brazilian Portuguese. If it isn't your native language, you get 25% extra time, and the certification is worth the same in any language.
Does Cool Testers offer a CT-UT course?
Not at the moment. We recommend starting with the ISTQB Foundation Level (CTFL 4.0) course, which is a prerequisite, and preparing with the official syllabus and sample exam.