The ISTQB CT-AcT course develops your ability to design and execute acceptance tests that confirm software meets defined business and user expectations. You’ll work across key acceptance testing approaches, including user acceptance testing (UAT), contractual and regulatory testing, and alpha and beta testing, building an understanding of how each supports release confidence.
ISTQB Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Practical acceptance testing skills for software testers
Confirm your software is delivering real business value with this two-day ISTQB Acceptance Testing course. You’ll learn how to translate requirements into acceptance criteria, derive realistic test scenarios, then validate systems against stakeholder expectations. The course strengthens collaboration between testers and other involved stakeholders while developing practical techniques that improve test effectiveness. Through practical learning, you’ll build the capability to align testing with business processes and support confident release decisions.
Learning objectives
- Understand ISTQB acceptance testing principles
- Define clear acceptance criteria
- Design effective acceptance tests
- Model business processes and rules
- Derive acceptance tests from requirements
- Apply experience-based testing techniques
- Evaluate non-functional requirements
- Improve collaboration with stakeholders
- Use tools that support acceptance testing
Key facts
Certification
ISTQB Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT).
Who it’s for
Designed for software testers, test analysts, business analysts and professionals responsible for acceptance testing activities.
Prerequisites
You should hold the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level certification before attending.
Exam information
The exam is 60 minutes, with 40 multiple-choice questions. The pass mark is 65%.
Optional extras
Pass Protect.
Pre-course
There is no pre-course work for this course. Reading the provided syllabus in advance is recommended.
Course syllabus
Dive into the detail of the course by looking at the syllabus below.
- Introduction and foundations
- Fundamental relationships
- Business analysis and acceptance testing
- Acceptance criteria, acceptance tests and experience
- Writing acceptance criteria
- Designing acceptance tests
- Experience-based approaches
- Business process and business rules modelling
- Modelling business processes and rules
- Deriving acceptance tests
- Business process modelling for acceptance testing
- Acceptance testing for non-functional requirements
- Non-functional characteristics
- Usability and user experience
- Performance efficiency
- Security
- Collaborative acceptance testing
- Collaboration
- Acceptance testing activities
- Tool support
FAQs
Build practical skills for designing acceptance tests that confirm software meets business and user needs. The course covers acceptance criteria, business process modelling and non-functional requirements, helping you apply the ISTQB Acceptance Testing syllabus within real software delivery environments.
Is the certification exam included?
Yes. The ISTQB Certified Tester Acceptance Testing exam is included with the course, allowing you to validate your knowledge of the syllabus and gain the CT-AcT certification.
What job roles is this course suitable for?
The ISTQB Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT) course is suitable for professionals involved in validating software against business needs. This includes software testers, test analysts, business analysts, product owners, quality assurance specialists and anyone responsible for defining or verifying acceptance criteria within development teams.
What career opportunities can this certification support?
Developing capability in this area positions you for roles that require strong alignment between testing and business outcomes. You could progress into senior tester or test analyst positions, as well as quality assurance roles that focus on validating whether software is fit for purpose. By strengthening your ability to connect technical delivery with business expectations, you build skills that are directly applicable in modern, cross-functional delivery environments.
What types of testing are covered in this course?
The course explores key approaches used to confirm readiness for release, including user acceptance testing (UAT), contractual and regulatory testing, plus alpha and beta testing. You’ll understand how each is applied in different delivery contexts and how they support informed release decisions.
What our customers say
Paul made this a very interesting course. He was easy to listen to and very knowledgeable about the subject. Some of the exercises would have worked better in a classroom environment but we still got a a good understanding of the subject.
Anne Williamson
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
found the course really useful, appreciate the way it was contextualized to our experience. A lot of good information that we as a company need to mull over to improve the way we approach UAT.
Dick Delaney
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Confirmed a lot of current practice and gave plenty of food for thought for improvements. Liked the adaptable approach to suit our current appointments. Also appreciated the opportunity to discuss things as we went along.
MATTHEW HOPKINS
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Well sctructured, clean and pleasant look&feel
joaquim.fragoso
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Well sctructured, clean and pleasant look&feel
joaquim.fragoso
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Interesting, concise & friendly tutor. Learnt a lot over the short space of two days, and felt easy to follow and understand.
Scott Davenport
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Interesting course. John have explained the concepts, exercises and questions well. Any mistakes made from practice questions were explained until it made sense. Constant sense check with the group was nice when explaining the theory. Some improvements can be to offer 1 hour lunch break, sometimes going through the theory slides pace was quick for my liking.
YAT WAN
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Appreciated John's patience in leading me through this course on a 1-2-1 basis. John also gave me insight on how I can implement the course content in my own workplace as well as how the syllabus relates to the exam questions. John also gave me tips in preparation for the associated exam.
Darpan Mahendra Rathod
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Very well presented and good explanations throughout. A good pace and constant feedback during, great sessions.
Sean Willis
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Excellent course hosted by a fantastic trainer. The course was extremely informative and well presented, with plenty of interacting and detailed explanations to make the information easy to digest.
Trusted Customer
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
Certified Tester Acceptance Testing (CT-AcT)
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