Any Good Certification in Testing

Question

Which exam is better for TEsting engineer, ISEB or CSTE? Any other good ones you suggest? Anyone know about any Microsoft certification in Testing?

Kind Regards Sam

Answer 1

I'm not convinced a certification really helps a test engineer all that much. Is this one hiring managers really look at? I have my doubts.

You can probably get a testing job without one if you look in the right places and a little experience will gain you as much as the certification. Experience along with reading a few books like How To Break Software and The Art of Software Testing will give you superior education.

Answer 2

The same thing always applies to certification. It is usually a learning experience, but having a certification does not mean that you are a good tester.

As as interviewer, I would be a lot more interested in your reasons for doing the certification than the certification itself. If you did it because you wanted to learn, that's a very good sign.

As for the question: the pre-requisites for CSTE are: (http://www.softwarecertifications.org/qai_cste.htm):

To qualify for candidacy, each applicant must meet one of four prerequisites:

1. A 4 year degree from an accredited college-level institution and 2 years experience in the information services field
2. A 3 year degree from an accredited college-level institution and 3 years experience in the information services field
3. A 2 year degree from an accredited college-level institution and 4 years experience in the information services field

4. Six years experience in the information services field

     AND
   

   Are working, or have worked at any time within the prior 18 months, in the field within covered by the certification designation

For the ISEB/BCS qualification (http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=nav.7182):

The candidate should have a basic working knowledge of IT.

But I suspect that I'm not comparing like with like here.

Answer 3

To answer your questions simply, the IIST seems popular.

But, as a hiring manager, I don't look at certifications. Although I think sound engineering priciples are essential to higher level programming, I am not convinced that these certifications provide that. Experience proven through a strong dialog with the interviewer is the only way I decide on whom to hire.

Answer 4

Check out James Bach's blog post on QA certifications. He considers them to be utterly worthless.

Answer 5

All members of our test team are ISTQB certified at the Foundation Level. We have testers in different groups and locations, and the certification has helped to provide everyone with a common framework and common language. For the same reason we have all of our operations staff ITIL certified, and project managers certified with PMI. I would not hire someone just because they were certified; and for the same reason I would not not hire someone because they weren't certified. Certification doesn't mean that you are necessarily good at testing, it just proves a basic level of competence. If you don't have much experience, certification may set you apart from other candidates and show that you have a real interest in the field.