Practicing with exam-style questions is one of the most effective ways to prepare for the ISTQB Foundation Level. The exam is 40 questions in 60 minutes, roughly 90 seconds per question, and familiarity with how questions are worded makes a real difference. Knowing the content is not always enough if you are not used to how your exam provider frames its answer options.
This page covers where to find ISTQB practice exams, what the official free resources include, and what AT*SQA provides with every exam registration.
ISTQB publishes free official sample exam sets on its website at istqb.org. These sets, commonly referred to as Sets A, B, C, and D, are the most widely used starting point for Foundation Level preparation. Each set includes multiple choice questions with answer keys, and they are written to reflect the current CTFL (Certified Tester Foundation Level) 4.0 syllabus.
The official sample exams are a solid baseline for your preparation. They show you the question format, the level of detail expected, and the style of the answer options. Working through them before your exam date is a straightforward way to identify where your knowledge has gaps.
When you register for the ISTQB Foundation Level through AT*SQA, two exclusive practice exam sets are included with your purchase at no extra cost.
The practice exams AT*SQA provides are built to match the question style of the exams it administers. That makes them more directly useful for preparation than general practice sets, since the wording style and difficulty calibration are aligned with what you will actually see on test day when registering through AT*SQA.
You can also access AT*SQA's broader range of educational resources at atsqa.org/educational-resources, which includes study materials available alongside your registration.
Working through practice questions without a method is less effective than it looks. Here is a preparation approach that matches how ISTQB constructs the exam:
Common questions from candidates preparing for the ISTQB Foundation Level exam.
Yes. ISTQB publishes free official sample exam sets on their website at istqb.org. These are a solid starting point for exam preparation. AT*SQA also provides exclusive practice exams for certain ISTQB exams, built to match the question style of the exams it administers.
The ISTQB Foundation Level exam is 40 questions to be completed in 60 minutes. Every question is multiple choice with four options and one correct answer. There is no negative marking.
You need 65% to pass, which is 26 out of 40 questions correct. This is consistent across all accredited exam providers.
Partly. Core testing principles, test levels, and many test design techniques carry over from v3.1 to 4.0. But the current syllabus adds or expands topics like Agile testing, DevOps, shift-left, the whole team approach, and exploratory testing. If you rely only on v3.1 material, you will leave gaps.
Realistic enough to learn the format and test your knowledge, but the exact wording style and difficulty calibration of the live exam varies by provider. AT*SQA's exclusive practice exams are matched to the question style of the exams it administers, which can make them more useful for candidates registering through AT*SQA.
Chapter 4 carries the highest weighting in the official syllabus. Chapter 2 and Chapter 5 also matter a lot. Use the official syllabus weightings to decide where most of your revision time should go.
Study time varies. A practical approach is to read the syllabus first, then work through timed practice questions before you book the exam. You want enough practice to be comfortable with pace and question style before exam day.
If you are still working through your preparation, the next pages to check are How To Pass ISTQB Foundation Level, How Hard Is ISTQB Foundation Level?, and ISTQB Foundation Level.
If you are close to booking, use How To Book Your ISTQB Exam, ISTQB Online Exam, ISTQB Exam Cost, and Does ISTQB Certification Expire?.
Register through AT*SQA and you get two exclusive practice exam sets, matched to the exam style AT*SQA administers, included at no extra cost with your registration.