ISEB and ISTQB: To be or not to be?

By Sara Weststrand, Tescom UK

The introduction of the ISTQB certificates has caused some confusion in the testing industry as a whole. How does the ISTQB certification differ from the ISEB?

The ISEB (issued by the UK based institution International Systems Examinations Board) certifications have not been replaced, they still exist and are not planned to be discontinued.

The ISQTB (issued by the internationally recognised International Software Testing Qualification Board) certificates have been brought in as an alternative. The ISTQB certifications are specifically designed for global acknowledgement, and so far 41 countries have recognised it as a valid certificate.

According to TSG, a recognised training provider, the main difference in skills gained through the different certificates is the international focus gained through ISTQB, which ISEB does not offer. TSG have also confirmed that there is no known skills gained through the ISEB that are not provided through an ISTQB, which in plain English means that you will not lose out if you complete an ISTQB instead of an ISEB.

The structure of the two schemes is also different, mainly in the fact that ISEB is divided into three steps and ISTQB is divided into two. Both require a foundation course but where ISEB requires an intermediate course to be completed before the final level can be started ISTQB allows you to go straight to the final level.