CTFL-AT Certified Tester Foundation Level Agile Tester Question and Answers

 Release planning is a process of defining the scope and timeline for an iterative or incremental product development project. It is used in agile or hybrid projects where a mid- to long-term planning of the product or system development or integration is required12. Release planning involves the following activities:

Identifying testable user stories with acceptance criteria. User stories are short descriptions of the features or functionalities that the customer or user wants from the product. Acceptance criteria are the conditions that must be met for the user story to be considered done and acceptable. Identifying testable user stories with acceptance criteria helps to define the scope and quality of the release13.

Prioritizing the user stories. User stories are prioritized based on the value they deliver to the customer or user, as well as the dependencies, risks, and costs associated with them. Prioritizing the user stories helps to determine the order and frequency of the releases13.

Performing high level estimation for the release. High level estimation is a technique to estimate the effort, time, and resources needed to complete the user stories in the release. High level estimation can be done using various methods, such as analogy, expert judgment, planning poker, etc. Performing high level estimation for the release helps to set realistic and achievable goals and deadlines13.

Therefore, activities 1, 3 and 6 are done in release planning. Activities 2, 4 and 5 are done in iteration planning, which is a more detailed and short-term planning of the work to be done in each iteration or sprint13. References: 1: ISTQB® Foundation Level Agile Tester Syllabus, Section 2.2, Fundamental Agile Testing Principles, Practices and Processes1; 2: Agile Release Planning in Hybrid and Agile Projects4; 3: How to Create an Agile Release Plan5

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 2.4Testing and Iterations, it states:

"In Agile projects, developers and testers work together to ensure the correct functionality is delivered during the iteration. Business representatives and testers may also validate the software during development to provide quick feedback."

This confirms thatOption Dis correct —collaborative testingby stakeholders and testers during development is a core Agile practice.

Option Ais incorrect — testing doesnot waitfor "done"; it occursconcurrentlywith development.

Option Bmisrepresents Agile — performance isn't based on metrics like defect counts.

Option Cis true in general, butdoes not directly answerthe integration of testing and development activities.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 5.1 and 5.3:

"Testers, like all team members, participate in retrospectives and are encouraged to suggest improvements to team processes and product quality."

SoOption Ais correct. Testersactively engagein retrospectives andsuggest improvementsbased on their testing experience.

Option BandCrefer toScrum Master responsibilities.

Option Dis the responsibility of theProduct Owner.

Risk-based testing is a technique that prioritizes testing activities based on the level of risk associated with each feature or requirement. The level of risk is usually calculated by multiplying the probability and impact of each risk. The higher the risk level, the more testing effort should be allocated to mitigate the risk. In this case, the risk level for each option is as follows: A. Risk level = Low x Low = Low B. Risk level = Low x High = Medium C. Risk level = High x High = High D. Risk level = High x Low = Medium Therefore, the highest risk level is C, followed by B and D, and then A. The User Story for the Operator-Instructions module should be tested according to this risk order, starting with C, then B, then D, and finally A. Hence, the answer is B, as it is the second highest risk level and should be tested after C. References: ISTQB Foundation Level Agile Tester Extension Syllabus1, page 16; ISTQB Agile Tester Sample Exam2, question 18.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 2.1Acceptance Criteria and Testability, acceptance tests must be directly related to thenew functionalitydescribed in the user story.

Option Dis correct — itvalidates the new featureof paying via smartcard credit, specificallyhandling edge cases(e.g., zero credit).

Option Ais incorrect —payment should failwith insufficient credit.

Option Bintroducesrequirements not mentionedin the story.

Option Ctestscredit card logic, not the new smartcard functionality.

Continuous integration is a practice of integrating code changes frequently and automatically into a shared repository, and running automated tests to verify the integration. Continuous integration can introduce some risks to the testing process, such as:

Testers sometimes have too many builds to test, which reduces the quality of testing. This can happen when the code changes are too frequent or too large, and the testers do not have enough time or resources to test each build thoroughly. This can lead to missed defects, incomplete test coverage, and reduced confidence in the product quality.

Testers sometimes have to deal with unstable or broken builds, which affects the testability of the product. This can happen when the code changes introduce errors or conflicts that cause the build to fail or malfunction. This can waste the testers’ time and effort, and delay the feedback cycle.

Testers sometimes have to cope with changing requirements and priorities, which affects the test planning and execution. This can happen when the stakeholders or customers provide new or modified requirements or feedback during the development cycle. This can require the testers to adapt their test strategy, test cases, and test data accordingly, and to balance the testing of new features and regression testing of existing features. References: ISTQB® Foundation Level Agile Tester Syllabus1, Section 2.2.3, page 14; ISTQB® Glossary of Testing Terms2, version 4.0, page 15.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 2.2Release and Iteration Planning, it describes Planning Poker as:

"Planning Poker involves group discussion, especially from the highest and lowest estimators, to ensure that different perspectives and assumptions are aligned, which leads to more accurate and shared understanding of the effort involved."

Thus,Option Cis correct — Team B usesdiscussion-based estimation, which is a corebenefitof Planning Poker.

Option Ais speculative — we cannot know the actual effort difference.

Option Bis incorrect — convergence without discussion may indicatelack of engagement or pressure to agree.

Option Dis false — Planning Poker isnot based on averaging, but onconsensus.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 2.4 and 2.5:

"Due to frequent changes and short iterations, testers must be flexible and responsive. However, keeping up with pace can be a challenge."

Thus,Option Dis correct —testers may strugglewith rapid changes and short feedback loops, which is a known challenge in Agile.

Option Ais false — testers still measurecoverage and report defects.

Option Bmisrepresents TDD —developerstypically write the unit tests in TDD.

Option Cis incorrect —quality is a shared responsibilityin Agile.

Risk-based testing fits well in Agile development processes, as risks are easy to identify when the work is divided into user stories. User stories are short descriptions of features or functionalities that are valuable to the customers or users. They help to define the scope and priority of the work in each iteration. By breaking down the work into user stories, the Agile team can identify the potential risks associated with each story, such as technical complexity, business criticality, or user feedback. The team can then prioritize the testing effort based on the risk level of each story, ensuring that the most important and risky features are tested first and thoroughly. Risk-based testing also helps to optimize the testing time and resources, as the team can focus on testing the most relevant aspects of the software, rather than testing everything equally. References: ISTQB Foundation Level Agile Tester Syllabus, Section 2.3.2, page 181; ISTQB Foundation Level Agile Tester Sample Exam Questions, Question 2.3.2-1, page 92

 Early and frequent feedback is one of the core values of Agile development. It helps the Agile team to deliver features with the highest business value first, to discover and resolve quality problems as soon as possible, to provide information on the team’s productivity and progress, and to ensure that the product meets the customer’s expectations and needs. However, early feedback does not necessarily decrease the amount of time needed for system testing, as system testing is still an important activity in Agile projects to verify the integration and functionality of the whole system. Early feedback may reduce the number of defects found in system testing, but it does not eliminate the need for system testing. References: ISTQB Foundation Level Agile Tester Extension Syllabus1, page 10; ISTQB Agile Tester Sample Exam2, question 11.

The tester within an Agile team is not responsible for ensuring all project status meetings are held according to the plan. This is typically a task for the Scrum Master, who facilitates the meetings and ensures that the team follows the Agile principles and practices. The tester within an Agile team is responsible for ensuring the appropriate testing tasks are scheduled during iteration planning, suggesting improvements in team retrospectives, and working with business stakeholders to clarifyrequirements. These are all tasks that contribute to the quality of the software and the testing process, as well as the collaboration and communication within the team and with the customers. References: ISTQB Foundation Level Agile Tester Syllabus, Section 2.3.1, page 171; ISTQB Foundation Level Agile Tester Sample Exam Questions, Question 2.3.1-1, page 82

A whole-team approach is a way of working in agile projects where all team members share the responsibility for delivering high-quality software that meets the customer’s needs. This means that testers, developers, business analysts, and other roles collaborate closely throughout the project lifecycle, and use their different skills and perspectives to contribute to the quality of the product. A benefit of this approach is that it enables the team to leverage the various skill sets within the team to the benefit of the project, such as testing skills, coding skills, domain knowledge, user experience, etc. This can lead to faster feedback, better communication, higher productivity, and more innovation. References: ISTQB® Foundation Level Agile Tester Syllabus1, Section 1.1.1, page 7; ASTQB Agile Tester Certification Resources, Section 1.1.1, page 7.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

From theCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 4.2Continuous Integration, it describes:

"A major benefit of continuous integration is the ability to detect integration problems, code defects, and broken builds early, allowing for faster resolution."

And:

"Continuous integration allows frequent builds and tests to be performed, helping to identify and isolate problems soon after they are introduced."

This directly confirms thatOption Ais the correct answer, highlighting thecore value of continuous integration:early detection and isolationof issues.

Option Bis incorrect — retrospectives remain essential in Agile regardless of CI.

Option Cis an Agile principle, but not adirect benefittied specifically to CI.

Option Doverstates the impact of CI — while CI may help communication, it does not eliminate communication problems by itself.

The test charter for the exploratory testing session is focused on buying a bus ticket, not a parking ticket. Therefore, any defect related to the payment for parking ticket is out of scope for the given test charter. The other defects are related to the functionality, usability, or reliability of buying a bus ticket, which are in scope for the test charter. References: ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Agile Tester Extension Syllabus, Version 2014, Section 2.3.2 Exploratory Testing1, Section 2.3.2.1 Test Charter2; ISTQB Glossary of Testing Terms, Version 3.2, 2017, Definition of Test Charter3

1: ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Agile Tester Extension Syllabus, Version 2014, Section 2.3.2 Exploratory Testing 2: ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Agile Tester Extension Syllabus, Version 2014, Section 2.3.2.1 Test Charter 3: [ISTQB Glossary of Testing Terms, Version 3.2, 2017, Definition of Test Charter]

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 3.2Test-Driven Development, and 1.3The Whole-Team Approach, testers:

"Collaborate in test-related activities including test case creation, exploratory testing, and user story clarification."

"Unit tests are typically the responsibility of developers, especially in TDD practices."

Therefore,Option Aisleast likely, asunit test tracking in TDDis primarily adeveloper responsibility, not a tester's routine task.

Options B, C, and D all describekey Agile tester activities, such asmaintaining regression tests,collaborating with developers, andparticipating in specification workshops (BDD/ATDD practices).

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 1.2Fundamentals of Agile Software Development, it states:

"Kanban is a lean approach that uses visualization (typically via a task board) to manage work in progress and improve workflow. Unlike Scrum, iterations in Kanban are optional."

Thus,Option C (Kanban)is correct. It emphasizesvisualizationand doesnot require fixed-length iterations.

Option A (Scrum)is iteration-based.

Option B (Continuous integration)is a practice, not a development approach.

Option D (Slack)is a communication tool, not a methodology.

 Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a software development approach that allows a developer to define accurate unit tests focused on business needs. BDD uses a common language that is understandable by both technical and non-technical stakeholders, such as Given-When-Then scenarios. BDD helps to align the development and testing activities with the customer expectations and business goals . References:

: ISTQB® Foundation Level Agile Tester Syllabus, Version 2014, Section 2.2.2

: ASTQB Agile Tester Certification Resources, Agile Testing Foundations, Chapter 3, Section 3.2.2

 Planning poker is a consensus-based technique for agile estimation, using a deck of cards with predefined numerical values, usually based on the Fibonacci sequence or a modified version12. Therefore, statement 1 is correct. A high test estimate usually means that the user story or task is too complex, ambiguous, or risky, and should be broken down into multiple smaller stories that are easier to understand and estimate13. Therefore, statement 3 is correct. The risk level of each backlog item should be decided before the poker session, as it can affect the estimation process and the prioritization of the work14. Therefore, statement 5 is correct. Statement 2 is incorrect, as a low test estimate usually means that the user story or task is simple, clear, and well-defined, and does not need to be broken down further13. Statement 4 is incorrect, as planning poker can involve multiple rounds of estimation, reveal, and discussion, until the team reaches a consensus or agrees to defer the item12. References: 1: ISTQB® Foundation Level Agile Tester Syllabus, Section 3.3.1, Test Automation1; 2: ASTQB Agile Tester Certification Resources, Section 3.3.1, Test Automation2; 3: Planning Poker: An Agile Estimating and Planning Technique3; 4: Planning poker: The all-in strategy for Agile estimation - Asana4

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 4.3Test Automation and Continuous Integration, it states:

"Short iterations and continuous integration require well-designed automated test suites, and teams should adopt good practices for test design and implementation from the start."

OptionBis correct because it highlights theneed for proactive test design practicesto handle frequent changes — a key Agile challenge.

Option Amixes concepts:version controlrelates to code, not directly to regression management.

Option Cis incorrect — regressionrisk increaseswhen code is modified.

Option Dis misleading — tests may becomeobsoleteor needrefactoring, sono test is permanently untouchable.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromCTFL-AT Syllabus v4.0, Section 2.5Testers and Independence, it explains:

"An independent test team may be used in parallel to Agile teams to support non-sprint activities such as performance testing, test tool development, or testing in regulated environments."

However, assigningfunctional testing to independent teamswhile Agile teams handlenon-functionalwork is theoppositeof common practice. Agile teams typically focus onfunctional testing, while specializednon-functionalor compliance testing may be handled externally.

Therefore,Option Ais least likely to be true.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

FromISTQB Glossary (also referenced in CTFL-AT):

"Configuration management is a discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to: identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item, control changes to those characteristics, record and report change processing and implementation status, and verify compliance."

Thus,Option Dis the formal and accurate definition ofConfiguration Management.

Option Adescribestest control, not configuration management.

Option Brefers tosession-based testing, unrelated to configuration management.

Option Crefers tocombinatorial test design, not configuration control.