Quality assurance testing professionals play a vital role in the IT industry. Skilled QA testers ensure the proper functioning of applications so that customers don’t have to suffer through a compromised experience.
While a bachelor’s degree is enough to test the waters of the IT industry, certifications have the power to take your career to a whole new level. Besides increasing job prospects, they can provide a boost to self-confidence, skill set, and of course, by extension, salary.
In this post, we are going to take a look at some top certifications for Quality assurance testing professionals. But before that, we will check out why these certifications are important and how they can benefit your career. Let’s begin.
Importance of Certifications for QA Testing Professionals
No matter how skilled you are in your field, if you don’t have an attractive portfolio to showcase your expertise it’s all null and void. The IT sector keeps on evolving as time passes. Therefore, to maintain consistency and quality in the IT industry, certifications can turn out to be a game-changer for updating the knowledge of QA testing professionals.
One might argue why it’s important to have certification when almost everything is available for free on the internet. Well, if you have the time and patience to scroll through every single blog you come across and sort out the information you need, more power to you. However, if you wish to gain access to structured information with methodological approaches to learning that save time, certifications are the way to go.
Well-thought-out QA training assists with quality sustainability and strategic thinking for professionals. Since QA testing certifications are available for different levels of expertise, anyone can opt for them depending on where they are in their IT journey.
Top 7 Certifications for QA Testing Professionals
Now that you understand how certifications can enhance your career, let’s check out the top 7 certifications for QA testing professionals in detail.
- Certified Associate in Software Testing (CAST)
If you’re looking for a certification to impart foundation-level knowledge and understanding of testing practices and principles, CAST is a clear choice. Offered by the Quality Assurance Institute, this testing-based certification is ideal for individuals who have a 3 to 4-year college degree. If you don’t meet this particular prerequisite, a minimum of 3 years of experience in the IT industry would make you eligible for this certification. You also fit the criteria if you have a 2-year degree with 1 year of IT experience.
If you have the CAST certification, it provides a competence beneficial for soaring in the software testing profession. To attain this beginner-level certification, candidates have to clear a multiple-choice format examination with a passing score of 70%. This is a paid certification with an examination fee of $100.
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International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB)
ISTQB is a worldwide accepted software testing qualification with a universal syllabus. Depending on your IT journey, you can opt for a foundational level, advanced level, or expert certification.
The foundation level imparts fundamental knowledge about software testing and is aimed at candidates who need to showcase practical expertise. It’s perfect for those in the role of test analysts, test designers, test consultants, test engineers, user acceptance testers, and test managers. Even if you are a quality manager, software development manager, IT director, project manager, business analyst, or management consultant, this certification can provide a basic understanding of the field of software testing.
The ISTQB advanced level certification is ideal for those who are at a higher level in their software testing career. If you have enough practical experience and a foundation certificate, you are eligible for advanced level ISTQB certification. The five modules of the expert level certification include improvement of the testing process, test automation engineering, test management common test automation management, and security testing.
The leading cross-browser testing platform has also taken on the role of an efficient learning hub. While most other QA testing certifications require you to loosen your purse strings, LambdaTest certifications are entirely free of cost! Be it cross-browser testing, Selenium for web development, LambdaTest has got you covered.
It’s no secret that Selenium certifications can be resume-worthy and pave a stairway to success in the IT industry. The Selenium course helps those professionals who are eager to stand out or be a part of Selenium automation testing.. Their TestNG certification has the capacity of taking a tester’s career to the next level by challenging their skills on automation testing performance. The Protractor certification is the ultimate evidence of expertise if you are in the test automation field.
Not only does LambdaTest certifications keep you updated on the latest software testing trends, but they also enable you to adorn your LinkedIn profile with a globally recognized badge. All in all, if you are looking forward to upskilling your CV, it’s time to quit devouring the internet for information and start exploring the LambdaTest learning hub.
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Certified Software Tester (CSTE)
As the name suggests, Certified Software Tester provides an educational program to initiate a direction for professional competence in practices and principles of quality control. It’s an intermediate-level certification offered by the Quality Assurance Institute. The learning curve is definitely higher than most beginner-level certifications. But you can opt for the certified software tester course even if you are starting out with your career in the IT sector. It’s perfect for bagging the position of quality control or software testing advisor.
The eligibility criteria include:
- Minimum 6 years of experience in the IT sector
- A 2-year degree along with a minimum of 4 years of experience in the IT sector
- A 3-year degree along with a minimum of 3 years of experience in the IT sector
- A four-year degree along with minimum 2 years of experience in the IT sector
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Certified Manager of Software Testing: (CMST)
The Certified Manager of Software Testing certification is a standard for assessing the competencies and capabilities of management-level software testing professionals. Those appearing for it must demonstrate the capabilities and skills mandatory for managing software test functions.
If you are keen on applying for a management-level position, CMST is the ideal certification. It also provides an objective assessment of IT professionals’ management skills.
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ISTQB Agile Tester Certification
Agile is a rapidly advancing yet relatively new software testing approach. It’s one of the most efficient frameworks in the IT sector. But the fact that it’s new surrounds agile with a lot of confusion. That’s when this intermediate certification offered by ISTQB comes into the picture.
If you are an entry-level tester with a keen interest in agile testing, this certification is for you. You can also opt for this if you are an experienced tester who has followed traditional approaches in the past for software development. It will help you stay on par with the current trends and help professionals be a part of a smart approach to software development.
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Certified Manager of Software Quality: (CMSQ)
As the name suggests, the certified manager of software quality certification is an appropriate standard for those who aspire to work at the management level of quality assurance. Even those who are already in the management arena in the IT sector can take advantage of this certification to brush up their knowledge and update their level of expertise.
This certification will provide an objective assessment of an IT professional’s management skills. Once an individual acquires the CMSQ certification, it indicates that they have demonstrated the capabilities and skills for the management of software quality assurance function.
Final Words:
Now that you have the top 7 certifications for QA testing professionals at your disposal, it’s time to make one or more choices. Remember, always assess your level of experience before you opt for certifications. It’s also essential to choose the one that meets industrial requirements and sparks up your resume along with providing the necessary knowledge.
It’s high time we stop polarizing the importance of certifications and realize that they can make it easy to update your knowledge and give the desired self-confidence and motivation boost. The bottom line, whether you are starting out in the IT sector or you are already a part of a Quality Assurance team, certifications for QA testing professionals can always be the bonus you needed for your career.
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