comparison of foundation courses

Having completed both the BBST and ISTQB foundation levels, I feel like giving a comparison of both courses and certificates. This is not going to be one of the ISTQB bashing posts, but I rather want to point out strengths and weaknesses of both courses in case you are undecided which one to take. I will compare them along five categories, which are course format, methodology, content, applicability and acceptance. I will give up to 10 points in each category and weigh the categories in the end to give an overall result.

Course format

The BBST foundations course is a four week online course using moodle as a MOOC platform. In order to take the course you have to be a member of the association for software testing. Which means a annual fee and the course fee, which sums up to 250$.

The ISTQB is offered in two variants and not by ISTQB itself but by certified service providers. The one I took was “read the book all alone, make an appointment at a local certification center and have you video-filmed while answering multiple-choice questions”. The other variant – and the way more common – is to have a four day course preparing you for the exam, which is taken at the end. Again multiple-choice, but not big brother cam but a real human (not the teacher) looking over your shoulder. The course variant is somewhat more expensive, being around 2000€ overall. The “do it on your own” variant I took was somewhat cheaper: 40€ for the book and around 200€ for the exam if I remember correctly.

I will give BBST the edge here as in my case having a course over a few weeks is certainly better than just preparing yourself with a book. Taking one of the ISTQB courses will not bump up the score, as these are pretty expensive if you have to pay them on your own and simply so packed/condensed (yes, this goes a bit along the methodology and content, but cannot completely separated) that there isn’t too much time to actually think about the contents.

Methodology

BBST uses a MOOC format which provides you with all kind of texts, videos and materials you will need. All interaction between students and teachers is via this plattform and the provided forums. Teaching usually consists of watching, reading, answering questions either on your own or as group and actually giving and receiving feedback on what you did. Exams are essay-style as well.

Since I didn’t take a ISTQB foundations course, I will relate to the ISTQB Advanced Test Manager here. But what I am told, the foundations are pretty much the same. ISTQB uses a more traditional teaching method with ex-cathedra teaching along a set of slides provided by ISTQB to the teacher. It’s actually rushing through many of these with only short feedback/questioning breaks in between if at all. Many of the slides are actually mock-questions to be explained, either contentwise or in terms where they may be tricky. The goal is very clearly to make you pass the exam, not so much on learning in general.

BBST wins this one again in my opinion. I prefer long-time learning over just learning for passing an exam on the one hand and on the other hand BBST really has a focus on giving and receiving feedback and actually applying what you learnt. Personally I was well prepared for the exam, so as far as that is regarded the course worked.

Content

Both course provide an introduction to testing. I feel in general that the BBST course is not totally aimed at beginners but a people with at least some experience. ISTQB on the other hand is aimed at beginners. The major difference between both courses is their point of view. BBST is looking at testing from the context driven school, while ISTQB is almost a synonym for factory school testing. Therefore the focus and the points of interest are a bit different. ISTQB puts more emphasis on basic testing techniques such as equivalence classes and on all kinds of reviews. BBST is less about these techniques, but about dealing and actually thinking about things like heuristics or coverages in terms of their value.

If you want to sum it up, BBST provides a broader insight into testing while ISTQB has a bit of a more detailed approach to one aspect of testing. The techniques, however helpful, are even more powerful, when properly applied and that’s where BBST has an edge and wins this category again.

Applicability

So, how can you apply the things you learnt at work then? For me there were some “oh, that’s a nice thing” moments in both course and I have been able to apply things I learnt from both at work and there have been things in both course that reinforced me in a way that I wasn’t doing total crap when testing. The spectrum of what can be applied is bigger for BBST, but the techniques acquired in the ISTQB can be put into work easily as well. I would therefore call this one a draw.

Acceptance

This is a factor that is somewhat determined by the environment you are in. ISTQB is a very strong brand here in Germany and really a door opener. And I have to admit that it opened a door or two for me personally. I know that there have been some discussions about the main advantage of ISTQB providing a shared vocabulary for testers. Well, from my experience it provides exactly that. Is that vocabulary precise and comprehensive? Not necessarily, but you at least know where to start from and what the limitations are. BBST is not that much of a commodity here in Germany, which is a real pity since it provides a more concise set of ideas and vocabulary. Especially when turning towards agile development, it gets more and more helpful. ISTQB tries to counter that with its certified agile software tester (CAST, you see that irony?), but I haven’t taken it, so I can’t really comment on that one.

This category goes to ISTQB, but it is very depended on the environment you are in.

Conclusion

Three out of five go to BBST, one is a draw and ISTQB wins one for me. But as I hinted above the categories do not weigh in equally, at least not for me. I feel that content and methodology are more important, while course format and acceptance are not that important for me. If you sum it up, the comparison looks like this for me:

BBST is the overall winner for me. It provided quite some interesting content and was the way better taught course for content in the long run. ISTQB is widely popular in certain areas, so if you want a door opener, it can be helpful. Although I clearly favor the BBST course, I gained some interesting inputs from both courses. The main thing, I guess, is to put everything into perspective and make up your own mind without simply accepting what is presented to you as a given. And that is actually one of the major take-aways promoted in BBST as well.