ISTQB Performance Testing

Performance problems can damage customer experience, operational stability, and confidence in a release, yet, performance testing is often introduced too late or treated as a purely technical activity.

This two-day accredited course provides a structure understanding of performance risks, objectives, metrics, test design, execution and reporting. It is suitable for testers who want to broaden their capabilities, people moving into performance testing, and professionals who need to interpret performance results and explain their implications to stakeholders.

Next public live online course
1–2 October 2026 | 08:30–16:30 UK time
£850 including exam fee, plus VAT
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Course Objectives

Provides participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and apply performance tests to a system, including technical and management aspects.

Who will benefit?

This two-day course is aimed at anyone involved in software testing who wishes to broaden their knowledge of performance testing or anyone who wishes to start a specialist career in performance testing. The qualification is also aimed at anyone involved in performance engineering who wishes to gain a better understanding of performance testing.

People possessing an ISTQB Performance Testing Certificate may use the Certified Tester Performance Testing acronym: CT-PT.

Prerequisites

Candidates for the ISTQB Performance Testing certificate must hold the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level certificate (CTFL).

Skills Gained

Advanced Level testers who have passed the ISTQB Performance Testing certificate exam, can be expected to:

• Understand the basic concepts of performance efficiency and performance testing;
• Define performance risks, goals, and requirements to meet stakeholder needs and expectations;
• Understand performance metrics and how to collect them;
• Develop a performance test plan for achieving stated goals and requirements;
• Conceptually design, implement, and execute basic performance tests;
• Analyze the results of a performance test and state implications to various stakeholders;
• Explain the process, rationale, results, and implications of performance testing to various stakeholders;
• Understand categories and uses for performance tools and criteria for their selection;
• Determine how performance testing activities align with the software lifecycle.

The Exam

The ISTQB Performance Testing exam comprises 40 multiple choice questions, with a pass mark grade of 65% to be completed within 90 minutes. Participants that take the exam not in their spoken language, will receive additional 25% more time (an additional 23 minutes) so a total of 113 minutes.

The exam can be scheduled for the last afternoon of the course but may also be held on a later date.

Course Content (Overview)

1. Basic Concepts
2. Performance Measurement Fundamentals
3. Performance Testing in the Software Lifecycle
4. Performance Testing Tasks
5. Tools

Course Content

1.              Basic Concepts – 60 mins.

1.1           Principles of Performance Testing

1.2           Types of Performance Testing

1.3           Testing Types in Performance Testing

1.4           The Concept of Load Generation

1.5           Common Performance Efficiency Failure Modes and Their Causes

2.              Performance Measurement Fundamentals – 55 mins.

2.1           Typical Metrics Collected in Performance Testing

2.2           Aggregating Results from Performance Testing

2.3           Key Sources of Performance Metrics

2.4           Typical Results of a Performance Test

3.              Performance Testing in the Software Lifecycle – 195 mins.

3.1           Principal Performance Testing Activities

3.2           Categories of Performance Risks for Different Architectures

3.3           Performance Risks Across the Software Development Lifecycle

3.4           Performance Testing Activities

4               Performance Testing Tasks – 475 mins.

4.1           Planning

4.2           Analysis, Design and Implementation

4.3           Execution

4.4           Analysing Results and Reporting

5               Tools- 90 mins.

5.1           Tool Support

5.2           Tool Suitability