What is the ISTQB Agile Tester sunset?
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Agile Tester extension (CTFL-AT) is being retired: ISTQB's official announcement states that exams - including retakes - and training for CTFL-AT are only available until 6 May 2027 in English and 6 November 2027 in non-English languages. After those dates the extension disappears as a bookable exam. The board steers new candidates to the CTFL v4.0 Foundation exam, which already includes Agile concepts within the broader testing foundation, and to the CTAL-AT v2.0 advanced exam for deeper Agile testing expertise.
The exam is still live during the window: Pearson's BRIGHTEST registration flow continues to list CTFL-AT among its public ISTQB codes as of 2026-10-17, so a candidate who genuinely needs the extension can still book it - in English before the May date, in other languages before the November date.
What are the exact sunset dates and rules?
Two dates, and they are exact: 6 May 2027 is the last day for the English exam, and 6 November 2027 is the last day for the non-English versions. The announcement covers retakes and training as well as first sittings - there is no quiet extension lane after the cutoff in any language.
The prerequisite travels with the retiring exam: to gain CTFL-AT at all, a candidate must already hold the CTFL certificate, version 4 or earlier. So the sunset window is only open to existing Foundation holders - a brand-new candidate cannot use it, because the Foundation sitting has to happen first.
For the record, the retiring exam's structure is 40 questions with a passing score of 26 out of 40 in 60 minutes, plus 25 percent extra time for a non-native language - the same family shape as the Foundation exam it extends. During the window the price framework is the usual one: Brightest's published example of 210 USD or 200 EUR for a one-hour exam, or the ASTQB channel's flat 199 USD listing for Agile Testing.
What replaces the Agile Tester extension?
The replacement is not a new exam - it is a reshuffle of the existing scheme. CTFL v4.0 absorbs the Agile fundamentals: the board's own overview describes the current Foundation syllabus as relevant across Waterfall, Agile, DevOps, and Continuous Delivery, and the sunset page says plainly that Agile concepts are included within that broader testing foundation. For most candidates, Foundation v4.0 alone now carries the Agile signal a hiring manager wants.
For specialists, the advanced path is CTAL-AT v2.0 - the Certified Tester Advanced Level Agile Tester - which the board names as the destination for advanced Agile testing expertise. CTFL-AT holders are not stranded either: the board notes they remain eligible to proceed to the Agile Technical Tester (CTAL-ATT) and Agile Test Leadership at Scale (CTAL-ATLaS) certifications.
The board's own candor is worth quoting in spirit: for a candidate who already holds CTFL v4.0, taking the AT exam does not appear useful, because version 4 already includes the Agile content. That is the board telling you the retirement is a deduplication, not a content loss.
Who should still book CTFL-AT, and who should not?
Book it inside the window only if you have a concrete reason: an employer or client who names the CTFL-AT credential explicitly, or a scheme path you are already mid-way through that lists it. You must already hold CTFL, your language's cutoff applies, and retakes die on the same date as first sittings - so a booking in the final weeks is a one-attempt commitment.
Skip it if you are a new candidate or a CTFL v4.0 holder without a named requirement: the board steers you to Foundation v4.0 for the Agile fundamentals and to CTAL-AT v2.0 for the advanced credential, and it says the AT exam adds little on top of a v4.0 certificate. The credential that hiring gates actually name is almost always the Foundation one.
Either way, the Foundation sitting is the fixed point: prerequisite for the retiring extension, prerequisite for the advanced Agile exam, and the certification the whole scheme builds on. If your calendar is the obstacle rather than the syllabus, Exam Assist handles the Foundation sitting end to end - and the service fee is due only after the agreed result posts.
What does the retiring exam actually cover?
The CTFL-AT syllabus is compact by design - it is an extension, not a second foundation. The board's page lists three content areas: Agile software development fundamentals, which grounds the exam in the values and principles of the Agile Manifesto; fundamental Agile testing principles, practices, and processes, which covers how testing differs in traditional and Agile approaches, the status of testing in an Agile project, and the role and skills of a tester in an Agile team; and Agile testing methods, techniques, and tools.
That third area is the applied core: Agile testing methods, assessing quality risk and estimating test effort, techniques in Agile projects, and tool support. The business outcomes are written around whole-team work - collaborating in a cross-functional Agile team, adapting existing testing experience to Agile values, supporting test-related planning, and assisting business stakeholders in defining understandable, testable stories and acceptance criteria.
Read the three areas against CTFL v4.0's six chapters and the board's deduplication logic becomes visible: the current Foundation syllabus already bakes Agile delivery context into its lifecycle chapter, which is exactly why the extension is being retired rather than revised.
What does the sunset mean for CTFL-AT holders?
Holders keep the credential and the pathways it opened. The board's page states that CTFL-AT holders remain eligible to proceed to the Agile Technical Tester (CTAL-ATT) and Agile Test Leadership at Scale (CTAL-ATLaS) certifications - the sunset closes the exam, not the careers built on it.
For a holder, the practical question is signaling: the extension stays on your certificate list, but the scheme's center of gravity has moved to Foundation v4.0 plus the advanced Agile exams. If your resume leans on CTFL-AT as the Agile proof, the advanced CTAL-AT v2.0 is the credential the board now points to for that claim.
For everyone else the decision tree is short: hold CTFL and need the extension by name? Book before your language's date. Otherwise, Foundation v4.0 first - and if the calendar is the obstacle, the sitting can be handled with the service fee due only after the pass posts.
Want the Foundation sitting handled instead?
Whether you are locking the Foundation cert before your Agile path continues, or grabbing the extension inside its window, the sitting can be handled for you: registration against the real exam listing, the technical setup, and the proctored exam itself, at home or at a test center. The service fee is due only after the agreed result posts - you pay for the pass, not the attempt.
The ISTQB Foundation Level money page covers the service terms for the flagship sitting in full.
The short version
CTFL-AT retires on 6 May 2027 in English and 6 November 2027 in every other language, retakes included, and only existing CTFL holders can book it during the window. The Agile content lives on inside Foundation v4.0, and the advanced Agile credential is CTAL-AT v2.0. If someone who employs you names the extension, book it before the date; everyone else goes straight to Foundation.
The Foundation exam - 40 questions, 60 minutes, 65 percent to pass - is the fixed point under all of this. Book it yourself or have it handled; either way, the sunset changes nothing about where the scheme starts.