QA / Test Engineer
ISTQB foundation and agile testing, test automation, then advanced and expert test leadership.
Typical roles: QA Engineer · Test Automation Engineer · Test Manager
The track, phase by phase
Foundation
Core
Advanced
Mastery
- CTEL-TM ISTQB Certified Tester Expert Level – Test Management
A suggestion, not a set of prerequisites: one or two certifications per phase is plenty.
QA / Test Engineer on the Data, AI & Software map
Verified against issuers' official pages · updated · 252 active certifications (2 upcoming not counted)
How to read the map
- Each tile is one certification: its abbreviation and, when the issuer publishes one, a listed-cost band. Hover (or open) a tile for the full name and issuer.
- Within each level the most recognised certifications come first (industry recognition, and how many career tracks use them); "+N more" lists the rest.
- under $300
- $300 to $999
- $1,000 to $2,999
- $3,000 or more
- No sign: price not published by the issuer
- Upcoming Announced by the issuer but not yet available: not counted
- Solid border and a phase number: on this track
- Dashed border, greyed: not on this track
Data Engineering 29 certificationsnot on this track
Beginner, 6 certifications
Intermediate, 18 certifications
- SnowPro Core, Snowflake
- CCDAK, Confluent
- CDMP Practitioner, DAMA International
- DBX DE-A, Databricks
- DP-600, Microsoft
- DP-700, Microsoft
- CCAAK, Confluent
+12 more+14 more intermediate Data Engineering certifications
- DBX Spark, Databricks
- dbt AE, dbt Labs
- CCAC, Confluent
- Cloudera DE, Cloudera
- DCAM, EDM Council
- Informatica CDI, Informatica
- APMG EBDE, APMG International
- Cloudera Admin Cloud, Cloudera
- Cloudera Admin On-Prem, Cloudera
- Cloudera Data Operator, Cloudera Upcoming
- Cloudera Lakehouse Eng, Cloudera
- DP-750, Microsoft
Analytics & BI 30 certificationsnot on this track
Beginner, 11 certifications
- SAS Base, SAS
- Tableau Foundations, Salesforce (Tableau)
- CAP-Essentials, INFORMS
- Data+, CompTIA
- Alteryx Core, Alteryx
- IBM DS PC, IBM (Coursera)
- PCED, Python Institute
+4 more+6 more beginner Analytics & BI certifications
Intermediate, 14 certifications
- PL-300, Microsoft
- QSBA, Qlik
- Tableau Data Analyst, Salesforce (Tableau)
- QSDA, Qlik
- SAS Advanced, SAS
- CAP-Pro, INFORMS
- DBX DA, Databricks
+7 more+9 more intermediate Analytics & BI certifications
Databases 14 certificationsnot on this track
Beginner, 4 certifications
Intermediate, 9 certifications
- 1Z0-182, Oracle
- 1Z0-908, Oracle
- DP-420, Microsoft
- EDB PG Pro, EDB
- MongoDB DBA, MongoDB
- Elastic ECE, Elastic
- Neo4j GDS, Neo4j
+2 more+4 more intermediate Databases certifications
Expert, 1 certification
AI & Machine Learning 60 certificationsnot on this track
Beginner, 21 certifications
- AI-901, Microsoft
- Google GAIL, Google Cloud
- NCA-GENL, NVIDIA
- NCA-AIIO, NVIDIA
- NCA-GENM, NVIDIA
- NCA-ADS, NVIDIA
- AB-730, Microsoft
+14 more+16 more beginner AI & Machine Learning certifications
- AB-731, Microsoft
- AB-900, Microsoft
- AGB, CertNexus
- AgenticAIBIZ, CertNexus
- AIBIZ, CertNexus
- AIM, CertNexus
- APMG AI Essentials, APMG International
- APMG AI Foundation, APMG International
- APMG AIFT, APMG International
- ECC AIE, EC-Council
- GenAIBIZ, CertNexus
- ICP-FAI, ICAgile
- PCEI, Python Institute
- PTCA, Linux Foundation
Intermediate, 29 certifications
- AI-103, Microsoft
- DBX GenAI, Databricks
- DBX ML-A, Databricks
- OCI GenAI Pro, Oracle
- SAS-AIML, SAS
- CAIP, CertNexus
- CDSP, CertNexus
+22 more+24 more intermediate AI & Machine Learning certifications
- PMI-CPMAI, PMI
- AB-620, Microsoft
- AI-300, Microsoft
- SnowPro GenAI, Snowflake
- APMG AIAP, APMG International
- APMG AILS, APMG International
- APMG AIP, APMG International
- ARTiBA AiE, Artificial Intelligence Board of America
- CAIAE, CWNP
- CAIGP, GAQM
- CGAIP, GAQM
- Cloudera GenAI Eng, Cloudera
- Cloudera MLE, Cloudera
- DBX CE-A, Databricks
- EITCA/AI, EITCA
- IBM watsonx GenAI, IBM
- Neo4j GenAI, Neo4j
- USAII CAIC, United States Artificial Intelligence Institute
- USAII CAIC-PDM, United States Artificial Intelligence Institute
- USAII CAIC-PM, United States Artificial Intelligence Institute
- USAII CAIE, United States Artificial Intelligence Institute
- USAII CAITL, United States Artificial Intelligence Institute
Expert, 10 certifications
- Google PMLE, Google Cloud
- DBX ML-P, Databricks
- NCP-GENL, NVIDIA
- AB-100, Microsoft
- NCP-AAI, NVIDIA
- NCP-ADS, NVIDIA
- AI-500, Microsoft
+3 more+5 more expert AI & Machine Learning certifications
Software Development 47 certificationsnot on this track
Beginner, 22 certifications
- 1Z0-811, Oracle
- PCEP, Python Institute
- CLE, C++ Institute
- OCUP2 F, OMG
- UiPath ADA, UiPath
- Unity User Artist, Unity
- Unity User Prog, Unity
+15 more+17 more beginner Software Development certifications
- Unity User VR, Unity
- JSE, JS Institute
- BCP, Linux Foundation
- CODE, Linux Foundation
- CPE, C++ Institute
- EITCA/CG, EITCA
- EITCA/WD, EITCA
- FCFP, Linux Foundation
- FSOSD, Linux Foundation
- HFCP, Linux Foundation
- LPI Web Dev Essentials, LPI
- OutSystems AD, OutSystems
- RVFA, Linux Foundation
- Swift Assoc, Apple (via Certiport)
- WDE, JS Institute
Intermediate, 18 certifications
- OCP Java 21, Oracle
- OCP Java 17, Oracle
- PL-400, Microsoft
- PCAP, Python Institute
- AI-200, Microsoft
- CLA, C++ Institute
- CPA, C++ Institute
+11 more+13 more intermediate Software Development certifications
Expert, 7 certifications
- PCPP1, Python Institute
- CLP, C++ Institute
- OCUP2 A, OMG
- Unity Pro Artist, Unity
- Unity Pro Prog, Unity
- CPP, C++ Institute
- PCPP2, Python Institute Upcoming
- UiPath ASAP, UiPath
+3 more expert Software Development certifications
DevOps & Delivery 15 certificationsnot on this track
Beginner, 7 certifications
Intermediate, 8 certifications
- GH-100, GitHub (Microsoft)
- GH-200, GitHub (Microsoft)
- GH-500, GitHub (Microsoft)
- ICP-IDO, ICAgile
- LPI DevOps Tools Engineer, LPI
- GH-600, GitHub (Microsoft)
- Elastic ECOE, Elastic
- SRE Practitioner, PeopleCert (DevOps Institute)
+3 more intermediate DevOps & Delivery certifications
Expert, 0 certifications
None listed
Quality & Testing 27 certifications11 on this track
Beginner, 5 certifications
Intermediate, 19 certifications
- Phase 2: CoreCTAL-TA, ISTQB
- Phase 2: CoreCTAL-TAE, ISTQB
- Phase 2: CoreCT-AI, ISTQB
- Phase 2: CorePCAT, Python Institute
- Phase 3: AdvancedCTAL-TM, ISTQB
- Phase 3: AdvancedCTAL-TTA, ISTQB
- Phase 3: AdvancedCSTE, QAI Global Institute
- Phase 3: AdvancedCT-GenAI, ISTQB
+11 more+11 more intermediate Quality & Testing certifications
Expert, 3 certifications
Enterprise Platforms 30 certificationsnot on this track
Beginner, 5 certifications
Intermediate, 21 certifications
- SF Adv Admin, Salesforce
- SF App Builder, Salesforce
- SF PD1, Salesforce
- SN-CAD, ServiceNow
- SN-CIS-ITSM, ServiceNow
- C_ABAPD, SAP
- Pega CSSA, Pegasystems
+14 more+16 more intermediate Enterprise Platforms certifications
Expert, 4 certifications
Other Data, AI & Software career tracks (9)
Retired / replaced (8)
No longer offered by their issuers, so not on the map. Holders keep them; each page says what replaced it, where anything did.
- AI-102 Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate → replaced by AI-103
- AZ-204 Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate → replaced by AI-200
- DP-100 Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate → replaced by AI-300
- DP-203 Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate → replaced by DP-700
- OCA DBA 19c Oracle Database Administration 2019 Certified Associate (1Z0-082)
- SAP Datasphere SAP Certified – Data Engineer – SAP Datasphere
- SF AI Assoc Salesforce Certified AI Associate
- SnowPro Platform SnowPro Associate: Platform (SOL-C01)
About this map
Compiled and verified by CertAscent against issuers' official pages.
Not affiliated with the issuers; certification names are trademarks of their owners. Prices, requirements and availability change: confirm on the issuer's official page (linked from every certification page) before you register or pay.