QA Engineer roadmap › Courses
Best courses for QA Engineers and SDETs
This list starts with test thinking and a first automated test, then covers the main automation tools and the checks around them: performance, security and mobile.
The tool pages come straight from the projects that make them, because tools change faster than courses do.
Most of the learning material is free to read or take. The ISTQB certifications are the formal credentials.
Books on this site cover test design in depth. This page covers the tools and the credentials.
Which course to take first
- Start
- Test Automation University and the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level give you the vocabulary, and pytest: Get Started or Playwright: Installation give you hands-on practice.
- Build
- Software Testing and Automation Specialization and Grafana k6 cover automation and performance. The OWASP Web Security Testing Guide is the place to start on security checks.
- Lead
- The ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level suits people who design the test strategy for a team or a product line.
- 12 items in 3 stages: 10 courses and tutorials, 2 certifications.
- We opened every page on October 7, 2026 and show only what the provider states.
- No prices, ratings or enrolment counts.
See the full QA Engineer roadmap →Best books for QA Engineers and SDETs →
How to choose your courses
A short method, so you spend your hours on the right thing for where you are instead of collecting certificates.
Find your stage
Getting started · 4 items
Test vocabulary, a first automated test in Python and a first browser test. Short, free and hands-on.
Jump to this stage ↓Doing the job · 7 items
The main automation tools, running tests in CI, and the checks around them: load, security and mobile.
Jump to this stage ↓Senior and leading · 1 items
The advanced ISTQB credential for people who design test automation, not just write tests.
Jump to this stage ↓
If you are unsure, start one stage lower than you think. Later items assume what the earlier ones teach.
Begin with one course
Our starting pick
Test Automation University
Applitools
It is free and made of short courses on specific tools, so you can start with the one your target employers use and add others one at a time.
See the course ↓Then pick by your situation
Choose the next course by the problem in front of you, not by its place in the list.
If you want a recognised vocabulary and a structured syllabus for testing
take ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (getting started)
If you already write Python and want to write your first tests
take pytest: Get Started (getting started)
If you want a first browser test running today
take Playwright: Installation (getting started)
Free path or paid path?
9 of the 10 courses and tutorials can be read or taken without paying, so you can build most of the skill at no cost. Check each certification page for exam fees.
- Test Automation University
- pytest: Get Started
- Playwright: Installation
- The Selenium Browser Automation Project: Documentation
- Why Cypress?
- Understanding GitHub Actions
- Grafana k6: Get started
- OWASP Web Security Testing Guide
- Appium Documentation
Paid courses earn their place when you need structure, deadlines or feedback. Check what the provider says is included before you commit.
Course or certification?
Certifications are one signal in testing, next to a public repository of well-built tests.
They help most when:
- You are changing careers and want a shared vocabulary for the field
- Your target employers name ISTQB in their requirements
- You are moving toward designing automation frameworks
Take the Foundation level first. The Advanced Test Automation Engineering exam requires it, plus practical experience.
Check it against what QA Engineer postings ask for
These skills come from our analysis of live QA Engineer job postings. Each links to the learning resources we list for it.
Each step on the scale reflects how often live job postings name the skill, tool or credential, based on our analysis of those postings.
Judge any course before you commit
Who runs it
Prefer courses from the people who build or govern the tool. They tend to stay current, and an exam from a tool’s own maker is the clearest credential for that tool.
Hands-on or watch-only
In this field you learn by running things. Choose material where you build a pipeline, a cluster or a dashboard over material you only watch.
How current it is
Tools change fast. Look for a version or last-updated date on the provider’s page, and check anything several years old against the current docs.
What you will be able to show
Ask what you will have at the end: a working repository, a deployed service or a passed exam. If it is only a certificate of completion, pair it with a project of your own.
Getting started
Test vocabulary, a first automated test in Python and a first browser test. Short, free and hands-on.
What you will learn
- Video courses with transcripts and quizzes
- Example: Playwright and agentic AI test frameworks
- Example: behaviour-driven development with Reqnroll
- Example: Salesforce QA and custom MCP servers for quality engineering
Good for
Picking short courses on the exact tool you are learning, one at a time.
Also stated by the provider
- Individual courses run from 43 minutes to 6 hours 14 minutes
- The site says certificates are offered
- Certification
ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL v4.0)
ISTQB
- Exam: 40 questions, 60 minutes
What you will learn
- Fundamentals of testing
- Testing throughout the software development lifecycle
- Static testing and reviews
- Test analysis and design techniques
- Managing test activities and defects
- Tool support and test automation
Good for
A shared vocabulary for testing, and a structured syllabus if you are new to the field.
Also stated by the provider
- The syllabus version stated is 4.0
- Candidates sitting in a non-native language get a quarter more time
What you will learn
- Install pytest
- Create and run your first tests
- Assert that an exception is raised
- Group tests in a class
- Compare floating-point values
- Use temporary directories in tests
Good for
The first hour of writing automated tests in Python.
What you will learn
- Install Playwright
- See what the installer adds
- Run the example test
- Open the HTML test report
Good for
Getting a first browser test running in minutes, before you read the rest of the docs.
Also stated by the provider
- This page uses the TypeScript and JavaScript flavour
Doing the job
The main automation tools, running tests in CI, and the checks around them: load, security and mobile.
- Course
Software Testing and Automation Specialization
University of Minnesota (on Coursera)
- 2 months to complete, as the page states
What you will learn
- Introduction to software testing
- Black-box and white-box testing
- Automated analysis
- Web and mobile testing with Selenium
Good for
Developers who want a university-level grounding in test techniques, with some tool practice.
Also stated by the provider
- Intermediate level
- Written for beginning to intermediate software developers
- Includes a certificate; financial aid is available
- Hands-on tutorialFree to learn
The Selenium Browser Automation Project: Documentation
Selenium
View course →What you will learn
- WebDriver and Selenium Manager
- Grid for running tests at scale
- Selenium IDE
- Test practices
Good for
Employers whose test suites already run on Selenium.
Also stated by the provider
- Works with Java, Python, C#, Ruby, JavaScript and Kotlin
- The source code is freely available
What you will learn
- End-to-end, component and accessibility testing
- How Cypress grows with your team
- Key differences from other tools
- Getting started
Good for
Deciding whether Cypress fits your team before you invest in it.
What you will learn
- Workflows and events
- Jobs and actions
- Runners
Good for
Running your test suite on every pull request once it works locally.
What you will learn
- Write your first load test
- Run k6
- Read the results output
- Further k6 resources
Good for
A first look at performance testing once your functional tests are stable.
What you will learn
- A guide to testing the security of web applications
- Published as an open project with versioned releases
Good for
Adding security checks to your testing once your functional and API tests are in place.
Also stated by the provider
- The page states version 4.2
- Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0
- The page says all resources are free and open to everyone
What you will learn
- Introduction and quickstart
- The Appium ecosystem
- Reference documentation and guides
Good for
Testing mobile apps, with the same approach extending to browsers, desktop and TV platforms.
Also stated by the provider
- An open-source project
- Platforms listed: iOS, Android, Tizen, major browsers, macOS, Windows and several TV systems
Senior and leading
The advanced ISTQB credential for people who design test automation, not just write tests.
- Certification
ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level, Test Automation Engineering (CTAL-TAE v2.0)
ISTQB
- Exam: 40 questions, 90 minutes
What you will learn
- Preparing for test automation
- Test automation architecture
- Implementing and deploying test automation
- Reporting and metrics
- Verifying the automation solution
- Continuous improvement
Good for
When you design frameworks and want a recognised credential for test automation architecture.
Also stated by the provider
- Requires the Foundation Level certificate (v4.0 or an earlier version) and practical experience
Details such as hours, format and whether material is free are as the providers state them on October 7, 2026, and can change. Confirm on the provider’s page before you commit. See our disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
Which course should a QA Engineer take first?
Test Automation University, from Applitools. It is free and made of short courses on specific tools, so you can start with the one your target employers use and add others one at a time.
Can a QA Engineer learn this for free?
Largely, yes. 9 of the 10 courses and tutorials here can be read or taken without paying (Test Automation University, pytest: Get Started, Playwright: Installation, The Selenium Browser Automation Project: Documentation and more). Check each certification page for exam fees: not every page states one.
Do I need a certification to work as a QA Engineer?
Certifications are one signal in testing, next to a public repository of well-built tests. They help most in these cases: (1) you are changing careers and want a shared vocabulary for the field; (2) your target employers name ISTQB in their requirements; (3) you are moving toward designing automation frameworks. Take the Foundation level first. The Advanced Test Automation Engineering exam requires it, plus practical experience.
How was this list put together?
We opened each course, tutorial and certification page on October 7, 2026 and wrote down only what the page states: who runs it, what it covers, hours and exam format where given, and whether the material is free to read. We do not show prices, ratings or enrolment figures. Details can change, so confirm on the provider’s page before you commit.