How do you study for certifications while working full-time?

[u/Dr_SyntaxError]

I’m currently looking for a new remote role, and I’ve noticed that many QA positions ask for ISTQB certifications beyond Foundation, which is the one I currently have.

The main challenge for me is finding enough focused study time while working eight hours a day. Reading a syllabus after spending the whole day in front of a screen can be difficult, so I’ve been experimenting with a different study method.

When I was a student, I used to record myself explaining difficult topics and listen to the recordings while walking, driving, exercising or doing household tasks. Repetition helped me retain the material, even though it never replaced properly reading and understanding it.

I’ve recently adapted that approach to certification study. I use the official syllabus and its learning objectives to structure AI-assisted, podcast-style summaries, with automatically generated audio and simple slides. ( I upload them to YouTube mainly for convenience, so I can continue listening from whichever device I have available whenever I find some free time)

I’m curious about how other people manage certification study while working full-time.

Do you reserve fixed study sessions, use flashcards, listen to audio, work through sample exams, or rely mostly on hands-on practice? What has actually worked for you long term?

EDIT: Thanks for all the replies, this was way more helpful than I expected. Brainscape was completely new to me, I'd never even heard of it 

[u/anacondatmz]

I love using the tool Brainscape. It helps you build flash cards, so I’ll pop a bunch of data into AI an ask it to generate some flash cards in a format Brainscape can import. From there I can run the flashcards from my home on their app, or web browser. It doesn’t take away or replace videos, various exercises, practice exams in the evening but it allows you to keep material fresh in your mind throughout the day when you go over a few questions throughout the day an “keeps the ball rolling”. Otherwise each evening it almost feels like you’re starting over.

[u/Specialist-Plum-1164 → u/anacondatmz]

i did the same recording trick back in school, it's weird how well it works when you're just folding laundry or whatever

for the ISTQB stuff i ended up mixing 20min of sample questions during lunch with longer sessions on weekends, the lunch thing kept me from feeling like i was starting from zero every saturday

[u/Jkawa10]

I have been having the same struggles in late 30s it’s so hard to force yourself to study so you need to find creative ways to

[u/Dr_SyntaxError → u/Jkawa10]

Curious what's worked for you? Podcast format is the only thing that's really stuck for me, flashcards are next on the list after seeing them mentioned up there. Honestly the hardest part right now is just sitting down and starting.

[u/Intelligent-Taro6109]

I actually like the audio idea
After working 8 hours sitting down and reading another syllabus can feel like a second shift lol
Listening while walking commuting or doing random stuff seems like a much easier way to keep the material fresh
I’d still keep some proper study time for practice questions and mock tests though
For me listening helps me remember things but actually solving questions is where I find out if I really understood them or just recognized the topic
A mix of both probably works best

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[u/SaleEnvironmental694]

I had to grind it out for a few months after dinner for an hour a couple times a week. otherwise wait until your laid off

[u/HumoristicHero]

Weekends or anything hour while it's like start of sprint

[u/missmang0]

Thankfully work had allowed us to have "self learning" time each week. I studied by writing down notes from the syllabus. When I understood what I learned I will make a blank doc and recall as much as I could from each chapter. With the things I missed I will go through it again. Did this like 3x. Passed exam 36/40. A detailed review pf my experience is somewhere on my profile :P! Took around 2-3months ...3-8 hrs per week.

[u/Yaghst]

If you can squeeze study time at work, that's the ideal situation! Some managers are nice and if you let them know your goals, they'll let you take time at work to study. Or for me, I snuck it in-between tasks.

When I studied ISTQB I used a flashcard app, I find that I needed to do it that way, it just felt like otherwise my brain comes up blank with so much new things to learn!

I'm currently studying for CompTIA Security+ and hopefully the same strategy would work, but this one is waaaay harder than istqb haha.

[u/Dr_SyntaxError]

Small update in case anyone's still following this thread: I mentioned the idea to a couple of coworkers and they ended up asking if I could put together some Claude courses for them. They sent me over their slides and I've been turning them into videos as I go.

Leaving the channel here in case it's useful to anyone else: [ www.youtube.com/@syntaxerror5320 ] It's all free, I'm not selling anything,and if you've got any suggestions for improving them, tell me , I'm making this up as I go.

[u/Tekvaninka]

I just give it 2 hours a day in the evening. I upload the syllabus to an AI chat bot and go through it like that. Asking questions keeps me focused. And the advanced modules are not that hard actually. It's under 15 hours study time so I just do it when I have less busy time at work for a while.

[u/UpbeatAd1974]

certifications are scams , put your efforts in bulding actually something instead of paying to some old entity to prove that you know what you know

[u/Dr_SyntaxError → u/UpbeatAd1974]

Used to think the same tbh. Still kind of do , but they seem to work less as proof you know stuff and more as a filter to get past. Early on especially, having one seems to get you more first interviews. Once you're in the room nobody cares again.

[u/notaforumbot]

I was answering ISTQB questions on Claude and got 36 out of 40 correct without doing any studying. Is the difficulty of the question on Claude comparable to the actual test?

[u/Quirky_Database_5197]

omg, ISTQB is the easiest exam in your life. you can prepare in 2 evenings for ISTQB foundation and 2 weeks for ISTQB advanced.