Not every gap in your testing background calls for another full certification.
Sometimes the problem is much simpler.
You need to get better at API testing. Or automation. Or performance testing. Maybe your team has started building AI features and you need to understand what changes when you test them.
A micro-credential is meant for that kind of situation.
AT*SQA offers software testing micro-credentials in a number of focused areas. You can earn one because that is the skill you need now. If you later decide to go further, many of those credentials also count toward a full AT*SQA certification.
What is a software testing micro-credential?
A micro-credential covers a smaller body of knowledge than a traditional certification.
That is the point.
If performance testing has become part of your job, you can focus on performance testing. You do not have to choose a much larger certification simply because that is how credentials have traditionally been packaged.
The same idea applies to API testing, cybersecurity, Agile, test automation, AI and other areas.
For someone already working in QA, that can be a practical way to fill a specific knowledge gap and have a credential showing that the knowledge was assessed.
Micro-credentials are gaining weight with employers
The move toward skills-based hiring is giving focused credentials more value.
Coursera’s 2026 Micro-Credentials Impact Report found that 98% of employers surveyed use skills-based hiring in some form for entry-level roles, with 86% saying they use it extensively. The same research found that 95% said micro-credentials are a key differentiator between candidates, while 87% rated them as highly important in hiring decisions.
That fits the basic idea behind a micro-credential: learn a specific skill and have something concrete showing that you have been assessed on it.
For software testers, that could mean adding evidence of knowledge in API testing, AI, automation, performance testing, cybersecurity or another area that has become important to the job.
A focused credential can make that new skill easier for an employer to recognize.
What kinds of software testing micro-credentials are available?
AT*SQA currently offers micro-credentials across a broad mix of software testing topics.
They include areas such as:
- Test approaches
- Testing techniques
- DevOps testing
- IoT and mobile testing
- Performance testing
- Usability testing
- Cybersecurity testing
- Test automation
- Agile testing
- API testing
- AI for testers
- Testing using the cloud
Some of the larger subjects are divided into several micro-credentials rather than squeezed into one.
API testing, test automation and AI are good examples.
API testing is split into three parts
The AT*SQA API Testing path includes:
- API Testing: Introduction and Testing Planning and Design
- API Testing: REST API, gRPC, and graphQL
- API Testing: Environments, Tools, and Future Proofing
That makes more sense than treating API testing as simply learning how to send requests in a tool.
There is planning, test design, protocols, environments, tools and long-term maintainability to consider.
Complete all three micro-credentials and they form the AT*SQA API Testing Certification.
Test automation is broader than one tool
The Test Automation path includes:
- Test Automation Overview
- Test Automation Implementation
- Test Automation Tools and Solutions
- Test Automation Transitions
This keeps the emphasis on automation knowledge rather than one particular automation product.
Complete all four and they form the AT*SQA Test Automation Certification.
AI is broken into four different testing areas
AT*SQA’s AI for Testers path includes:
- AI Introduction for Testers
- What to Test in AI-Based Systems
- How to Test AI-Based Systems
- Testing Using AI
Those are not four names for the same thing.
Understanding AI is one skill.
Knowing what needs to be tested in an AI-based product is another.
Figuring out how to test AI-based behavior is different again.
And using AI to help with software testing is its own subject.
Complete all four and they form the AT*SQA AI for Testers Certification.
Many micro-credentials stack into full certifications
This is one of the more useful parts of AT*SQA’s approach.
The credentials are not simply a collection of unrelated badges.
AT*SQA currently has five AT*SkillStack certification paths.
Testing Essentials
Eight micro-credentials make up this path:
- Test Approaches
- Testing Techniques
- DevOps Testing
- Testing for IoT and Mobile
- Performance Testing
- Usability Testing
- Cybersecurity Testing
- Test Automation Overview
Complete all eight and you can earn the AT*SQA Testing Essentials Certification.
Agile Testing
The Agile Testing stack consists of:
- Agile Software Testing Methodologies
- Agile Implementation
- Making Agile Work
- Test Approaches
Complete all four and you can earn the AT*SQA Agile Testing Certification.
API Testing
The three API Testing micro-credentials together lead to the AT*SQA API Testing Certification.
Test Automation
The four Test Automation micro-credentials lead to the AT*SQA Test Automation Certification.
AI for Testers
The four AI for Testers micro-credentials lead to the AT*SQA AI for Testers Certification.
AT*SQA allows the micro-credentials within a stack to be completed in any order.
How many AT*SQA micro-credentials are stackable?
Counting each credential only once, 21 current AT*SQA micro-credentials are part of at least one of the five certification stacks.
If you add the five stack sizes together, you get 23. The difference comes from two credentials that are used in more than one stack.
Test Approaches appears in both Testing Essentials and Agile Testing.
Test Automation Overview appears in both Testing Essentials and Test Automation.
AT*SQA also offers Testing Using the Cloud as a separate micro-credential.
This overlap can work in your favor. A credential you earn for one purpose may already satisfy part of another certification path.
You can stop after one
Stacking does not mean you have to complete an entire stack.
Suppose performance testing becomes more important on your project.
You study it, earn the Performance Testing micro-credential and use what you learned.
That may be enough.
If you later decide the Testing Essentials Certification would be useful, the Performance Testing credential you already earned is one of the required pieces.
You are not starting over.
That is one of the practical advantages of a stackable credential model.
AT*Learn gives you a training option
AT*SQA provides study materials for people who prefer to prepare on their own.
It also offers paid online training through AT*Learn.
Current AT*Learn training covers:
- Testing Essentials
- Agile Testing
- API Testing
- Test Automation
- AI for Testers
Training is optional.
If you already know much of the subject, self-study may be all you need. If you are entering an area for the first time, structured training may make more sense.
How do micro-credentials fit with ISTQB?
They do not have to replace ISTQB.
ISTQB is an established software testing certification system. It makes sense when an employer asks for it, when you want broader testing coverage, or when you plan to continue through the ISTQB certification path.
Micro-credentials solve a somewhat different problem.
Someone who already holds ISTQB Foundation Level might later add API testing, AI, performance or automation credentials because those are the areas that have become relevant at work.
That can be a sensible combination.
A broad foundation plus focused skills can tell an employer more about what you know today than simply collecting credentials that have no obvious connection to your work.
A credential should support what you can actually do
If you earn an API credential, you should be able to explain how you would test an API.
If you earn an automation credential, you should be able to explain what you would automate and what you would leave manual.
If you earn an AI testing credential, you should be able to discuss the testing problems that come with AI-based systems.
That is where the credential becomes useful.
It shows that you have been assessed on a defined body of knowledge. Your experience and examples show how you use that knowledge.
What should you learn next?
Look at your current work.
What are you avoiding because you do not understand it well enough?
What keeps getting handed to someone else?
What skills keep appearing in the job descriptions you want?
That is probably a better clue than asking which certification is most popular.
If the gap is specific, one micro-credential may be enough.
If the subject becomes a larger part of your work, that first credential may eventually become part of a full certification.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a software testing micro-credential?
A software testing micro-credential is a focused credential covering a smaller body of testing knowledge than a broader certification.
How many AT*SQA micro-credentials stack into certifications?
Twenty-one distinct AT*SQA micro-credentials currently contribute to at least one of five certification stacks.
Which AT*SQA certifications can be earned by stacking micro-credentials?
The current stackable certifications are Testing Essentials, Agile Testing, API Testing, Test Automation and AI for Testers.
Do the micro-credentials have to be earned in order?
No. AT*SQA allows the credentials within a stack to be completed in any order.
Is training required?
No. AT*SQA provides materials for self-study. AT*Learn is an optional training route.
Are micro-credentials an alternative to ISTQB?
They can be when you need a narrower credential, but they serve a different purpose from a broader ISTQB certification. Many testers may find value in having both.