Test Principles and Concepts

CSTE Body of Knowledge

Category II: Test Skills/Approaches
Domain 5: Testing Principles and
Concepts
Testing Principles and Concepts

• Definition of Test Specifications

• Testing Techniques (Not covered)
• Testing Methods (Not covered)
• Independent Testing (Not covered)
• Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS)
Software (Not covered)
Testing Principles and Concepts

• Testing Code Developed Under Outside

Contract (Not covered)
• Test Quality (Not covered)
• Testing Life Cycle (Not covered)
• Vocabulary
Definition of Test Specifications

• Establishing test objectives

• Purpose
• Approaches
• Pass/fail criteria
• Entrance/exit criteria
 Establishing Test Objectives

• “The process of exercising software to

verify that it satisfies specified
requirements and to detect errors” Glossary
of The British Computer Society Specialist Interest Group in
Software Testing
 Establishing Test Objectives

• Factors for determining objectives

– Nature of application
– Code Coverage
– Technology
– Platform
– User Requirements
– Government Regulations
 Establishing Test Objectives
Examples

• To obtain a 85% passing rate on all

assigned tests cases
• To ensure software is compliant with
current HIPPA code
• To verify database access time is reduced
by 35%
 Purpose of Testing

• “The purpose of testing is to discover

errors. Testing is the process of trying to
discover every conceivable fault or
weakness in a work product.” The Art of Software
Testing, Glenford Myer

• “The purpose of testing is to ensure the

customers spoken and unspoken
expectations are met.” Mark Curtiss, VeriTest
 Purpose of Testing

• Detect the existence of defects

• Ensure functionality and usability
• Increase customer satisfaction
• Reduce legal liability
• Ensure compliance with government
regulations
 Purpose of Testing
Examples

• To reduce support calls on new product

releases by 25% over previous years
• Find and fix all critical defects prior to
release
• Verify boundary conditions are not
exceeded on a given field
 Testing Approaches

• Black-box testing
• White-box testing
• Regression testing
• Stress testing
• Load testing
• Configuration testing
 Pass / Fail Criteria

• Ensure textbox will not recognize numbers

• Ensure Next button will take user to the
next page
• Ensure all components are removed after
an Uninstall
 Entrance / Exit Criteria

• Vendor Validation testing has been

completed without any failures
• All tests have been run successfully
• Code Complete has been reached
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• What is COTS?
– Commerical off-the shelf software (shrink-
wrapped)
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• The purpose of software testing is to :
a) Demonstrate that the application works
properly
b) Detect the existence of defects
c) Validate the logical design
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• The purpose of software testing is to :
a) Demonstrate that the application works
properly
b) Detect the existence of defects
c) Validate the logical design
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• For black-box testing:
a) The tester is completely unconcerned about
the internal behavior of the program
b) The tester is concerned with finding
circumstances in which the program does
not behave according to specifications
c) Test data is derived solely from
specifications
d) All the above
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• For black-box testing:
a) The tester is completely unconcerned about
the internal behavior of the program
b) The tester is concerned with finding
circumstances in which the program does
not behave according to specifications
c) Test data is derived solely from
specifications
d) All the above
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• Boundary value testing:
a) Is the same as equivalence partitioning tests
b) Test boundary conditions on, above, and
below the edges of input and output
equivalence classes
c) Tests combinations of input circumstances
d) Is used in white-box testing strategy
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• Boundary value testing:
a) Is the same as equivalence partitioning tests
b) Test boundary conditions on, above, and
below the edges of input and output
equivalence classes
c) Tests combinations of input circumstances
d) Is used in white-box testing strategy
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• Decision/branch coverage strategy:
a) Always satisfies statement coverage
b) Is used in black-box testing
c) Means that every branch direction is
traversed at least once
d) Is the same as condition coverage
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• Decision/branch coverage strategy:
a) Always satisfies statement coverage
b) Is used in black-box testing
c) Means that every branch direction is
traversed at least once
d) Is the same as condition coverage
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• Acceptance testing means:
a) Testing performed on a single stand-alone
module or unit of code
b) Testing after changes have been made to
ensure that no unwanted changes were
introduced
c) Testing to ensure that the system meets the
needs of the organization and the end user
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• Acceptance testing means:
a) Testing performed on a single stand-alone
module or unit of code
b) Testing after changes have been made to
ensure that no unwanted changes were
introduced
c) Testing to ensure that the system meets the
needs of the organization and the end user
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• Joe is performing a test to see that it complies
with the user requirements that a certain field
be populated by using a dropdown box
containing a list of values. Joe is performing:
a) White-box testing
b) Black-box testing
c) Load testing
d) Regression testing
 Sample Exam Questions
Critical Skills Questions
• Joe is performing a test to see that it complies
with the user requirements that a certain field
be populated by using a dropdown box
containing a list of values. Joe is performing:
a) White-box testing
b) Black-box testing
c) Load testing
d) Regression testing