ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which software testing technique derives test cases by identifying equivalence classes of input data that the program treats the same way?
- Boundary value analysis
- Equivalence partitioning (Correct answer)
- Decision table testing
- State transition testing
Correct answer: Equivalence partitioning
Equivalence partitioning divides input data into classes where the program behaves identically, reducing the number of test cases needed while maintaining coverage.
Question 2: In software quality management, what is the primary purpose of a Software Quality Assurance (SQA) audit?
- To find and fix defects in the software product
- To verify that software development processes comply with defined plans and standards (Correct answer)
- To measure software performance under load conditions
- To approve the final software release for deployment
Correct answer: To verify that software development processes comply with defined plans and standards
SQA audits verify process compliance against defined plans, standards, and procedures rather than evaluating the product itself.
Question 3: Which metric measures the number of defects found after software release compared to those found during testing?
- Defect density
- Defect removal efficiency (DRE) (Correct answer)
- Mean time to failure (MTTF)
- Cyclomatic complexity
Correct answer: Defect removal efficiency (DRE)
Defect Removal Efficiency (DRE) = defects found before release / (defects before release + defects after release), measuring how effectively testing caught defects.
Question 4: According to IEEE standards, what distinguishes a 'fault' from a 'failure' in software quality terminology?
- A fault is observed by the user; a failure is identified by testers
- A fault is a defect in the code; a failure is the manifestation of that defect during execution (Correct answer)
- A fault occurs in hardware; a failure occurs in software
- A fault is minor; a failure is a critical defect
Correct answer: A fault is a defect in the code; a failure is the manifestation of that defect during execution
IEEE defines a fault as a static defect in the code, while a failure is the externally observable incorrect behavior that results when a fault is executed.
Question 5: What is the main goal of software configuration management (SCM)?
- To schedule software releases and updates
- To identify, control, and track changes to software work products throughout their lifecycle (Correct answer)
- To configure server environments for software deployment
- To manage software licensing and compliance
Correct answer: To identify, control, and track changes to software work products throughout their lifecycle
SCM establishes and maintains the integrity of products by identifying configuration items, controlling changes, recording status, and auditing configurations.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'static analysis' in software quality engineering?
- Testing software under steady-state load conditions
- Examining software artifacts without executing the code (Correct answer)
- Analyzing defect trends over time using statistical models
- Measuring system performance at a fixed point in time
Correct answer: Examining software artifacts without executing the code
Static analysis reviews code, design documents, or requirements without executing the software, including techniques like code reviews, inspections, and automated tool analysis.
Question 7: In the context of the ASQ CSQE exam, what does 'software reliability' specifically measure?
- The probability that software will perform its intended function without failure for a specified time under stated conditions (Correct answer)
- The percentage of test cases that pass during regression testing
- The number of defects per thousand lines of code
- The speed at which software recovers from a crash
Correct answer: The probability that software will perform its intended function without failure for a specified time under stated conditions
Software reliability is formally defined as the probability of failure-free operation for a specified time period in a specified environment.
ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer 2
Which software testing technique derives test cases by identifying equivalence classes of input data that the program treats the same way?