ISTQB - International Software Testing Qualifications Board Experience-Based Testing Techniques Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A tester is tasked with evaluating a new e-commerce feature with very limited and incomplete specification documents. The tester decides to simultaneously learn about the application, design tests, execute them, and log the results, adapting their approach based on what they discover. Which experience-based technique is being used?
- Checklist-based testing
- Error guessing
- Exploratory testing (Correct answer)
- Fault attack
Correct answer: Exploratory testing
Exploratory testing is an approach where the tester simultaneously learns, designs, and executes tests. This is particularly useful when documentation is poor or missing, as the tester's findings guide the subsequent testing efforts dynamically.
Question 2: Which of the following is the PRIMARY input for the error guessing technique?
- Detailed requirements specifications
- The tester's knowledge and intuition (Correct answer)
- A predefined list of quality characteristics
- Formal use case diagrams
Correct answer: The tester's knowledge and intuition
Error guessing fundamentally relies on the tester's skill, intuition, and experience with similar applications to anticipate where defects might occur. This experience could include knowledge of common programming errors, how the application has failed in the past, or typical failure points in similar systems.
Question 3: A team wants to bring more structure and accountability to their exploratory testing efforts. They decide to use time-boxed periods of testing, each with a specific mission defined in a charter. What is this structured approach to exploratory testing called?
- Ad-hoc testing
- Checklist-based testing
- Error guessing
- Session-based testing (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Session-based testing
Session-based testing is a method used to structure exploratory testing. It involves using time-boxed sessions (typically 60-90 minutes), each guided by a charter that defines the mission or goal for that specific testing period, which makes the process more manageable and measurable.
Question 4: A senior tester is creating a set of high-level test conditions to verify that a new software release adheres to established usability standards. These conditions are formulated as a series of questions to be checked during testing. Which experience-based technique does this scenario describe?
- Exploratory testing
- Checklist-based testing (Correct answer)
- Decision table testing
- Error guessing
Correct answer: Checklist-based testing
In checklist-based testing, testers design and execute tests to cover conditions from a prepared checklist. This checklist can be based on experience, knowledge of user needs, or an understanding of how software fails. It provides guidelines and a degree of consistency, especially when detailed test cases are absent.
Question 5: In which of the following situations would experience-based testing techniques be MOST appropriately used as the main approach?
- When testing a safety-critical system that requires 100% statement and decision coverage.
- When the project has comprehensive, formal, and up-to-date specification documents.
- When there is severe time pressure and the requirements documentation is inadequate or missing. (Correct answer)
- When the testing team consists entirely of junior testers with no domain experience.
Correct answer: When there is severe time pressure and the requirements documentation is inadequate or missing.
Experience-based techniques are particularly valuable when specifications are missing or inadequate and when there are significant time constraints. Techniques like exploratory testing and error guessing allow experienced testers to leverage their knowledge to find defects efficiently without relying on detailed formal documentation.
Question 6: A tester suspects that a specific module is prone to defects related to handling invalid inputs, based on issues found in previous versions of the software. The tester decides to create a list of potential failures, such as buffer overflows and division by zero, and design specific tests to trigger them. This systematic approach is an example of:
- Exploratory testing
- Checklist-based testing
- Fault attack (Correct answer)
- State transition testing
Correct answer: Fault attack
A fault attack is a systematic approach to error guessing. It involves creating a list of potential defects, failures, and errors based on experience and data, and then designing tests specifically to target and uncover these faults. This is a more structured application of the error guessing technique.
ISTQB - International Software Testing Qualifications Board Experience-Based Testing Techniques Questions and Answers
A tester is tasked with evaluating a new e-commerce feature with very limited and incomplete specification documents.
The tester decides to simultaneously learn about the application, design tests, execute them, and log the results, adapting their approach based on what they discover.
Which experience-based technique is being used?