ISTQB - Chapter 4

Question 1

What is the purpose of a test technique?

Answer 1

To help in identifying test conditions, test cases, and test data.

Question 2

What is the basis for black-box test techniques?

Answer 2

Black-box test techniques are based on an analysis of the appropriate test basis (e.g., formal requirements documents, specifications, use cases, user stories, or business processes).

Question 3

What is the basis for white-box test techniques?

Answer 3

White-box test techniques are based on an analysis of the architecture, detailed design, internal structure, or the code of the test object.

Question 4

“Test cases may be used to detect gaps between the requirements and the implementation of the requirements, as well as deviations from the requirements.”
What test technique is this describing?

Answer 4

Black-box testing

Question 5

What is the basis for experience-based test techniques?

Answer 5

The knowledge and experience of testers, developers, users and other stakeholders.

Question 6

What kind of test technique is equivalence partitioning?

Answer 6

Black-box test technique

Question 7

What are valid values in equivalence partitioning?

Answer 7

Values that should be accepted by the component or system. An equivalence
partition containing valid values is called a “valid equivalence partition.”

Question 8

What are invalid values in equivalence partitioning?

Answer 8

Values that should be rejected by the component or system. An equivalence partition containing invalid values is called an “invalid equivalence partition.”

Question 9

How many equivalence partitions can a single value belong to?

Answer 9

Each value must belong to one and only one equivalence partition.

Question 10

Is it okay to combine invalid equivalence partitions when testing?

Answer 10

No, when invalid equivalence partitions are used in test cases, they should be tested individually, i.e., not combined with other invalid equivalence partitions, to ensure that failures are not masked.

Question 11

How would you achieve 100% coverage using equivalence partitioning?

Answer 11

Test cases must cover all identified partitions (including invalid partitions) by using a minimum of one value from each partition.

Question 12

What kind of test technique is boundary value analysis?

Answer 12

Black-box test technique

Question 13

What kind of equivalence partition can boundary value analysis be applied to?

Answer 13

BVA can only be used when the partition is ordered, consisting of numeric or sequential data.

Question 14

What are the boundary values of a partition?

Answer 14

The minimum and maximum values (or first and last values) of a partition are its boundary values.

Question 15

How is coverage measured for boundary value analysis?

Answer 15

Boundary coverage for a partition is measured as the percentage of boundary values tested (number of boundary values tested divided by the total number of identified boundary test values)

Question 16

What kind of test technique is decision table testing?

Answer 16

Black-box test technique

Question 17

What must the tester identify in order to create a decision table?

Answer 17

The tester identifies conditions (often inputs) and the resulting actions (often
outputs) of the system.

Question 18

What do columns typically represent in a decision table?

Answer 18

Each column corresponds to a decision rule: it defines a unique combination of
conditions which results in the execution of the actions associated with that rule.

Question 19

How can you decrease the number of test cases required when performing decision table testing?

Answer 19

Deleting columns that do not affect the outcome and columns containing impossible combinations of conditions.

Question 20

How is coverage measured for decision table testing?

Answer 20

Coverage is measured as the percentage of decision rules tested by at least one test case.

Question 21

What kind of test technique is state transition testing?

Answer 21

Black-box test technique

Question 22

What kind of applications is state transition testing commonly used for?

Answer 22

Menu-based applications

Question 23

How is coverage commonly measured in state transition testing?

Answer 23

Coverage is commonly measured as the percentage of identified states or transitions tested.

Question 24

What kind of test technique is use case testing?

Answer 24

Black-box test technique

Question 25

What are use cases?

Answer 25

Use cases are a way of designing interactions between actors (human users, external hardware, or other components or systems) and subjects (the component or system to which the use case is applied) in order to test software requirements.

Question 26

What are the typical variations in behaviour for a use case that tests should exercise?

Answer 26

Basic, exceptional or alternative, and error handling

Question 27

How is coverage measured in use case testing?

Answer 27

Coverage can be measured by the percentage of use case behaviours tested

Question 28

What is statement testing?

Answer 28

A white-box test technique that exercises the potential executable statements in the code.

Question 29

How is coverage measured in statement testing?

Answer 29

Coverage is measured as the percentage of total executable statements executed by the tests.

Question 30

What is decision testing?

Answer 30

A white-box test technique that exercises the decisions in the code.

Question 31

How is coverage measured in decision testing?

Answer 31

Coverage is measured as the percentage of total of decision outcomes executed by the tests.

Question 32

Why does decision testing provide more coverage than statement testing?

Answer 32

A decision point (e.g. IF or CASE statement) in the code is a single statement, meaning you may only need one case to exercise the statement but will need multiple cases to exercise all decision outcomes for that statement. Therefore, 100% statement coverage does not ensure 100% decision coverage, but 100% decision coverage does guarantee 100% statement coverage.

Question 33

What test level are code-related test techniques like statement and decision testing typically applied to?

Answer 33

Component testing

Question 34

What kind of test technique is error guessing?

Answer 34

Experience-based test technique

Question 35

How can you approach error guessing more methodically?

Answer 35

Create a list of possible errors, defects, and failures (based on experience, data, and common knowledge), and design tests that will expose those failures and the defects that caused them.

Question 36

What kind of test technique is exploratory testing?

Answer 36

Experience-based test technique

Question 37

How are tests executed during exploratory testing?

Answer 37

Tests are designed, executed, logged, and evaluated dynamically during test execution.

Question 38

How is session-based exploratory testing conducted?

Answer 38

In session-based testing, exploratory testing is conducted within a defined time-box, and the tester uses a test charter containing test objectives to guide the testing.

Question 39

When is exploratory testing most useful?

Answer 39

When there are few or inadequate specifications or significant time pressure on testing.

Question 40

What is checklist-based testing?

Answer 40

An experience-based test technique where testers design, implement, and execute tests to cover test conditions found in a checklist.

Question 41

How are checklists typically built for checklist-based testing?

Answer 41

Such checklists can be built based on experience, knowledge about what is important for the user, or an understanding of why and how software fails.

Question 42

How can checklists help with testing in the absence of detailed test cases?

Answer 42

Checklist-based testing can provide guidelines and a degree of consistency. As these are high-level lists, some variability in the actual testing is likely to occur, resulting in potentially greater coverage but less repeatability.