Sample Exam from ISTQB.org Flashcards
Which one of the following is the BEST description of a test condition?
a) An attribute of a component or system specified or implied by requirements
documentation.
b) An aspect of the test basis that is relevant to achieve specific test objectives.
c) The capability of the software product to provide functions which meet stated and
implied needs when the software is used under specified conditions.
d) The percentage of all single condition outcomes that independently affect a decision
outcome that have been exercised by a test case suite.
a) Not correct – Definition of feature according to Glossary.
b) Correct – From Glossary.
c) Not correct – Definition of functionality according to Glossary.
d) Not correct – Definition of modified condition decision coverage according to Glossary
Which of the following statements is a valid objective for testing?
a) To determine whether enough component tests were executed within system testing.
b) To find as many failures as possible so that defects can be identified and corrected.
c) To prove that all possible defects are identified.
d) To prove that any remaining defects will not cause any failures.
Justification
a) Not correct – Component testing is not part of System testing.
b) Correct – Syllabus 1.1.1
c) Not correct – Principle #1 states that exhaustive testing is impossible, so one can
never prove that all defects were identified.
d) Not correct – To make an assessment whether a defect will cause a failure or not, one
has to detect the defect first. Saying that no remaining defect will cause a failure,
implicitly means that all defects were found. This contradicts Principle #1.
Which of the following statements correctly describes the difference between testing and
debugging?
a) Testing identifies the source of defects; debugging analyzes the defects and proposes
prevention activities.
b) Testing shows failures caused by defects; debugging finds, analyzes, and removes the
causes of failures in the software.
c) Testing removes faults; debugging identifies the causes of failures.
d) Testing prevents the causes of failures; debugging removes the failures.
a) Not correct. Testing does not identify the source of defects.
b) Correct. Syllabus 1.1.2: Executing tests can show failures that are caused by defects
in the 8 software. Debugging is the development activity that finds, analyzes, and fixes
such defects.
c) Not correct. Testing does not remove faults.
d) Not correct. Testing does not directly prevent the causes of failures. Debugging does
not removes the failures, only the causes of failuresq
Which one of the statements below describes a failure discovered during testing or in
production?
a) The product crashed when the user selected an option in a dialog box.
b) The wrong version of one source code file was included in the build.
c) The computation algorithm used the wrong input variables.
d) The developer misinterpreted the requirement for the algorithm.
a) Correct – A failure is an external manifestation of a defect. A crash is clearly
noticeable by the user.
b) Not correct – This is a defect, not a failure, since there is something wrong in the code.
It may not result in a failure, for example if the changes in the source code file are only
in comments.
c) Not correct – This is a defect, not a failure, as there is a flaw in the code implementing
the algorithm. If this computation is not used in a test or in production, a failure will not
occur.
d) Not correct – This is an error, not a failure. The misinterpretation of the requirement
may or may not lead to a defect in the impementation of the algorithm, which in turn
may or may not lead to a failure.
Which of the following statements CORRECTLY describes one of the seven key principles of
software testing?
a) By using automated testing it is possible to test everything.
b) With sufficient effort and tool support, exhaustive testing is feasible for all software.
c) It is impossible to test all input and precondition combinations in a system.
d) The purpose of testing is to prove the absence of defects
FL-1.3.1 (K2) Explain the seven testing principles
Justification
a) Not Correct – Exhaustive testing is impossible, regardless of it being manual or
automated.
b) Not Correct– Exhaustive testing is impossible, regardless of the amount of effort put
into testing.
c) Correct – Syllabus 1.3: Principle #2 says “Testing everything (all combinations of
inputs and preconditions) is not feasible except for trivial cases”.
d) Not Correct– This statement is contradicting Principle #1 says “Testing shows the
presence of defects: Testing can show that defects are present, but cannot prove that
there are no defects”.
In what way can testing be part of Quality assurance?
a) It ensures that requirements are detailed enough.
b) It reduces the level of risk to the quality of the system.
c) It ensures that standards in the organization are followed.
d) It measures the quality of software in terms of number of executed test cases
FL-1.2.2 (K2) Describe the relationship between testing and quality assurance and give
examples of how testing contributes to higher quality
Justification
a) Not correct – This is Quality assurance but not testing.
b) Correct – Syllabus 1.2.2. Testing contributes to the achievement of quality in a variety
of ways.
c) Not correct – This is Quality assurance but not testing.
d) Not correct – The quality can not be measured by counting the number of executed
test cases without knowing the outcome
Which of the below tasks is performed during the test analysis activity of the test process?
a) Identifying any required infrastructure and tools.
b) Creating test suites from test scripts.
c) Analyzing lessons learned for process improvement.
d) Evaluating the test basis for testability.
FL-1.4.2 (K2) Describe the test activities and respective tasks within the test process
Justification
a) Not correct – this activity is performed during the Test design activity.
b) Not correct – this activity is performed during the Test implementation activity.
c) Not correct – this activity is performed during the Test completion activity.
d) Correct – this activity is performed during the Test analysis activity. Syllabus 1.4.2.
Differentiate the following test work products,1-4, by mapping them to the right description, AD. 1. Test suite. 2. Test case. 3. Test script. 4. Test charter. A. A group of test scripts or test execution schedule. B. A set of instructions for the automated execution of test procedures. C. Contains expected results. D. An event that could be verified. a) 1A, 2C, 3B, 4D. b) 1D, 2B, 3A, 4C. c) 1A, 2C, 3D, 4B. d) 1D, 2C, 3B, 4A.
Test suite: Syllabus 1.4.3 for Test implementation:
Test implementation work products also include test suites, which are groups of test scripts,
as well as a test execution schedule. (1A).
Test case: Glossary, A set of input values, execution preconditions, expected results and
execution postconditions…. (2C).
Test script: Glossary test script, A set of instructions for the automated execution of test
procedures (3B).
Test charter: Glossary, A statement of test objectives, and possibly test ideas about how to
test. Test charters are used in exploratory testing. (4D).
Thus:
a) Correct
b) Not correct
c) Not correct
d) Not correct
How can white-box testing be applied during acceptance testing?
a) To check if large volumes of data can be transferred between integrated systems.
b) To check if all code statements and code decision paths have been executed.
c) To check if all work process flows have been covered.
d) To cover all web page navigations.
a) Not correct – Relevant for integration testing.
b) Not correct – Relevant for component testing.
c) Correct – Syllabus 2.3.5: For acceptance testing, tests are designed to cover all
supported financial data file structures and value ranges for bank-to-bank transfers.
d) Not correct – Relevant for system testing.
Which of the following statements comparing component testing and system testing is TRUE?
a) Component testing verifies the functionality of software modules, program objects, and
classes that are separately testable, whereas system testing verifies interfaces
between components and interactions between different parts of the system.
b) Test cases for component testing are usually derived from component specifications,
design specifications, or data models, whereas test cases for system testing are
usually derived from requirement specifications, or use cases.
c) Component testing only focuses on functional characteristics, whereas system testing
focuses on functional and non-functional characteristics.
d) Component testing is the responsibility of the testers, whereas system testing typically
is the responsibility of the users of the system.
a) Not correct – System testing does not test interfaces between components and
interactions between different parts of the system; this is a target of integration tests.
b) Correct – Syllabus 2.2.1: Examples of work products that can be used as a test basis
for component testing include: detailed design, code, data model, component
specifications.
Syllabus 2.2.3: Examples of work products for system testing include: System and
software requirement specifications (functional and non-functional), …,.. use cases.
c) Not correct – Component testing does not ONLY focus on functional characteristics.
d) Not correct – Component testing typically is the responsibility of the developers,
whereas system testing typically is the responsibility of testers.
Which one of the following is TRUE?
a) The purpose of regression testing is to check if the correction has been successfully
implemented, while the purpose of confirmation testing is to confirm that the correction
has no side effects.
b) The purpose of regression testing is to detect unintended side effects, while the
purpose of confirmation testing is to check if the system is still working in a new
environment.
c) The purpose of regression testing is to detect unintended side effects, while the
purpose of confirmation testing is to check if the original defect has been fixed.
d) The purpose of regression testing is to check if the new functionality is working, while
the purpose of confirmation testing is to check if the originally defect has been fixed.
a) Not correct – Confirmation testing does not check successful implementation and
confirmation testing does not check for side effects.
b) Not correct– The statement about confirmation testing should be about regression
testing.
c) Correct – Syllabus 2.3.4
d) Not correct – Testing new functionality is not regression testing
Which one of the following is the BEST definition of an incremental development model?
a) Defining requirements, designing software and testing are done in a series with added
pieces.
b) A phase in the development process should begin when the previous phase is
complete.
c) Testing is viewed as a separate phase which takes place after development has been
completed.
d) Testing is added to development as an increment
a) Correct– Syllabus 2.1.1: Incremental development involves establishing requirements,
designing, building, and testing a system in pieces.
b) Not correct – This is a sequential model.
c) Not correct – This describes the Waterfall model.
d) Not correct – Testing alone is not an increment in the development.
Which of the following should NOT be a trigger for maintenance testing?
a) Decision to test the maintainability of the software.
b) Decision to test the system after migration to a new operating platform.
c) Decision to test if archived data is possible to be retrieved.
d) Decision to test after “hot fixes”.
a) Correct – this is maintainability testing, not maintenance testing.
b) Not correct – this is a trigger for maintenance testing, see the syllabus chapter 2.4.1:
Operational tests of the new environment as well as of the changed software.
c) Not correct – this a the trigger for maintenance testing, see the syllabus chapter 2.4.1:
Testing restore/retrieve procedures after archiving for long retention periods.
d) Not correct – this a the trigger for maintenance testing, see the syllabus chapter 2.4.1:
Reactive modification of a delivered software product to correct emergency defects
that have caused actual failures.
Which of the following options are roles in a formal review?
a) Developer, Moderator, Review leader, Reviewer, Tester.
b) Author, Moderator, Manager, Reviewer, Developer.
c) Author, Manager, Review leader, Reviewer, Designer.
d) Author, Moderator, Review leader, Reviewer, Scribe.
Justification
a) Not correct – Tester and developer are NOT roles as per Syllabus, section 3.2.2.
b) Not correct – Developer is NOT a role as per Syllabus, section 3.2.2.
c) Not correct – Designer is NOT a role as per Syllabus, section 3.2.2.
d) Correct –see Syllabus, section 3.2.2.
Which of the following describes the main activities of a formal review?
a) Initiation, backtracking, individual review, issue communication and analysis rework,
follow-up.
b) Planning, individual review, issue communication and analysis, rework, closure,
follow-up.
c) Planning, initiate review, individual review, issue communication and analysis, fixing
and reporting.
d) Individual review, issue communication and analysis, rework, closure, follow-up, root
cause analysis.
Justification
a) Not correct – See c) for the activities in the review process.
b) Not correct – See c) for the activities in the review process.
c) Correct – According to Syllabus chapter 3.2.1: planning, initiate review, individual
review, issue communication and analysis, fixing defects and report.
d) Not correct – See c) for the activities in the review process.