ISTQB Mock Test - 8

Regression testing is likely to benefit most from the use of test tools providing test capture and replay facilities. Regression testing involves retesting previously tested functionality to ensure that any changes or fixes made to the system have not introduced new defects or caused existing functionality to fail. Test capture and replay tools allow testers to record test scenarios and then replay them, which can greatly speed up the regression testing process. By automating the execution of previously recorded tests, testers can focus on analyzing the results and identifying any regression issues, rather than spending time manually retesting the same functionality.

Early test design is important because it can prevent fault multiplication. This means that by designing tests early in the development process, potential faults or errors can be identified and addressed before they have the chance to multiply or spread throughout the system. This helps to ensure that the final product is of higher quality and reduces the likelihood of encountering numerous faults later on. It does not mean that all faults will be found or that inspections are not required, but rather emphasizes the importance of early test design in preventing the multiplication of faults.

In prioritizing what to test, the most important objective is to test high risk areas. This is because high risk areas are more likely to have critical defects that could have a significant impact on the system or business. By focusing on testing these areas first, it allows for early detection and resolution of potential issues that could pose a risk to the overall quality and functionality of the system. This approach helps in ensuring that the most critical aspects of the system are thoroughly tested and any potential faults are identified and addressed promptly.

The correct answer is "the required level of confidence has been achieved." This means that enough testing has been performed when the testers have reached a certain level of confidence in the quality and reliability of the system being tested. This level of confidence is usually determined based on predefined criteria and standards, and it ensures that the system meets the necessary requirements and is ready for deployment.

Testing is split into distinct stages primarily because each stage serves a different purpose. By dividing testing into stages, it becomes easier to focus on specific objectives and goals at each stage. This allows for a more systematic and organized approach to testing, ensuring that all necessary aspects are covered. Additionally, dividing testing into stages enables better management of the testing process, as it allows for better planning, resource allocation, and tracking of progress.

Integration testing in the small refers to testing the interactions between modules or subsystems. This type of testing focuses on verifying that the components that have been developed work together correctly and that there are no issues or errors in their interactions. It helps to identify any potential problems or conflicts between different parts of the system and ensures that they can communicate and function properly as a whole. This type of testing is essential to ensure the overall functionality and reliability of the system.

In a walkthrough, the author of the document or software leads the process, while in an inspection, a trained moderator takes charge. This means that in a walkthrough, the author has control and guides the participants through the document or software, providing explanations and clarifications as needed. On the other hand, in an inspection, the trained moderator leads the process, ensuring that the inspection is conducted effectively and efficiently, following established guidelines and procedures.

Reviews should be performed on specifications, code, and test plans. This statement is true because reviews are a systematic examination of a document or artifact to find defects, improve quality, and provide feedback. By performing reviews on specifications, code, and test plans, potential faults and errors can be identified and corrected early in the development process, leading to improved quality and efficiency.

To estimate the amount of re-testing likely to be required, one can use metrics from previous similar projects and have discussions with the development team. By analyzing data from past projects, one can determine the average amount of re-testing needed based on similarities in the current project. Additionally, having discussions with the development team can provide insights into the complexity and potential areas of concern that may require more re-testing. Therefore, options a and b are both valid approaches to estimate the amount of re-testing likely to be required.

A test plan outlines the scope, objectives, and approach for testing a software application. It typically includes details about the features to be tested, risks involved, and the schedule for testing activities. However, incident reports are not typically included in a test plan. Incident reports are documents that describe any issues, defects, or failures encountered during testing or after the software has been released. They are used to track and manage these incidents, but they are not a part of the initial test plan.

Code inspections are a valuable practice in software development as they allow for the code to be tested before the execution environment is ready. This means that potential issues and bugs can be identified and addressed early on, reducing the likelihood of encountering problems during actual execution. Code inspections can be performed by the person who wrote the code or by other experienced staff members, ensuring that multiple perspectives are considered. While code inspections may require some time and effort, they are a cost-effective way to improve code quality and overall software reliability.

The best source of expected outcomes for User Acceptance Test scripts is the User requirements. User requirements outline the specific functionalities and features that the system should possess to meet the needs and expectations of the end-users. These requirements serve as a guideline for creating test scripts and determining the expected outcomes. Program specification and system specification may provide additional information about the system, but the user requirements are the primary source for defining the expected outcomes. Actual results, on the other hand, are the outcomes observed during the testing process and cannot be used as a source for defining expected outcomes.

Boundary value analysis is a form of functional testing that involves testing the boundaries or limits of input values. It focuses on testing the behavior of the system at the edges of valid and invalid input values. By testing the minimum and maximum values, as well as values just below and above these boundaries, it helps identify any issues or errors that may occur at these critical points. This type of testing is important in ensuring the robustness and accuracy of the system's functionality.

Error guessing is a technique that complements formal test design techniques. It involves using the tester's experience, intuition, and domain knowledge to identify potential errors or defects in the system under test. While it can be used in various testing phases, such as component, integration, system, or user acceptance testing, it is not limited to any specific phase. Error guessing is a valuable approach to uncovering defects that may not be captured by formal test design techniques alone, making it an important tool in a tester's arsenal.

The correct answer is stating that faults are cheapest to find in the early development phases and the most expensive to fix in the latest test phases. This means that it is easier and less costly to identify and address faults during the early stages of development, such as requirements gathering and design. However, if faults are not detected and fixed during these early phases, they become more difficult and expensive to identify and rectify during the later stages, such as system testing.

Alpha testing is a type of pre-release testing where end user representatives test the software at the developer's site. This testing is done before the software is released to the public, allowing the developers to gather feedback and identify any issues or bugs that need to be addressed. It helps ensure that the software meets the requirements and expectations of the end users before it is officially released.

State transition testing is not considered a white box technique because it focuses on testing the behavior and functionality of a system based on its different states and transitions, without considering the internal structure or implementation details of the system. White box techniques, on the other hand, involve testing based on the internal structure, code, and logic of the system.

A valid Boundary Value Analysis test case for this system would be £33501. This is because it falls within the range of the third tax bracket, where any amount above £28000 is taxed at 40%. This test case helps to verify the accuracy of the system's calculations and handling of tax rates for higher income levels.

The requirement "The response time shall be less than one second for the specified design load" is testable because it can be objectively measured and verified. Testers can simulate the specified design load and measure the system's response time to determine if it meets the requirement. In contrast, the other requirements such as "The system shall be user friendly" or "The system shall be built to be portable" are subjective and cannot be easily quantified or objectively tested. The requirement about safety-critical parts containing 0 faults may be testable, but it depends on the feasibility of testing for faults in those parts.

The procedure consists of two main questions: "What type of ticket do you require, single or return?" and "What rate, Standard or Cheap-day?". The first question has two options (single or return), and the second question has two options (Standard or Cheap-day). In order to ensure that all combinations have occurred, we need to test each possible combination of answers. This can be achieved with 3 tests: one test for the combination of single and Standard, one test for the combination of single and Cheap-day, and one test for the combination of return and Cheap-day. Therefore, the minimum number of tests needed is 3.

Static analysis is the process of analyzing program code without executing it. It involves examining the code for potential errors, bugs, vulnerabilities, or compliance issues. This analysis is performed by specialized tools that can identify coding mistakes, security flaws, and other potential issues. By analyzing the program code, static analysis helps to ensure code quality, improve software reliability, and enhance overall software development process. It is different from reviewing test plans or using black box testing, as it focuses specifically on the analysis of program code itself.

Verification early in the life cycle refers to the process of checking and reviewing the requirements, design, and code before the actual testing phase begins. By identifying and fixing defects early on, it prevents these defects from propagating and multiplying throughout the development process. This helps in reducing the number of defects in the final product, leading to improved quality and lower costs.

End-users should not be involved in system tests. System tests are conducted to evaluate the system as a whole and ensure that it meets the specified requirements. Involving end-users in these tests can lead to biased results as they may focus on their specific needs and preferences rather than the overall functionality and performance of the system. It is more appropriate to involve end-users in user acceptance testing, which is conducted separately to validate that the system meets their specific requirements and expectations.

The statement "Incidents should always be fixed" is false. Incidents are unexpected events or deviations from expected results that occur during testing. While incidents should be identified, recorded, and analyzed, they do not always need to be fixed. Some incidents may be considered low priority or may not impact the overall functionality of the system. The decision to fix an incident depends on various factors such as the severity of the incident, the impact on the system, and the available resources.

The given statement "Incident resolution is the responsibility of the author of the software under test" is not true. Incident resolution is not solely the responsibility of the software author, but it is a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders such as testers, developers, and project managers. The responsibility for resolving incidents lies with the entire team working on the software project.

Stress testing is not described in a unit test standard. Unit testing focuses on testing individual units of code in isolation, typically at the function or method level. Stress testing, on the other hand, is a type of performance testing that aims to evaluate the system's behavior under extreme or heavy loads. While stress testing is an important aspect of overall testing, it is typically not included in unit test standards, which primarily focus on functional and structural testing techniques like syntax testing, equivalence partitioning, and modified condition/decision coverage.

The objective of a test is to identify faults and assess the readiness of the software for release. It is not possible to prove that the software is completely correct through testing, as testing can only identify the presence of defects, not their absence. Therefore, proving the software is correct cannot be a realistic objective for a test.

Test cases are designed during the test specification phase. Test specification involves documenting the detailed requirements and test objectives, as well as defining the test conditions and expected results. Test cases are then derived from these specifications to ensure that all aspects of the system are adequately tested. Test recording refers to capturing and documenting the actual test execution, test planning involves determining the overall approach and resources required for testing, and test configuration refers to setting up the test environment.

A configuration management system is primarily used to track and control changes to software components and ensure that different versions are properly managed. It typically provides features such as version control, tracking changes, and managing access to the source code library. However, comparing test results with expected results is a function usually performed by testing tools or frameworks, rather than a configuration management system.

Test execution provides the biggest potential cost saving from the use of CAST because it involves the actual running of test cases and identifying defects in the software. By automating the test execution process with CAST, organizations can save time and resources by reducing the need for manual testing. This can lead to faster testing cycles, quicker identification of defects, and overall cost savings in terms of manpower and time required for testing activities.

The statement "A system is necessarily more reliable after debugging for the removal of a fault" is false because although debugging can help in identifying and removing faults, it does not guarantee that the system will become more reliable. There may still be other existing faults or new faults that can arise after debugging. Debugging is just one step in the process of improving system reliability, but it does not automatically make the system more reliable.

The V-model is a software development model that emphasizes the verification and validation of designs. It includes the verification of designs, meaning that the designs are checked to ensure they meet the specified requirements and are error-free. This is an important step in the development process to ensure that the final product will function as intended. The V-model also includes testing, but it is not limited to just the testing phase. It encompasses the entire development lifecycle, from requirements gathering to design, coding, testing, and maintenance.

The correct answer is "departure from specified behavior." This means that a failure refers to when the software does not perform as intended or does not meet the specified requirements. It is a deviation from the expected behavior and can occur due to errors in the software or incorrect steps, processes, or data definitions in the program. It is not specifically attributed to human actions or the result of an error, but rather the software's failure to meet the specified behavior.

A minimal test set that achieves 100% statement coverage will generally detect more faults than one that achieves 100% branch coverage. This is because achieving 100% statement coverage means that every statement in the code has been executed at least once during testing, which increases the likelihood of detecting faults. On the other hand, achieving 100% branch coverage only ensures that every branch in the code has been executed at least once, but it does not guarantee that every statement has been executed. Therefore, achieving 100% statement coverage is more comprehensive and effective in detecting faults.

The given answer pairs the test management terms (v-z) with the corresponding activity descriptions (1-5) in the most appropriate way. According to the answer, v (test control) is paired with activity description 3 (re-allocation of resources when tests overrun), w (test monitoring) is paired with activity description 4 (report on deviation from test plan), x (test estimation) is paired with activity description 1 (calculation of required test resources), y (incident management) is paired with activity description 5 (tracking of anomalous test results), and z (configuration control) is paired with activity description 2 (maintenance of record of test results). This pairing aligns with the definitions and purposes of the test management terms and activity descriptions.

The oracle assumption refers to the belief that the tester has the ability to consistently determine the correct result of a test. This means that the tester possesses the necessary knowledge and expertise to accurately evaluate the output of the software being tested. The oracle assumption does not imply that the tester knows everything about the software under test or that the tests are reviewed by experienced testers. It simply highlights the expectation that the tester can reliably identify whether the outcome of a test is correct or not.

Capture-replay tools are commonly used in software testing to record and replay user interactions with a system. They capture aspects of user behavior, such as mouse clicks and keyboard inputs, and can be used to support multi-user testing by simulating multiple users. However, they are not typically used to capture and animate user requirements. User requirements are usually captured through other means, such as interviews, surveys, or user stories, and are then used to inform the development process. Therefore, the statement "They are used to capture and animate user requirements" is not correct.

The given groups of numbers would fall into the same equivalence class because they all have the same taxable income of £28000. The first £4000 of salary is tax-free, so the taxable income for all three numbers is £28000. Therefore, they would all be taxed at the same rates: 10% on the next £1500 (£150), and 22% on the remaining £26500 (£5830). The total tax paid would be the same for all three numbers.

Test coverage criteria are used to determine the extent to which a test suite has exercised the items being tested. This can be measured in terms of items exercised, such as the percentage of user requirements covered. Test coverage criteria are also commonly used to specify test completion criteria, indicating when testing can be considered complete. However, the percentage of faults found is not a measure of test coverage criteria. While test coverage can help identify areas that have not been adequately tested and may potentially contain faults, it does not directly measure the percentage of faults found.

Data flow analysis studies the intrinsic complexity of the code. This analysis focuses on understanding how data is used and manipulated within a program, including identifying dependencies, tracking the flow of data, and analyzing how data values change as the program executes. By studying the data flow, programmers can gain insights into the complexity of the code and make optimizations to improve its efficiency and performance.