Manual Software Testing Interview Questions with

Answers
As a software tester the person should have certain qualities, which are imperative. The
person should be observant, creative, innovative, speculative, patient, etc. It is important to
note, that when you opt for manual testing, it is an accepted fact that the job is going to be
tedious and laborious. Whether you are a fresher or experienced, there are certain
questions, to which answers you should know.

1) What is difference between bug, error and defect?

Bug and defect essentially mean the same. It is the flaw in a component or system, which
can cause the component or system to fail to perform its required function. If a bug or
defect is encountered during the execution phase of the software development, it can cause
the component or the system to fail. On the other hand, an error is a human error, which
gives rise to incorrect result. You may want to know about, how to log a bug (defect),
contents of a bug, bug life cycle, and bug and statuses used during a bug life cycle, which
help you in understanding the terms bug and defect better.

2) Explain white box testing.

One of the testing types used in software testing is white box testing. Read in detail on
white box testing.

3) Tell me about V model in manual testing.

V model is a framework, which describes the software development life cycle activities right
from requirements specification up to software maintenance phase. Testing is integrated in
each of the phases of the model. The phases of the model start with user requirements and
are followed by system requirements, global design, detailed design, implementation and
ends with system testing of the entire system. Each phase of model has the respective
testing activity integrated in it and is carried out parallel to the development activities. The
four test levels used by this model include, component testing, integration testing, system
testing and acceptance testing.

4) What are stubs and drivers in manual testing?

Both stubs and drivers are a part of incremental testing. There are two approaches, which
are used in incremental testing, namely bottom up and top down approach. Drivers are
used in bottom up testing. They are modules, which test the components to be tested. The
look of the drivers is similar to the future real modules. A skeletal or special purpose
implementation of a component, which is used to develop or test a component, that calls or
is otherwise dependent on it. It is the replacement for the called component.

5) Explain black box testing.

Find the answer to the question in the article on black box testing.

6) Explain compatibility testing.

The answer to this question is in the article on compatibility testing.

7) What are the check lists, which a software tester should follow?
Read the link on check lists for software tester to find the answer to the question.

8) What are the different types of software testing?

There are a number of types of software testing which you will learn in the preceding link.

9) What are the phases of STLC?

Like there are different phases of the software development life cycle, there are different
phases of software testing life cycle as well. Read through software testing life cycle for
more explanation.

10) What is a Review?

A review is an evaluation of a said product or project status to ascertain any discrepancies
from the actual planned results and to recommend improvements to the said product. The
common examples of reviews are informal review or peer review, technical review,
inspection, walkthrough, management review. This is one of the manual testing interview
questions.

11) Explain beta testing.

For answer to this question, refer to the article on beta testing.

12) Explain equivalence class partition.

It is either specification based or a black box technique. Gather information on equivalence
partitioning from the article on equivalence partitioning.

13) What is a test case?

Find the answer to this question in the article titled test cases.

14) What is a test suite?

A test suite is a set of several test cases designed for a component of a software or system
under test, where the post condition of one test case is normally used as the precondition
for the next test.

15) What is acceptance testing?

Refer to the article on acceptance testing for the answer.

16) What is boundary value analysis?

A boundary value is an input or an output value, which resides on the edge of an
equivalence partition. It can also be the smallest incremental distance on either side of an
edge, like the minimum or a maximum value of an edge. Boundary value analysis is a black
box testing technique, where the tests are based on the boundary values.

17) What is compatibility testing?

Compatibility testing is a part of non-functional tests carried out on the software component
or the entire software to evaluate the compatibility of the application with the computing
environment. It can be with the servers, other software, computer operating system,
different web browsers or the hardware as well.

18) What is exact difference between debugging & testing?

When a test is run and a defect has been identified. It is the duty of the developer to first
locate the defect in the code and then fix it. This process is known as debugging. In other
words, debugging is the process of finding, analyzing and removing the causes of failures in
the software. On the other hand, testing consists of both static and dynamic testing life
cycle activities. It helps to determine that the software does satisfy specified requirements
and it is fit for purpose.

19) Explain in short, sanity testing, ad-hoc testing and smoke

testing.
Sanity testing is a basic test, which is conducted if all the components of the software can
be compiled with each other without any problem. It is to make sure that there are no
conflicting or multiple functions or global variable definitions have been made by different
developers. It can also be carried out by the developers themselves. Smoke testing on the
other hand is a testing methodology used to cover all the major functionality of the
application without getting into the finer nuances of the application. It is said to be the main
functionality oriented test. Ad hoc testing is different than smoke and sanity testing. This
term is used for software testing, which is performed without any sort of planning and/or
documentation. These tests are intended to run only once. However in case of a defect
found it can be carried out again. It is also said to be a part of exploratory testing.

20) Explain performance testing.

It is one of the non-functional types of software testing. Performance of software is the
degree to which a system or a component of system accomplishes the designated functions
given constraints regarding processing time and throughput rate. Therefore, performance
testing is the process to test to determine the performance of software.

21) What is exploratory testing?

Read the page on exploratory testing to find the answer.

22) What is integration testing?

One of the software testing types, where tests are conducted to test interfaces between
components, interactions of the different parts of the system with operating system, file
system, hardware and between different software. It may be carried out by the integrator of
the system, but should ideally be carried out by a specific integration tester or a test team.

23) What is meant by functional defects and usability defects in

general? Give appropriate example.
We will take the example of Login window to understand functionality and usability defects.
A functionality defect is when a user gives a valid user name but invalid password and the
user clicks on login button. If the application accepts the user name and password, and
displays the main window, where an error should have been displayed. On the other hand a
usability defect is when the user gives a valid user name, but invalid password and clicks on
login button. The application throws up an error message saying Please enter valid user
name when the error message should have been Please enter valid Password.

24) What is pilot testing?

It is a test of a component of a software system or the entire system under the real time
operating conditions. The real time environment helps to find the defects in the system and
prevent costly bugs been detected later on. Normally a group of users use the system
before its complete deployment and give their feedback about the system.

25) Explain statement coverage.

It is a structure based or white box technique. Test coverage measures in a specific way the
amount of testing performed by a set of tests. One of the test coverage type is statement
coverage. It is the percentage of executable statements which have been exercise by a
particular test suite. The formula which is used for statement coverage is:
Statement Coverage = Number of statements exercised Total number of statements *
100%

26) Explain stress testing.

Find the answer to this question in this article on stress testing.

27) What is regression testing?

Regression testing is the testing of a particular component of the software or the entire
software after modifications have been made to it. The aim of regression testing is to
ensure new defects have not been introduced in the component or software, especially in
the areas where no changes have been made. In short, regression testing is the testing to
ensure nothing has changed, which should not have changed due to changes made.

28) What is security testing?

Read on security testing for an appropriate answer.

29) What is system testing?

System testing is testing carried out of an integrated system to verify, that the system
meets the specified requirements. It is concerned with the behavior of the whole system,
according to the scope defined. More often than not system testing is the final test carried
out by the development team, in order to verify that the system developed does meet the
specifications and also identify defects which may be present.

30) What is the difference between retest and regression testing?

Retesting, also known as confirmation testing is testing which runs the test cases that failed
the last time, when they were run in order to verify the success of corrective actions taken
on the defect found. On the other hand, regression testing is testing of a previously tested
program after the modifications to make sure that no new defects have been introduced. In
other words, it helps to uncover defects in the unchanged areas of the software.

31) Explain priority, severity in software testing.

Priority is the level of business importance, which is assigned to a defect found. On the
other hand, severity is the degree of impact, the defect can have on the development or
operation of the component or the system.

32) Explain the bug life cycle in detail.

This is one of the most commonly asked interview questions, hence this question is always a
part of software testing interview questions and answers for experienced as well as
freshers. The bug life cycle is the stages the bug or defect goes through before it is fixed,
deferred or rejected. Read in detail on bug life cycle.

33) What is the difference between volume testing and load testing?
Volume testing checks if the system can actually come up with the large amount of data.
For example, a number of fields in a particular record or numerous records in a file, etc. On
the other hand, load testing is measuring the behavior of a component or a system with
increased load. The increase in load can be in terms of number of parallel users and/or
parallel transactions. This helps to determine the amount of load, which can be handled by
the component or the software system.

34) What is usability testing?

Refer to the article titled usability testing for an answer to this question.

35) Explain the test case life cycle.

On an average a test case goes through the following phases. The first phase of the test
case life cycle is identifying the test scenarios either from the specifications or from the use
cases designed to develop the system. Once the scenarios have been identified, the test
cases apt for the scenarios have to be developed. Then the test cases are reviewed and the
approval for those test cases has to be taken from the concerned authority. After the test
cases have been approved, they are executed. When the execution of the test cases start,

the results of the tests have to be recorded. The test cases which pass are marked
accordingly. If the test cases fail, defects have to be raised. When the defects are fixed the
failed test case has to be executed again.

36) What is verification and validation?

Read on the two techniques used in software testing namely verification and validation in
the article on verification and validation.

37) Which are the different methodologies used in software testing?

Refer to software testing methodologies for detailed information on the different
methodologies used in software testing.

38) Explain the waterfall model in testing.

Waterfall model is a part of software development life cycle, as well as software testing. It is
one of the first models to be used for software testing.

39) Explain is Validation?

The process of evaluating software at the end of the software development process to
ensure compliance with software requirements. The techniques for validation are testing,
inspection and reviewing.

40) What is Verification?

The process of determining whether or not the products of a given phase of the software
development cycle meet the implementation steps and can be traced to the incoming
objectives established during the previous phase. The techniques for verification are testing,
inspection and reviewing.

41) What is Acceptance Testing?

Testing conducted to enable a user/customer to determine whether to accept a

software product. Normally performed to validate the software meets a set of
agreed acceptance criteria.
42) What is Accessibility Testing?
Verifying a product is accessible to the people having disabilities (deaf, blind,
mentally disabled etc.).
43) What is Ad Hoc Testing?
A testing phase where the tester tries to 'break' the system by randomly trying the
system's functionality. Can include negative testing as well. See also Monkey
Testing.
44) What is Agile Testing?
Testing practice for projects using agile methodologies, treating development as the

customer of testing and emphasizing a test-first design paradigm. See also Test
Driven Development.
45) What is Application Binary Interface (ABI)?
A specification defining requirements for portability of applications in binary forms
across different system platforms and environments.
46) What is Application Programming Interface (API)?
A formalized set of software calls and routines that can be referenced by an
application program in order to access supporting system or network services.
47) What is Automated Software Quality (ASQ)?
The use of software tools, such as automated testing tools, to improve software
quality.
48) What is Automated Testing?
Testing employing software tools which execute tests without manual intervention.
Can be applied in GUI, performance, API, etc. testing. The use of software to
control the execution of tests, the comparison of actual outcomes to predicted
outcomes, the setting up of test preconditions, and other test control and test
reporting functions.
49) What is Backus-Naur Form?
A metalanguage used to formally describe the syntax of a language.
50 )What is Basic Block?
A sequence of one or more consecutive, executable statements containing no
branches.
51) What is Basis Path Testing?
A white box test case design technique that uses the algorithmic flow of the
program to design tests.

52). What is Basis Set?

The set of tests derived using basis path testing.

53) What is Baseline?
The point at which some deliverable produced during the software engineering
process is put under formal change control.
54) What you will do during the first day of job?
What would you like to do five years from now?
55). What is Beta Testing?
Testing of a release of a software product conducted by customers.
56). What is Binary Portability Testing?
Testing an executable application for portability across system platforms and

environments, usually for conformation to an ABI specification.

17). What is Black Box Testing?
Testing based on an analysis of the specification of a piece of software without
reference to its internal workings. The goal is to test how well the component
conforms to the published requirements for the component.
18). What is Bottom Up Testing?
An approach to integration testing where the lowest level components are tested
first, then used to facilitate the testing of higher level components. The process is
repeated until the component at the top of the hierarchy is tested.
19). What is Boundary Testing?
Test which focus on the boundary or limit conditions of the software being tested.
(Some of these tests are stress tests).
20). What is Bug? What is Defect?
A fault in a program which causes the program to perform in an unintended or
unanticipated manner.
If software misses some feature or function from what is there in requirement it is
called as defect.
21. What is Boundary Value Analysis?
BVA is similar to Equivalence Partitioning but focuses on "corner cases" or values
that are usually out of range as defined by the specification. his means that if a
function expects all values in range of negative 100 to positive 1000, test inputs
would include negative 101 and positive 1001.
22. What is Branch Testing?
Testing in which all branches in the program source code are tested at least once.
23. What is Breadth Testing?
A test suite that exercises the full functionality of a product but does not test
features in detail.
24. What is CAST?
Computer Aided Software Testing.
25. What is Capture/Replay Tool?
A test tool that records test input as it is sent to the software under test. The input
cases stored can then be used to reproduce the test at a later time. Most commonly
applied to GUI test tools.
26. What is CMM?
The Capability Maturity Model for Software (CMM or SW-CMM) is a model for
judging the maturity of the software processes of an organization and for
identifying the key practices that are required to increase the maturity of these
processes.

27. What is Cause Effect Graph?

A graphical representation of inputs and the associated outputs effects which can
be used to design test cases.
28. What is Code Complete?
Phase of development where functionality is implemented in entirety; bug fixes are
all that are left. All functions found in the Functional Specifications have been
implemented.
29. What is Code Coverage?
An analysis method that determines which parts of the software have been
executed (covered) by the test case suite and which parts have not been executed
and therefore may require additional attention.
30. What is Code Inspection?
A formal testing technique where the programmer reviews source code with a
group who ask questions analyzing the program logic, analyzing the code with
respect to a checklist of historically common programming errors, and analyzing its
compliance with coding standards.
31. What is Code Walkthrough?
A formal testing technique where source code is traced by a group with a small set
of test cases, while the state of program variables is manually monitored, to
analyze the programmer's logic and assumptions.
32. What is Coding?
The generation of source code.
33. What is Compatibility Testing?
Testing whether software is compatible with other elements of a system with which
it should operate, e.g. browsers, Operating Systems, or hardware.
34. What is Component?
A minimal software item for which a separate specification is available.
35. What is Component Testing?
Testing of individual software components (Unit Testing).
36. What is Concurrency Testing?
Multi-user testing geared towards determining the effects of accessing the same
application code, module or database records. Identifies and measures the level of
locking, deadlocking and use of single-threaded code and locking semaphores.
37. What is Conformance Testing?
The process of testing that an implementation conforms to the specification on
which it is based. Usually applied to testing conformance to a formal standard.

38. What is Context Driven Testing?

The conte5xt-driven school of software testing is flavor of Agile Testing that
advocates continuous and creative evaluation of testing opportunities in light of the
potential information revealed and the value of that information to the organization
right now.
39. What is Conversion Testing?
Testing of programs or procedures used to convert data from existing systems for
use in replacement systems.
40. What is Cyclomatic Complexity?
A measure of the logical complexity of an algorithm, used in white-box testing.
41. What is Data Dictionary?
A database that contains definitions of all data items defined during analysis.
42. What is Data Flow Diagram?
A modeling notation that represents a functional decomposition of a system.
43. What is Data Driven Testing?
Testing in which the action of a test case is parameterized by externally defined data
values, maintained as a file or spreadsheet. A common technique in Automated
Testing.
44. What is Debugging?
The process of finding and removing the causes of software failures.
45. What is Defect?
Nonconformance to requirements or functional / program specification
46. What is Dependency Testing?
Examines an application's requirements for pre-existing software, initial states and
configuration in order to maintain proper functionality.
47. What is Depth Testing?
A test that exercises a feature of a product in full detail.
48. What is Dynamic Testing?
Testing software through executing it. See also Static Testing.
49. What is Emulator?
A device, computer program, or system that accepts the same inputs and produces
the same outputs as a given system.
50. What is Endurance Testing?
Checks for memory leaks or other problems that may occur with prolonged
execution.

51. What is End-to-End testing?

Testing a complete application environment in a situation that mimics real-world
use, such as interacting with a database, using network communications, or
interacting with other hardware, applications, or systems if appropriate.
52. What is Equivalence Class?
A portion of a component's input or output domains for which the component's
behaviour is assumed to be the same from the component's specification.
53. What is Equivalence Partitioning?
A test case design technique for a component in which test cases are designed to
execute representatives from equivalence classes.
54. What is Exhaustive Testing?
Testing which covers all combinations of input values and preconditions for an
element of the software under test.
55. What is Functional Decomposition?
A technique used during planning, analysis and design; creates a functional
hierarchy for the software.
54. What is Functional Specification?
A document that describes in detail the characteristics of the product with regard to
its intended features.
55. What is Functional Testing?
Testing the features and operational behavior of a product to ensure they
correspond to its specifications. Testing that ignores the internal mechanism of a
system or component and focuses solely on the outputs generated in response to
selected inputs and execution conditions. or Black Box Testing.
56. What is Glass Box Testing?
A synonym for White Box Testing.
57. What is Gorilla Testing?
Testing one particular module, functionality heavily.
58. What is Gray Box Testing?
A combination of Black Box and White Box testing methodologies? testing a piece of
software against its specification but using some knowledge of its internal workings.
59. What is High Order Tests?
Black-box tests conducted once the software has been integrated.
60. What is Independent Test Group (ITG)?
A group of people whose primary responsibility is software testing,

61. What is Inspection?

A group review quality improvement process for written material. It consists of two
aspects; product (document itself) improvement and process improvement (of both
document production and inspection).
62. What is Integration Testing?
Testing of combined parts of an application to determine if they function together
correctly. Usually performed after unit and functional testing. This type of testing is
especially relevant to client/server and distributed systems.
63. What is Installation Testing?
Confirms that the application under test recovers from expected or unexpected
events without loss of data or functionality. Events can include shortage of disk
space, unexpected loss of communication, or power out conditions.
64. What is Load Testing?
See Performance Testing.
65. What is Localization Testing?
This term refers to making software specifically designed for a specific locality.
66. What is Loop Testing?
A white box testing technique that exercises program loops.
67. What is Metric?
A standard of measurement. Software metrics are the statistics describing the
structure or content of a program. A metric should be a real objective measurement
of something such as number of bugs per lines of code.
68. What is Monkey Testing?
Testing a system or an Application on the fly, i.e just few tests here and there to
ensure the system or an application does not crash out.
69. What is Negative Testing?
Testing aimed at showing software does not work. Also known as "test to fail". See
also Positive Testing.
70. What is Path Testing?
Testing in which all paths in the program source code are tested at least once.
71. What is Performance Testing?
Testing conducted to evaluate the compliance of a system or component with
specified performance requirements. Often this is performed using an automated
test tool to simulate large number of users. Also know as "Load Testing".
72. What is Positive Testing?
Testing aimed at showing software works. Also known as "test to pass". See also
Negative Testing.

73. What is Quality Assurance?

All those planned or systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence
that a product or service is of the type and quality needed and expected by the
customer.
74. What is Quality Audit?
A systematic and independent examination to determine whether quality activities
and related results comply with planned arrangements and whether these
arrangements are implemented effectively and are suitable to achieve objectives.
75. What is Quality Circle?
A group of individuals with related interests that meet at regular intervals to
consider problems or other matters related to the quality of outputs of a process and
to the correction of problems or to the improvement of quality.
76. What is Quality Control?
The operational techniques and the activities used to fulfill and verify requirements
of quality.
77. What is Quality Management?
That aspect of the overall management function that determines and implements
the quality policy.
78. What is Quality Policy?
The overall intentions and direction of an organization as regards quality as formally
expressed by top management.
79. What is Quality System?
The organizational structure, responsibilities, procedures, processes, and resources
for implementing quality management.
80. What is Race Condition?
A cause of concurrency problems. Multiple accesses to a shared resource, at least
one of which is a write, with no mechanism used by either to moderate
simultaneous access.
81. What is Ramp Testing?
Continuously raising an input signal until the system breaks down.
82. What is Recovery Testing?
Confirms that the program recovers from expected or unexpected events without
loss of data or functionality. Events can include shortage of disk space, unexpected
loss of communication, or power out conditions.
83. What is Regression Testing?
Retesting a previously tested program following modification to ensure that faults
have not been introduced or uncovered as a result of the changes made.

84. What is Release Candidate?

A pre-release version, which contains the desired functionality of the final version,
but which needs to be tested for bugs (which ideally should be removed before the
final version is released).
85. What is Sanity Testing?
Brief test of major functional elements of a piece of software to determine if its
basically operational. See also Smoke Testing.
86. What is Scalability Testing?
Performance testing focused on ensuring the application under test gracefully
handles increases in work load.
87. What is Security Testing?
Testing which confirms that the program can restrict access to authorized personnel
and that the authorized personnel can access the functions available to their
security level.
88. What is Smoke Testing?
A quick-and-dirty test that the major functions of a piece of software work.
Originated in the hardware testing practice of turning on a new piece of hardware
for the first time and considering it a success if it does not catch on fire.
89. What is Soak Testing?
Running a system at high load for a prolonged period of time. For example, running
several times more transactions in an entire day (or night) than would be expected
in a busy day, to identify and performance problems that appear after a large
number of transactions have been executed.
90. What is Software Requirements Specification?
A deliverable that describes all data, functional and behavioral requirements, all
constraints, and all validation requirements for software/
91. What is Software Testing?
A set of activities conducted with the intent of finding errors in software.
92. What is Static Analysis?
Analysis of a program carried out without executing the program.
93. What is Static Analyzer?
A tool that carries out static analysis.
94. What is Static Testing?
Analysis of a program carried out without executing the program.

95. What is Storage Testing?

Testing that verifies the program under test stores data files in the correct
directories and that it reserves sufficient space to prevent unexpected termination
resulting from lack of space. This is external storage as opposed to internal storage.
96. What is Stress Testing?
Testing conducted to evaluate a system or component at or beyond the limits of its
specified requirements to determine the load under which it fails and how. Often
this is performance testing using a very high level of simulated load.
97. What is Structural Testing?
Testing based on an analysis of internal workings and structure of a piece of
software. See also White Box Testing.
98. What is System Testing?
Testing that attempts to discover defects that are properties of the entire system
rather than of its individual components.
99. What is Testability?
The degree to which a system or component facilitates the establishment of test
criteria and the performance of tests to determine whether those criteria have
been met.
100. What is Testing?
The process of exercising software to verify that it satisfies specified requirements
and to detect errors. The process of analyzing a software item to detect the
differences between existing and required conditions (that is, bugs), and to
evaluate the features of the software item (Ref. IEEE Std 829). The process of
operating a system or component under specified conditions, observing or
recording the results, and making an evaluation of some aspect of the system or
component. What is Test Automation? It is the same as Automated Testing.
101. What is Test Bed?
An execution environment configured for testing. May consist of specific hardware,
OS, network topology, configuration of the product under test, other application or
system software, etc. The Test Plan for a project should enumerated the test
beds(s) to be used.
102. What is Test Case?
Test Case is a commonly used term for a specific test. This is usually the smallest
unit of testing. A Test Case will consist of information such as requirements
testing, test steps, verification steps, prerequisites, outputs, test environment, etc.
A set of inputs, execution preconditions, and expected outcomes developed for a
particular objective, such as to exercise a particular program path or to verify
compliance with a specific requirement. Test Driven Development? Testing
methodology associated with Agile Programming in which every chunk of code is
covered by unit tests, which must all pass all the time, in an effort to eliminate

unit-level and regression bugs during development. Practitioners of TDD write a lot
of tests, i.e. an equal number of lines of test code to the size of the production
code.
103. What is Test Driver?
A program or test tool used to execute a tests. Also known as a Test Harness.
104. What is Test Environment?
The hardware and software environment in which tests will be run, and any other
software with which the software under test interacts when under test including
stubs and test drivers.
105. What is Test First Design?
Test-first design is one of the mandatory practices of Extreme Programming (XP).It
requires that programmers do not write any production code until they have first
written a unit test.
106. What is Test Harness?
A program or test tool used to execute a tests. Also known as a Test Driver.
107. What is Test Plan?
A document describing the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of intended
testing activities. It identifies test items, the features to be tested, the testing
tasks, who will do each task, and any risks requiring contingency planning.
108. What is Test Procedure?
A document providing detailed instructions for the execution of one or more test
cases.
109. What is Test Script?
Commonly used to refer to the instructions for a particular test that will be carried
out by an automated test tool.
110. What is Test Specification?
A document specifying the test approach for a software feature or combination or
features and the inputs, predicted results and execution conditions for the
associated tests.
111. What is Test Suite?
A collection of tests used to validate the behavior of a product. The scope of a Test
Suite varies from organization to organization. There may be several Test Suites
for a particular product for example. In most cases however a Test Suite is a high
level concept, grouping together hundreds or thousands of tests related by what
they are intended to test.
112. What is Test Tools?
Computer programs used in the testing of a system, a component of the system,
or its documentation.

113. What is Thread Testing?

A variation of top-down testing where the progressive integration of components
follows the implementation of subsets of the requirements, as opposed to the
integration of components by successively lower levels.
114. What is Top Down Testing?
An approach to integration testing where the component at the top of the
component hierarchy is tested first, with lower level components being simulated
by stubs. Tested components are then used to test lower level components. The
process is repeated until the lowest level components have been tested.
115. What is Total Quality Management?
A company commitment to develop a process that achieves high quality product
and customer satisfaction.
116. What is Traceability Matrix?
A document showing the relationship between Test Requirements and Test Cases.
117. What is Usability Testing?
Testing the ease with which users can learn and use a product.
118. What is Use Case?
The specification of tests that are conducted from the end-user perspective. Use
cases tend to focus on operating software as an end-user would conduct their dayto-day activities.
119. What is Unit Testing?
Testing of individual software components.
120. What is Validation?
The process of evaluating software at the end of the software development
process to ensure compliance with software requirements. The techniques for
validation is testing, inspection and reviewing.
121. What is Verification?
The process of determining whether of not the products of a given phase of the
software development cycle meet the implementation steps and can be traced to
the incoming objectives established during the previous phase. The techniques for
verification are testing, inspection and reviewing.
122. What is White Box Testing?
Testing based on an analysis of internal workings and structure of a piece of
software. Includes techniques such as Branch Testing and Path Testing. Also
known as Structural Testing and Glass Box Testing. Contrast with Black Box
Testing. White box testing is used to test the internal logic of the code for ex
checking whether the path has been executed once, checking whether the
branches has been executed atleast once .....Used to check the structure of the
code.

123. What is Workflow Testing?

Scripted end-to-end testing which duplicates specific workflows which are expected
to be utilized by the end-user.
124. What's the difference between load and stress testing ?
One of the most common, but unfortunate misuse of terminology is treating load
testing and stress testing as synonymous. The consequence of this ignorant
semantic abuse is usually that the system is neither properly load tested nor
subjected to a meaningful stress test. Stress testing is subjecting a system to an
unreasonable load while denying it the resources (e.g., RAM, disc, mips, interrupts,
etc.) needed to process that load. The idea is to stress a system to the breaking
point in order to find bugs that will make that break potentially harmful. The
system is not expected to process the overload without adequate resources, but to
behave (e.g., fail) in a decent manner (e.g., not corrupting or losing data). Bugs
and failure modes discovered under stress testing may or may not be repaired
depending on the application, the failure mode, consequences, etc. The load
(incoming transaction stream) in stress testing is often deliberately distorted so as
to force the system into resource depletion. Load testing is subjecting a system to
a statistically representative (usually) load. The two main reasons for using such
loads is in support of software reliability testing and in performance testing. The
term 'load testing' by itself is too vague and imprecise to warrant use. For
example, do you mean representative load,' 'overload,' 'high load,' etc. In
performance testing, load is varied from a minimum (zero) to the maximum level
the system can sustain without running out of resources or having, transactions
>suffer (application-specific) excessive delay. A third use of the term is as a test
whose objective is to determine the maximum sustainable load the system can
handle. In this usage, 'load testing' is merely testing at the highest transaction
arrival rate in performance testing.
125. What's the difference between QA and testing?
QA is more a preventive thing, ensuring quality in the company and therefore the
product rather than just testing the product for software bugs? TESTING means
'quality control' QUALITY CONTROL measures the quality of a product QUALITY
ASSURANCE measures the quality of processes used to create a quality product.
126. What is the best tester to developer ratio?
Reported tester: developer ratios range from 10:1 to 1:10. There's no simple
answer. It depends on so many things, Amount of reused code, number and type
of interfaces, platform, quality goals, etc. It also can depend on the development
model. The more specs, the less testers. The roles can play a big part also. Does
QA own beta? Do you include process auditors or planning activities? These figures
can all vary very widely depending on how you define 'tester' and 'developer'. In
some organizations, a 'tester' is anyone who happens to be testing software at the
time -- such as their own. In other organizations, a 'tester' is only a member of an
independent test group. It is better to ask about the test labor content than it is to
ask about the tester/developer ratio. The test labor content, across most
applications is generally accepted as 50%, when people do honest accounting. For
life-critical software, this can go up to 80%.

127. How can new Software QA processes be introduced in an existing

organization?
- A lot depends on the size of the organization and the risks involved. For large
organizations with high-risk (in terms of lives or property) projects, serious
management buy-in is required and a formalized QA process is necessary. - Where
the risk is lower, management and organizational buy-in and QA implementation
may be a slower, step-at-a-time process. QA processes should be balanced with
productivity so as to keep bureaucracy from getting out of hand. - For small
groups or projects, a more ad-hoc process may be appropriate, depending on the
type of customers and projects. A lot will depend on team leads or managers,
feedback to developers, and ensuring adequate communications among
customers, managers, developers, and testers. - In all cases the most value for
effort will be in requirements management processes, with a goal of clear,
complete, testable requirement specifications or expectations.
128. What are 5 common problems in the software development process?
1. poor requirements - if requirements are unclear, incomplete, too general, or not
testable, there will be problems. 2. unrealistic schedule - if too much work is
crammed in too little time, problems are inevitable. 3. inadequate testing - no one
will know whether or not the program is any good until the customer complains or
systems crash. 4. features - requests to pile on new features after development is
underway; extremely common. 5. miscommunication - if developers don't know
what's needed or customer's have erroneous expectations, problems are
guaranteed.
129. What are 5 common solutions to software development problems?
1. solid requirements - clear, complete, detailed, cohesive, attainable, testable
requirements that are agreed to by all players. Use prototypes to help nail down
requirements. 2. realistic schedules - allow adequate time for planning, design,
testing, bug fixing, re-testing, changes, and documentation; personnel should be
able to complete the project without burning out. 3. adequate testing - start
testing early on, re-test after fixes or changes, plan for adequate time for testing
and bug-fixing. 4. stick to initial requirements as much as possible - be prepared
to defend against changes and additions once development has begun, and be
prepared to explain consequences. If changes are necessary, they should be
adequately reflected in related schedule changes. If possible, use rapid prototyping
during the design phase so that customers can see what to expect. This will
provide them a higher comfort level with their requirements decisions and
minimize changes later on. 5. communication - require walkthroughs and
inspections when appropriate; make extensive use of group communication tools e-mail, groupware, networked bug-tracking tools and change management tools,
intranet capabilities, etc.; insure that documentation is available and up-to-date preferably electronic, not paper; promote teamwork and cooperation; use
prototypes early on so that customers' expectations are clarified.
130. What is 'good code'?
'Good code' is code that works, is bug free, and is readable and maintainable.
Some organizations have coding 'standards' that all developers are supposed to

adhere to, but everyone has different ideas about what's best, or what is too many
or too few rules. There are also various theories and metrics, such as McCabe
Complexity metrics. It should be kept in mind that excessive use of standards and
rules can stifle productivity and creativity. 'Peer reviews', 'buddy checks' code
analysis tools, etc. can be used to check for problems and enforce standards. For C
and C++ coding, here are some typical ideas to consider in setting
rules/standards; these may or may not apply to a particular situation: - minimize
or eliminate use of global variables. - use descriptive function and method names use both upper and lower case, avoid abbreviations, use as many characters as
necessary to be adequately descriptive (use of more than 20 characters is not out
of line); be consistent in naming conventions. - use descriptive variable names use both upper and lower case, avoid abbreviations, use as many characters as
necessary to be adequately descriptive (use of more than 20 characters is not out
of line); be consistent in naming conventions. - function and method sizes should
be minimized; less than 100 lines of code is good, less than 50 lines is preferable.
- function descriptions should be clearly spelled out in comments preceding a
function's code.- organize code for readability. - use whitespace generously vertically and horizontally - each line of code should contain 70 characters max. one code statement per line. - coding style should be consistent throughout a
program (eg, use of brackets, indentations, naming conventions, etc.) - in adding
comments, err on the side of too many rather than too few comments; a common
rule of thumb is that there should be at least as many lines of comments (including
header blocks) as lines of code. - no matter how small, an application should
include documentation of the overall program function and flow (even a few
paragraphs is better than nothing); or if possible a separate flow chart and
detailed program documentation. - make extensive use of error handling
procedures and status and error logging. - for C++, to minimize complexity and
increase maintainability, avoid too many levels of inheritance in class hierarchies
(relative to the size and complexity of the application). Minimize use of multiple
inheritance, and minimize use of operator overloading (note that the Java
programming language eliminates multiple inheritance and operator overloading.)
- for C++, keep class methods small, less than 50 lines of code per method is
preferable. - for C++, make liberal use of exception handlers
131. What is 'good design'?
'Design' could refer to many things, but often refers to 'functional design' or
'internal design'. Good internal design is indicated by software code whose overall
structure is clear, understandable, easily modifiable, and maintainable; is robust
with sufficient error-handling and status logging capability; and works correctly
when implemented. Good functional design is indicated by an application whose
functionality can be traced back to customer and end-user requirements. For
programs that have a user interface, it's often a good idea to assume that the end
user will have little computer knowledge and may not read a user manual or even
the on-line help; some common rules-of-thumb include: - the program should act
in a way that least surprises the user - it should always be evident to the user
what can be done next and how to exit - the program shouldn't let the users do
something stupid without warning them.

132. What makes a good test engineer?

A good test engineer has a 'test to break' attitude, an ability to take the point of
view of the customer, a strong desire for quality, and an attention to detail. Tact
and diplomacy are useful in maintaining a cooperative relationship with
developers, and an ability to communicate with both technical (developers) and
non-technical (customers, management) people is useful. Previous software
development experience can be helpful as it provides a deeper understanding of
the software development process, gives the tester an appreciation for the
developers' point of view, and reduce the learning curve in automated test tool
programming. Judgment skills are needed to assess high-risk areas of an
application on which to focus testing efforts when time is limited.
133. What makes a good Software QA engineer?
The same qualities a good tester has are useful for a QA engineer. Additionally,
they must be able to understand the entire software development process and how
it can fit into the business approach and goals of the organization. Communication
skills and the ability to understand various sides of issues are important. In
organizations in the early stages of implementing QA processes, patience and
diplomacy are especially needed. An ability to find problems as well as to see
'what's missing' is important for inspections and reviews.
134. What makes a good QA or Test manager?
A good QA, test, or QA/Test(combined) manager should: - be familiar with the
software development process - be able to maintain enthusiasm of their team and
promote a positive atmosphere, despite what is a somewhat 'negative' process
(e.g., looking for or preventing problems) - be able to promote teamwork to
increase productivity - be able to promote cooperation between software, test, and
QA engineers - have the diplomatic skills needed to promote improvements in QA
processes -have the ability to withstand pressures and say 'no' to other managers
when quality is insufficient or QA processes are not being adhered to - have people
judgement skills for hiring and keeping skilled personnel- be able to communicate
with technical and non-technical people, engineers, managers, and customers. - be
able to run meetings and keep them focused
135. What's the role of documentation in QA?
Critical. (Note that documentation can be electronic, not necessarily paper.) QA
practices should be documented such that they are repeatable. Specifications,
designs, business rules, inspection reports, configurations, code changes, test
plans, test cases, bug reports, user manuals, etc. should all be documented. There
should ideally be a system for easily finding and obtaining documents and
determining what documentation will have a particular piece of information.
Change management for documentation should be used if possible.
136. What's the big deal about 'requirements'?
One of the most reliable methods of insuring problems, or failure, in a complex
software project is to have poorly documented requirements specifications.
Requirements are the details describing an application's externally-perceived
functionality and properties. Requirements should be clear, complete, reasonably

detailed, cohesive, attainable, and testable. A non-testable requirement would be,

for example, 'user-friendly' (too subjective). A testable requirement would be
something like 'the user must enter their previously-assigned password to access
the application'. Determining and organizing requirements details in a useful and
efficient way can be a difficult effort; different methods are available depending on
the particular project. Many books are available that describe various approaches
to this task. Care should be taken to involve ALL of a project's significant
'customers' in the requirements process. 'Customers' could be in-house personnel
or out, and could include end-users, customer acceptance testers, customer
contract officers, customer management, future software maintenance engineers,
salespeople, etc. Anyone who could later derail the project if their expectations
aren't met should be included if possible. Organizations vary considerably in their
handling of requirements specifications. Ideally, the requirements are spelled out
in a document with statements such as 'The product shall.....'. 'Design'
specifications should not be confused with 'requirements'; design specifications
should be traceable back to the requirements. In some organizations requirements
may end up in high level project plans, functional specification documents, in
design documents, or in other documents at various levels of detail. No matter
what they are called, some type of documentation with detailed requirements will
be needed by testers in order to properly plan and execute tests. Without such
documentation, there will be no clear-cut way to determine if a software
application is performing correctly.
137. What steps are needed to develop and run software tests?
The following are some of the steps to consider: - Obtain requirements, functional
design, and internal design specifications and other necessary documents - Obtain
budget and schedule requirements - Determine project-related personnel and their
responsibilities, reporting requirements, required standards and processes (such as
release processes, change processes, etc.) - Identify application's higher-risk
aspects, set priorities, and determine scope and limitations of tests - Determine
test approaches and methods - unit, integration, functional, system, load, usability
tests, etc. - Determine test environment requirements (hardware, software,
communications, etc.) -Determine testware requirements (record/playback tools,
coverage analyzers, test tracking, problem/bug tracking, etc.) - Determine test
input data requirements - Identify tasks, those responsible for tasks, and labor
requirements - Set schedule estimates, timelines, milestones - Determine input
equivalence classes, boundary value analyses, error classes - Prepare test plan
document and have needed reviews/approvals - Write test cases - Have needed
reviews/inspections/approvals of test cases - Prepare test environment and
testware, obtain needed user manuals/reference documents/configuration
guides/installation guides, set up test tracking processes, set up logging and
archiving processes, set up or obtain test input data - Obtain and install software
releases - Perform tests - Evaluate and report results - Track problems/bugs and
fixes - Retest as needed - Maintain and update test plans, test cases, test
environment, and testware through life cycle
138. What is 'configuration management'?
Configuration management covers the processes used to control, coordinate, and

track: code, requirements, documentation, problems, change requests, designs,

tools/compilers/libraries/patches, changes made to them, and who makes the
changes.
139. What if the software is so buggy it can't really be tested at all?
The best bet in this situation is for the testers to go through the process of
reporting whatever bugs or blocking-type problems initially show up, with the
focus being on critical bugs. Since this type of problem can severely affect
schedules, and indicates deeper problems in the software development process
(such as insufficient unit testing or insufficient integration testing, poor design,
improper build or release procedures, etc.) managers should be notified, and
provided with some documentation as evidence of the problem.
140. How can it be known when to stop testing?
This can be difficult to determine. Many modern software applications are so
complex, and run in such an interdependent environment, that complete testing
can never be done. Common factors in deciding when to stop are: - Deadlines
(release deadlines, testing deadlines, etc.)- Test cases completed with certain
percentage passed - Test budget depleted - Coverage of
code/functionality/requirements reaches a specified point - Bug rate falls below a
certain level - Beta or alpha testing period ends
141. What if there isn't enough time for thorough testing?
Use risk analysis to determine where testing should be focused. Since it's rarely
possible to test every possible aspect of an application, every possible combination
of events, every dependency, or everything that could go wrong, risk analysis is
appropriate to most software development projects. This requires judgement skills,
common sense, and experience. (If warranted, formal methods are also available.)
Considerations can include: - Which functionality is most important to the project's
intended purpose? - Which functionality is most visible to the user? - Which
functionality has the largest safety impact? - Which functionality has the largest
financial impact on users? - Which aspects of the application are most important to
the customer? - Which aspects of the application can be tested early in the
development cycle? - Which parts of the code are most complex, and thus most
subject to errors? - Which parts of the application were developed in rush or panic
mode? - Which aspects of similar/related previous projects caused problems? Which aspects of similar/related previous projects had large maintenance
expenses? - Which parts of the requirements and design are unclear or poorly
thought out? - What do the developers think are the highest-risk aspects of the
application? - What kinds of problems would cause the worst publicity? - What
kinds of problems would cause the most customer service complaints?- What kinds
of tests could easily cover multiple functionalities? - Which tests will have the best
high-risk-coverage to time-required ratio?
142. What can be done if requirements are changing continuously?
A common problem and a major headache. - Work with the project's stakeholders
early on to understand how requirements might change so that alternate test plans
and strategies can be worked out in advance, if possible. - It's helpful if the

application's initial design allows for some adaptability so that later changes do not
require redoing the application from scratch. - If the code is well-commented and
well-documented this makes changes easier for the developers.- Use rapid
prototyping whenever possible to help customers feel sure of their requirements
and minimize changes. - The project's initial schedule should allow for some extra
time commensurate with the possibility of changes.- Try to move new
requirements to a 'Phase 2' version of an application, while using the original
requirements for the 'Phase 1' version. - Negotiate to allow only easilyimplemented new requirements into the project, while moving more difficult new
requirements into future versions of the application. - Be sure that customers and
management understand the scheduling impacts, inherent risks, and costs of
significant requirements changes. Then let management or the customers (not the
developers or testers) decide if the changes are warranted - after all, that's their
job. - Balance the effort put into setting up automated testing with the expected
effort required to re-do them to deal with changes. - Try to design some flexibility
into automated test scripts. - Focus initial automated testing on application aspects
that are most likely to remain unchanged. - Devote appropriate effort to risk
analysis of changes to minimize regression testing needs. - Design some flexibility
into test cases (this is not easily done; the best bet might be to minimize the detail
in the test cases, or set up only higher-level generic-type test plans) - Focus less
on detailed test plans and test cases and more on ad hoc testing (with an
understanding of the added risk that this entails).
143. What if the project isn't big enough to justify extensive testing?
Consider the impact of project errors, not the size of the project. However, if
extensive testing is still not justified, risk analysis is again needed and the same
considerations as described previously in 'What if there isn't enough time for
thorough testing?' apply. The tester might then do ad hoc testing, or write up a
limited test plan based on the risk analysis.
144. What if the application has functionality that wasn't in the
requirements?
It may take serious effort to determine if an application has significant unexpected
or hidden functionality, and it would indicate deeper problems in the software
development process. If the functionality isn't necessary to the purpose of the
application, it should be removed, as it may have unknown impacts or
dependencies that were not taken into account by the designer or the customer. If
not removed, design information will be needed to determine added testing needs
or regression testing needs. Management should be made aware of any significant
added risks as a result of the unexpected functionality. If the functionality only
effects areas such as minor improvements in the user interface, for example, it
may not be a significant risk.
145. How can Software QA processes be implemented without stifling
productivity?
By implementing QA processes slowly over time, using consensus to reach
agreement on processes, and adjusting and experimenting as an organization
grows and matures, productivity will be improved instead of stifled. Problem

prevention will lessen the need for problem detection, panics and burn-out will
decrease, and there will be improved focus and less wasted effort. At the same
time, attempts should be made to keep processes simple and efficient, minimize
paperwork, promote computer-based processes and automated tracking and
reporting, minimize time required in meetings, and promote training as part of the
QA process. However, no one - especially talented technical types - likes rules or
bureaucracy, and in the short run things may slow down a bit. A typical scenario
would be that more days of planning and development will be needed, but less
time will be required for late-night bug-fixing and calming of irate customers.
146. What if an organization is growing so fast that fixed QA processes
are impossible?
This is a common problem in the software industry, especially in new technology
areas. There is no easy solution in this situation, other than: - Hire good people Management should 'ruthlessly prioritize' quality issues and maintain focus on the
customer - Everyone in the organization should be clear on what 'quality' means to
the customer
147. How does a client/server environment affect testing?
Client/server applications can be quite complex due to the multiple dependencies
among clients, data communications, hardware, and servers. Thus testing
requirements can be extensive. When time is limited (as it usually is) the focus
should be on integration and system testing. Additionally, load/stress/performance
testing may be useful in determining client/server application limitations and
capabilities. There are commercial tools to assist with such testing.
148.How can World Wide Web sites be tested?
Web sites are essentially client/server applications - with web servers and
'browser' clients. Consideration should be given to the interactions between html
pages, TCP/IP communications, Internet connections, firewalls, applications that
run in web pages (such as applets, javascript, plug-in applications), and
applications that run on the server side (such as cgi scripts, database interfaces,
logging applications, dynamic page generators, asp, etc.). Additionally, there are a
wide variety of servers and browsers, various versions of each, small but
sometimes significant differences between them, variations in connection speeds,
rapidly changing technologies, and multiple standards and protocols. The end
result is that testing for web sites can become a major ongoing effort. Other
considerations might include: - What are the expected loads on the server (e.g.,
number of hits per unit time?), and what kind of performance is required under
such loads (such as web server response time, database query response times).
What kinds of tools will be needed for performance testing (such as web load
testing tools, other tools already in house that can be adapted, web robot
downloading tools, etc.)? - Who is the target audience? What kind of browsers will
they be using? What kind of connection speeds will they by using? Are they intraorganization (thus with likely high connection speeds and similar browsers) or
Internet-wide (thus with a wide variety of connection speeds and browser types)? What kind of performance is expected on the client side (e.g., how fast should
pages appear, how fast should animations, applets, etc. load and run)? - Will down

time for server and content maintenance/upgrades be allowed? how much? - What
kinds of security (firewalls, encryptions, passwords, etc.) will be required and what
is it expected to do? How can it be tested? - How reliable are the site's Internet
connections required to be? And how does that affect backup system or redundant
connection requirements and testing? - What processes will be required to manage
updates to the web site's content, and what are the requirements for maintaining,
tracking, and controlling page content, graphics, links, etc.? - Which HTML
specification will be adhered to? How strictly? What variations will be allowed for
targeted browsers? - Will there be any standards or requirements for page
appearance and/or graphics throughout a site or parts of a site?? - How will
internal and external links be validated and updated? how often? - Can testing be
done on the production system, or will a separate test system be required? How
are browser caching, variations in browser option settings, dial-up connection
variabilities, and real-world internet 'traffic congestion' problems to be accounted
for in testing?- How extensive or customized are the server logging and reporting
requirements; are they considered an integral part of the system and do they
require testing?- How are cgi programs, applets, javascripts, ActiveX components,
etc. to be maintained, tracked, controlled, and tested? - Pages should be 3-5
screens max unless content is tightly focused on a single topic. If larger, provide
internal links within the page. - The page layouts and design elements should be
consistent throughout a site, so that it's clear to the user that they're still within a
site. - Pages should be as browser-independent as possible, or pages should be
provided or generated based on the browser-type. - All pages should have links
external to the page; there should be no dead-end pages. - The page owner,
revision date, and a link to a contact person or organization should be included on
each page.
149. How is testing affected by object-oriented designs?
Well-engineered object-oriented design can make it easier to trace from code to
internal design to functional design to requirements. While there will be little affect
on black box testing (where an understanding of the internal design of the
application is unnecessary), white-box testing can be oriented to the application's
objects. If the application was well-designed this can simplify test design.
150. What is Extreme Programming and what's it got to do with testing?
Extreme Programming (XP) is a software development approach for small teams
on risk-prone projects with unstable requirements. It was created by Kent Beck
who described the approach in his book 'Extreme Programming Explained'. Testing
('extreme testing') is a core aspect of Extreme Programming. Programmers are
expected to write unit and functional test code first - before the application is
developed. Test code is under source control along with the rest of the code.
Customers are expected to be an integral part of the project team and to help
develop scenarios for acceptance/black box testing. Acceptance tests are
preferably automated, and are modified and rerun for each of the frequent
development iterations. QA and test personnel are also required to be an integral
part of the project team. Detailed requirements documentation is not used, and
frequent re-scheduling, re-estimating, and re-prioritizing is expected.

151. Will automated testing tools make testing easier?

- Possibly. For small projects, the time needed to learn and implement them may
not be worth it. For larger projects, or on-going long-term projects they can be
valuable. - A common type of automated tool is the 'record/playback' type. For
example, a tester could click through all combinations of menu choices, dialog box
choices, buttons, etc. in an application GUI and have them 'recorded' and the
results logged by a tool. The 'recording' is typically in the form of text based on a
scripting language that is interpretable by the testing tool. If new buttons are
added, or some underlying code in the application is changed, etc. the application
can then be retested by just 'playing back' the 'recorded' actions, and comparing
the logging results to check effects of the changes. The problem with such tools is
that if there are continual changes to the system being tested, the 'recordings'
may have to be changed so much that it becomes very time-consuming to
continuously update the scripts. Additionally, interpretation of results (screens,
data, logs, etc.) can be a difficult task. Note that there are record/playback tools
for text-based interfaces also, and for all types of platforms.- Other automated
tools can include: code analyzers - monitor code complexity, adherence to
standards, etc. coverage analyzers - these tools check which parts of the code
have been exercised by a test, and may be oriented to code statement coverage,
condition coverage, path coverage, etc. memory analyzers - such as boundscheckers and leak detectors. load/performance test tools - for testing client/server
and web applications under various load levels. web test tools - to check that links
are valid, HTML code usage is correct, client-side and server-side programs work,
a web site's interactions are secure. other tools - for test case management,
documentation management, bug reporting, and configuration management.
152. What's the difference between black box and white box testing?
Black-box and white-box are test design methods. Black-box test design treats the
system as a black-box, so it doesn't explicitly use knowledge of the internal
structure. Black-box test design is usually described as focusing on testing
functional requirements. Synonyms for black-box include: behavioral, functional,
opaque-box, and closed-box. White-box test design allows one to peek inside the
box, and it focuses specifically on using internal knowledge of the software to
guide the selection of test data. Synonyms for white-box include: structural, glassbox and clear-box. While black-box and white-box are terms that are still in
popular use, many people prefer the terms 'behavioral' and 'structural'. Behavioral
test design is slightly different from black-box test design because the use of
internal knowledge isn't strictly forbidden, but it's still discouraged. In practice, it
hasn't proven useful to use a single test design method. One has to use a mixture
of different methods so that they aren't hindered by the limitations of a particular
one. Some call this 'gray-box' or 'translucent-box' test design, but others wish
we'd stop talking about boxes altogether.It is important to understand that these
methods are used during the test design phase, and their influence is hard to see
in the tests once they're implemented. Note that any level of testing (unit testing,
system testing, etc.) can use any test design methods. Unit testing is usually
associated with structural test design, but this is because testers usually don't
have well-defined requirements at the unit level to validate.

153. What kinds of testing should be considered?

Black box testing - not based on any knowledge of internal design or code. Tests
are based on requirements and functionality. White box testing - based on
knowledge of the internal logic of an application's code. Tests are based on
coverage of code statements, branches, paths, conditions.unit testing - the most
'micro' scale of testing; to test particular functions or code modules. Typically done
by the programmer and not by testers, as it requires detailed knowledge of the
internal program design and code. Not always easily done unless the application
has a well-designed architecture with tight code; may require developing test
driver modules or test harnesses. incremental integration testing - continuous
testing of an application as new functionality is added; requires that various
aspects of an application's functionality be independent enough to work separately
before all parts of the program are completed, or that test drivers be developed as
needed; done by programmers or by testers. integration testing - testing of
combined parts of an application to determine if they function together correctly.
The 'parts' can be code modules, individual applications, client and server
applications on a network, etc. This type of testing is especially relevant to
client/server and distributed systems. functional testing - black-box type testing
geared to functional requirements of an application; this type of testing should be
done by testers. This doesn't mean that the programmers shouldn't check that
their code works before releasing it (which of course applies to any stage of
testing.) system testing - black-box type testing that is based on overall
requirements specifications; covers all combined parts of a system. end-to-end
testing - similar to system testing; the 'macro' end of the test scale; involves
testing of a complete application environment in a situation that mimics real-world
use, such as interacting with a database, using network communications, or
interacting with other hardware, applications, or systems if appropriate. sanity
testing or smoke testing - typically an initial testing effort to determine if a new
software version is performing well enough to accept it for a major testing effort.
For example, if the new software is crashing systems every 5 minutes, bogging
down systems to a crawl, or corrupting databases, the software may not be in a
'sane' enough condition to warrant further testing in its current state. regression
testing - re-testing after fixes or modifications of the software or its environment.
It can be difficult to determine how much re-testing is needed, especially near the
end of the development cycle. Automated testing tools can be especially useful for
this type of testing. acceptance testing - final testing based on specifications of the
end-user or customer, or based on use by end-users/customers over some limited
period of time. load testing - testing an application under heavy loads, such as
testing of a web site under a range of loads to determine at what point the
system's response time degrades or fails.stress testing - term often used
interchangeably with 'load' and 'performance' testing. Also used to describe such
tests as system functional testing while under unusually heavy loads, heavy
repetition of certain actions or inputs, input of large numerical values, large
complex queries to a database system, etc. performance testing - term often used
interchangeably with 'stress' and 'load' testing. Ideally 'performance' testing (and
any other 'type' of testing) is defined in requirements documentation or QA or Test
Plans.usability testing - testing for 'user-friendliness'. Clearly this is subjective, and
will depend on the targeted end-user or customer. User interviews, surveys, video

recording of user sessions, and other techniques can be used. Programmers and
testers are usually not appropriate as usability testers. install/uninstall testing testing of full, partial, or upgrade install/uninstall processes. recovery testing testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardware failures, or other
catastrophic problems. failover testing - typically used interchangeably with
'recovery testing'security testing - testing how well the system protects against
unauthorized internal or external access, willful damage, etc; may require
sophisticated testing techniques. compatibility testing - testing how well software
performs in a particular hardware/software/operating system/network/etc.
environment. exploratory testing - often taken to mean a creative, informal
software test that is not based on formal test plans or test cases; testers may be
learning the software as they test it. ad-hoc testing - similar to exploratory testing,
but often taken to mean that the testers have significant understanding of the
software before testing it. context-driven testing - testing driven by an
understanding of the environment, culture, and intended use of software. For
example, the testing approach for life-critical medical equipment software would
be completely different than that for a low-cost computer game. user acceptance
testing - determining if software is satisfactory to an end-user or customer.
comparison testing - comparing software weaknesses and strengths to competing
products. alpha testing - testing of an application when development is nearing
completion; minor design changes may still be made as a result of such testing.
Typically done by end-users or others, not by programmers or testers. beta testing
- testing when development and testing are essentially completed and final bugs
and problems need to be found before final release. Typically done by end-users or
others, not by programmers or testers. mutation testing - a method for
determining if a set of test data or test cases is useful, by deliberately introducing
various code changes ('bugs') and retesting with the original test data/cases to
determine if the 'bugs' are detected. Proper implementation requires large
computational resources.
154. Why is it often hard for management to get serious about quality
assurance?
Solving problems is a high-visibility process; preventing problems is lowvisibility.This is illustrated by an old parable:In ancient China there was a family of
healers, one of whom was known throughout the land and employed as a physician
to a great lord. The physician was asked which of his family was the most skillful
healer. He replied, "I tend to the sick and dying with drastic and dramatic
treatments, and on occasion someone is cured and my name gets out among the
lords.""My elder brother cures sickness when it just begins to take root, and his
skills are known among the local peasants and neighbors." "My eldest brother is
able to sense the spirit of sickness and eradicate it before it takes form. His name
is unknown outside our home."
155. Why does software have bugs?
1. Miscommunication or no communication - as to specifics of what an application
should or shouldn't do (the application's requirements). 2. Software complexity the complexity of current software applications can be difficult to comprehend for
anyone without experience in modern-day software development. Multi-tiered

applications, client-server and distributed applications, data communications,

enormous relational databases, and sheer size of applications have all contributed
to the exponential growth in software/system complexity. programming errors programmers, like anyone else, can make mistakes. 3. Changing requirements
(whether documented or undocumented) - the end-user may not understand the
effects of changes, or may understand and request them anyway - redesign,
rescheduling of engineers, effects on other projects, work already completed that
may have to be redone or thrown out, hardware requirements that may be
affected, etc. If there are many minor changes or any major changes, known and
unknown dependencies among parts of the project are likely to interact and cause
problems, and the complexity of coordinating changes may result in errors.
Enthusiasm of engineering staff may be affected. In some fast-changing business
environments, continuously modified requirements may be a fact of life. In this
case, management must understand the resulting risks, and QA and test engineers
must adapt and plan for continuous extensive testing to keep the inevitable bugs
from running out of control. 3. Poorly documented code - it's tough to maintain
and modify code that is badly written or poorly documented; the result is bugs. In
many organizations management provides no incentive for programmers to
document their code or write clear, understandable, maintainable code. In fact, it's
usually the opposite: they get points mostly for quickly turning out code, and
there's job security if nobody else can understand it ('if it was hard to write, it
should be hard to read'). 4. software development tools - visual tools, class
libraries, compilers, scripting tools, etc. often introduce their own bugs or are
poorly documented, resulting in added bugs.
156. How can new Software QA processes be introduced in an existing
organization?
A lot depends on the size of the organization and the risks involved. For large
organizations with high-risk (in terms of lives or property) projects, serious
management buy-in is required and a formalized QA process is necessary. Where
the risk is lower, management and organizational buy-in and QA implementation
may be a slower, step-at-a-time process. QA processes should be balanced with
productivity so as to keep bureaucracy from getting out of hand. For small groups
or projects, a more ad-hoc process may be appropriate, depending on the type of
customers and projects. A lot will depend on team leads or managers, feedback to
developers, and ensuring adequate communications among customers, managers,
developers, and testers. The most value for effort will often be in (a) requirements
management processes, with a goal of clear, complete, testable requirement
specifications embodied in requirements or design documentation, or in 'agile'-type
environments extensive continuous coordination with end-users, (b) design
inspections and code inspections, and (c) post-mortems/retrospectives.
157. how do the companies expect the defect reporting to be
communicated by the tester to the development team. Can the excel sheet
template be used for defect reporting. If so what are the common fields
that are to be included ? who assigns the priority and severity of the
defect
To report bugs in excel: Sno. Module Screen/ Section Issue detail SeverityPriority

Issuestatusthis is how to report bugs in excel sheet and also set filters on the
Columns attributes.But most of the companies use the share point process of
reporting bugs In this when the project came for testing a module wise detail of
project is inserted to the defect management system they are using. It contains
following field1. Date2. Issue brief3. Issue description (used for developer to
regenerate the issue)4. Issue status ( active, resolved, onhold, suspend and not
able to regenerate)5. Assign to (Names of members allocated to project)6. Priority
(High, medium and low)7. severity (Major, medium and low)
158. What are the tables in testplans and testcases?
Test plan is a document that contains the scope, approach, test design and test
strategies. It includes the following:-1. Test case identifier2. Scope3.Features to be
tested4. Features not to be tested.5. Test strategy.6. Test Approach7. Test
Deliverables8. Responsibilities.9 Staffing and Training10.Risk and Contingencies11.
ApprovalWhile A test case is a noted/documented set of steps/activities that are
carried out or executed on the software in order to confirm its
functionality/behavior to certain set of inputs.
159. What are the table contents in testplans and test cases?
Test Plan is a document which is prepared with the details of the testing priority. A
test Plan generally includes: 1. Objective of Testing2. Scope of Testing3. Reason
for testing4. Timeframe5. Environment6. Entrance and exit criteria7. Risk factors
involved8. Deliverables
160. What automating testing tools are you familiar with?
Win Runner , Load runner, QTP , Silk Performer, Test director, Rational robot, QA
run.
161. How did you use automating testing tools in your job?
1. For regression testing2. Criteria to decide the condition of a particular build3.
Describe some problem that you had with automating testing tool.The problem of
winrunner identifying the third party controls like infragistics control.
162. How do you plan test automation?
1. Prepare the automation Test plan2. Identify the scenario3. Record the
scenario4. Enhance the scripts by inserting check points and Conditional Loops5.
Incorporated Error Handler6. Debug the script7. Fix the issue8. Rerun the script
and report the result.
163. Can test automation improve test effectiveness?
Yes, Automating a test makes the test process:1.Fast2.Reliable3.
Repeatable4.Programmable5.Reusable6.Comprehensive6. What is data - driven
automation?Testing the functionality with more test cases becomes laborious as
the functionality grows. For multiple sets of data (test cases), you can execute the
test once in which you can figure out for which data it has failed and for which
data, the test has passed. This feature is available in the WinRunner with the data
driven test where the data can be taken from an excel sheet or notepad.

164. What are the main attributes of test automation?

software test automation attributes :Maintainability - the effort needed to update
the test automation suites for each new releaseReliability - the accuracy and
repeatability of the test automationFlexibility - the ease of working with all the
different kinds of automation test wareEfficiency - the total cost related to the
effort needed for the automationPortability - the ability of the automated test to
run on different environmentsRobustness - the effectiveness of automation on an
unstable or rapidly changing systemUsability - the extent to which automation can
be used by different types of users
165. Does automation replace manual testing?
There can be some functionality which cannot be tested in an automated tool so
we may have to do it manually. therefore manual testing can never be replaced.
(We can write the scripts for negative testing also but it is hectic task).When we
talk about real environment we do negative testing manually.
166. How will you choose a tool for test automation?
choosing of a tool depends on many things ...1. Application to be tested2. Test
environment3. Scope and limitation of the tool.4. Feature of the tool.5. Cost of the
tool.6. Whether the tool is compatible with your application which means tool
should be able to interact with your application7. Ease of use
167. How you will evaluate the tool for test automation?
We need to concentrate on the features of the tools and how this could be
beneficial for our project. The additional new features and the enhancements of
the features will also help.
168. What are main benefits of test automation?
FAST ,RELIABLE,COMPREHENSIVE,REUSABLE
169. What could go wrong with test automation?
1. The choice of automation tool for certain technologies 2. Wrong set of test
automated
170. How you will describe testing activities?
Testing activities start from the elaboration phase. The various testing activities
are preparing the test plan, Preparing test cases, Execute the test case, Log the
bug, validate the bug & take appropriate action for the bug, Automate the test
cases.
171. What testing activities you may want to automate?
Automate all the high priority test cases which needs to be executed as a part of
regression testing for each build cycle.
172. Describe common problems of test automation.
The common problems are:1. Maintenance of the old script when there is a feature
change or enhancement2. The change in technology of the application will affect
the old scripts

173. What types of scripting techniques for test automation do you know?
5 types of scripting techniques:LinearStructuredSharedData DrivenKey Driven
174. What are principles of good testing scripts for automation?
1. Proper code guiding standards2. Standard format for defining functions,
exception handler etc3. Comments for functions4. Proper errorhandling
mechanisms5. The appropriate synchronisation techniques18. What tools are
available for support of testing during software development life cycle?Testing
tools for regression and load/stress testing for regression testing like, QTP, load
runner, rational robot, winrunner, silk, testcomplete, Astra are available in the
market. -For defect tracking BugZilla, Test Runner are available.
175. Can the activities of test case design be automated?
As I know it, test case design is about formulating the steps to be carried out to
verify something about the application under test. And this cannot be automated.
However, I agree that the process of putting the test results into the excel sheet.
176. What are the limitations of automating software testing?
Hard-to-create environments like out of memory, invalid input/reply, and
corrupt registry entries make applications behave poorly and existing automated
tools cant force these condition - they simply test your application in normal
environment.
177. What skills needed to be a good test automator?
1.Good Logic for programming.2. Analytical skills.3.Pessimestic in Nature.
178. How to find that tools work well with your existing system?
1. Discuss with the support officials2. Download the trial version of the tool and
evaluate3. Get suggestions from people who are working on the tool
179. Describe some problem that you had with automating testing tool
1. The inability of winrunner to identify the third party control like infragistics
controls2. The change of the location of the table object will cause object not found
error.3. The inability of the winrunner to execute the script against multiple
languages
180. What are the main attributes of test automation?
Maintainability, Reliability, Flexibility, Efficiency, Portability, Robustness, and
Usability - these are the main attributes in test automation.
181. What testing activities you may want to automate in a project?
Testing tools can be used for :* Sanity tests(which is repeated on every build),*
stress/Load tests(U simulate a large no of users, which is manually impossible) &*
Regression tests(which are done after every code change)
182. How to find that tools work well with your existing system?
To find this, select the suite of tests which are most important for your application.

First run them with automated tool. Next subject the same tests to careful manual
testing. If the results are coinciding you can say your testing tool has been
performing.
183. How will you test the field that generates auto numbers of AUT when
we click the button 'NEW" in the application?
We can create a textfile in a certain location, and update the auto generated value
each time we run the test and compare the currently generated value with the
previous one will be one solution.
184. How will you evaluate the fields in the application under test using
automation tool?
We can use Verification points(rational Robot) to validate the fields .Ex.Using
objectdata, objectdata properties VP we can validate fields.
185. Can we perform the test of single application at the same time using
different tools on the same machine?
No. The Testing Tools will be in the ambiguity to determine which browser is
opened by which tool.
186. Difference between Web application Testing and Client Server
Testing. State the different types for Web application Testing and Client
Server Testing types?
which winrunner 7.2 version compatible with internet explorer, firefox
187. What is 'configuration management'?
Configuration management is a process to control and document any changes
made during the life of a project. Revision control, Change Control, and Release
Control are important aspects of Configuration Management.
188. How to test the Web applications?
The basic difference in webtesting is here we have to test for URL's coverage and
links coverage. Using WinRunner we can conduct webtesting. But we have to make
sure that Webtest option is selected in "Add in Manager". Using WR we cannot test
XML objects.
189. What are the problems encountered during the testing the
application compatibility on different browsers and on different operating
systems
Font issues, alignment issues
190. How testing is proceeded when SRS or any other document is not
given?

If SRS is not there we can perform Exploratory testing. In Exploratory testing the
basic module is executed and depending on its results, the next plan is executed.

191. How do we test for severe memory leakages ?

By using Endurance Testing . Endurance Testing means checking for memory leaks
or other problems that may occur with prolonged execution.
192. What is the difference between quality assurance and testing?
Quality assurance involves the entire software development process and testing
involves operation of a system or application to evaluate the results under certain
conditions. QA is oriented to prevention and Testing is oriented to detection.
193. Why does software have bugs?
1.miscommunication2.programming errors3.time pressures.4.changing
194. What is memory leaks and buffer overflows ?
Memory leaks means incomplete deallocation - are bugs that happen very often.
Buffer overflow means data sent as input to the server that overflows the
boundaries of the input area, thus causing the server to misbehave. Buffer
overflows can be used.
195. What are the major differences between stress testing,load
testing,Volume testing?
Stress testing means increasing the load ,and checking the performance at each
level. Load testing means at a time giving more load by the expectation and
checking the performance at that level. Volume testing means first we have to
apply initial.
196. What is Exhaustive Testing?
Testing which covers all combinations of input values and preconditions for an
element of the software under test.
197. What is Functional Decomposition?
A technique used during planning, analysis and design; creates a functional
hierarchy for the software.
198. What is Functional Specification?
A document that describes in detail the characteristics of the product with regard
to its intended features.