ISTQB FOUNDATION LEVEL
GLOSSARY (2025) QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
Acceptance Criteria - ....ANSWER ...-The criteria that a component or system
must satisfy in order to be accepted by a user, customer, or other authorized entity.
Acceptance Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Formal testing with respect to user needs,
requirements, and business processes conducted to determine whether or not a system
satisfies the acceptance criteria and to enable the user, customers or other authorized
entity to determine whether or not to accept the system.
Accessibility - ....ANSWER ...-The degree to which a component or system can be
used by people with the widest range of characteristics and capabilities to achieve a
specified goal in a specified context of use.
Accessibility Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Testing to determine the ease by which
users with disabilities can use a component or system.
Actual Result / Outcome - ....ANSWER ...-The behavior produced/observed when
a component or system is tested.
Ad-hoc Reviewing - ....ANSWER ...-A review technique carried out by independent
reviewers informally, without a structured process.
....FOR STUDY PURPOSES...©️2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED... 1
,Alpha Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Simulated or actual operational testing by
potential users/customers or an independent test team at the developers' site, but
outside the development organization.
Alpha testing is often employed for off-the-shelf software as a form of internal
acceptance testing.
Anomaly / Defect / Error / Fault / Failure / Incident / Problem -
....ANSWER ...-Any condition that deviates from expectation based on
requirements specifications, design documents, user documents, standards, etc., or from
someone's perception or experience. Anomalies may be found during, but not limited to,
reviewing, testing, analysis, compilation, or use of software products or applicable
documentation.
Audit - ....ANSWER ...-An independent examination of a work product, process, or
set of processes that is performed by a third party to assess compliance with
specifications, standards, contractual agreements, or other criteria.
Availability - ....ANSWER ...-The degree to which a component or system is
operational and accessible when required for use.
Behavior - ....ANSWER ...-The response of a component or system to a set of
input, values and preconditions.
Beta Testing / Field Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Simulated or actual operational
testing conducted at an external site, by roles outside the development organization.
....FOR STUDY PURPOSES...©️2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED... 2
,Black-Box Test Technique / Specification-based Technique - ....ANSWER ...-A
procedure to derive and/or select test cases based on an analysis of the specification,
either functional or non-functional, of a component or system without reference to its
internal structure.
Boundary Value - ....ANSWER ...-A minimum or maximum value of an ordered
equivalence partition.
Boundary Value Analysis - ....ANSWER ...-A black-box test technique in which
test cases are designed based on boundary values.
Burndown Chart - ....ANSWER ...-A publicly displayed chart that depicts the
outstanding effort versus time in an iteration. It shows the status and trend of
completing the tasks of the iteration. The X-axis typically
represents days in the sprint, while the Y-axis is the remaining effort (usually either in
ideal engineering hours or story points).
Checklist-based Reviewing - ....ANSWER ...-A review technique guided by a list of
questions or required attributes.
Checklist-based Testing - ....ANSWER ...-An experience-based test design
technique whereby the experienced tester uses a high-level list of items to be noted,
checked, or remembered, or a set of rules or criteria against which a product has to be
verified.
Code Coverage - ....ANSWER ...-An analysis method that determines which parts
of the software have been executed (covered) by the test suite and which parts have not
been executed, e.g. statement coverage, decision coverage or condition coverage.
....FOR STUDY PURPOSES...©️2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED... 3
, Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) / Off-the-Shelf Software - ....ANSWER ...-A
software product that is developed for the general market, i.e. for a large number of
customers, and that is delivered to many customers in identical format.
Compatibility - ....ANSWER ...-The degree to which a component or system can
exchange information with other components or systems.
Complexity - ....ANSWER ...-The degree to which a component or system has a
design and/or internal structure that is difficult to understand, maintain and verify.
Compliance - ....ANSWER ...-The capability of the software product to adhere to
standards, conventions or regulations in laws and similar prescriptions.
Component / Module / Unit - ....ANSWER ...-A minimal part of a system that can
be tested in isolation.
Component Integration Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Testing performed to expose
defects in the interfaces and interaction between integrated components.
Component Specification - ....ANSWER ...-A description of a component's
function in terms of its output values for specified input values under specified
conditions, and required non-functional behavior (e.g. resource-utilization).
Component / Module / Unit Testing - ....ANSWER ...-The testing of individual
hardware or software components.
Condition / Branch Condition - ....ANSWER ...-A logical expression that can be
evaluated as True of False.
....FOR STUDY PURPOSES...©️2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED... 4
GLOSSARY (2025) QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
Acceptance Criteria - ....ANSWER ...-The criteria that a component or system
must satisfy in order to be accepted by a user, customer, or other authorized entity.
Acceptance Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Formal testing with respect to user needs,
requirements, and business processes conducted to determine whether or not a system
satisfies the acceptance criteria and to enable the user, customers or other authorized
entity to determine whether or not to accept the system.
Accessibility - ....ANSWER ...-The degree to which a component or system can be
used by people with the widest range of characteristics and capabilities to achieve a
specified goal in a specified context of use.
Accessibility Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Testing to determine the ease by which
users with disabilities can use a component or system.
Actual Result / Outcome - ....ANSWER ...-The behavior produced/observed when
a component or system is tested.
Ad-hoc Reviewing - ....ANSWER ...-A review technique carried out by independent
reviewers informally, without a structured process.
....FOR STUDY PURPOSES...©️2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED... 1
,Alpha Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Simulated or actual operational testing by
potential users/customers or an independent test team at the developers' site, but
outside the development organization.
Alpha testing is often employed for off-the-shelf software as a form of internal
acceptance testing.
Anomaly / Defect / Error / Fault / Failure / Incident / Problem -
....ANSWER ...-Any condition that deviates from expectation based on
requirements specifications, design documents, user documents, standards, etc., or from
someone's perception or experience. Anomalies may be found during, but not limited to,
reviewing, testing, analysis, compilation, or use of software products or applicable
documentation.
Audit - ....ANSWER ...-An independent examination of a work product, process, or
set of processes that is performed by a third party to assess compliance with
specifications, standards, contractual agreements, or other criteria.
Availability - ....ANSWER ...-The degree to which a component or system is
operational and accessible when required for use.
Behavior - ....ANSWER ...-The response of a component or system to a set of
input, values and preconditions.
Beta Testing / Field Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Simulated or actual operational
testing conducted at an external site, by roles outside the development organization.
....FOR STUDY PURPOSES...©️2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED... 2
,Black-Box Test Technique / Specification-based Technique - ....ANSWER ...-A
procedure to derive and/or select test cases based on an analysis of the specification,
either functional or non-functional, of a component or system without reference to its
internal structure.
Boundary Value - ....ANSWER ...-A minimum or maximum value of an ordered
equivalence partition.
Boundary Value Analysis - ....ANSWER ...-A black-box test technique in which
test cases are designed based on boundary values.
Burndown Chart - ....ANSWER ...-A publicly displayed chart that depicts the
outstanding effort versus time in an iteration. It shows the status and trend of
completing the tasks of the iteration. The X-axis typically
represents days in the sprint, while the Y-axis is the remaining effort (usually either in
ideal engineering hours or story points).
Checklist-based Reviewing - ....ANSWER ...-A review technique guided by a list of
questions or required attributes.
Checklist-based Testing - ....ANSWER ...-An experience-based test design
technique whereby the experienced tester uses a high-level list of items to be noted,
checked, or remembered, or a set of rules or criteria against which a product has to be
verified.
Code Coverage - ....ANSWER ...-An analysis method that determines which parts
of the software have been executed (covered) by the test suite and which parts have not
been executed, e.g. statement coverage, decision coverage or condition coverage.
....FOR STUDY PURPOSES...©️2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED... 3
, Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) / Off-the-Shelf Software - ....ANSWER ...-A
software product that is developed for the general market, i.e. for a large number of
customers, and that is delivered to many customers in identical format.
Compatibility - ....ANSWER ...-The degree to which a component or system can
exchange information with other components or systems.
Complexity - ....ANSWER ...-The degree to which a component or system has a
design and/or internal structure that is difficult to understand, maintain and verify.
Compliance - ....ANSWER ...-The capability of the software product to adhere to
standards, conventions or regulations in laws and similar prescriptions.
Component / Module / Unit - ....ANSWER ...-A minimal part of a system that can
be tested in isolation.
Component Integration Testing - ....ANSWER ...-Testing performed to expose
defects in the interfaces and interaction between integrated components.
Component Specification - ....ANSWER ...-A description of a component's
function in terms of its output values for specified input values under specified
conditions, and required non-functional behavior (e.g. resource-utilization).
Component / Module / Unit Testing - ....ANSWER ...-The testing of individual
hardware or software components.
Condition / Branch Condition - ....ANSWER ...-A logical expression that can be
evaluated as True of False.
....FOR STUDY PURPOSES...©️2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED... 4
