ISTQB FOUNDATION LEVEL
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
False-fail6result6-6ans--test6result6-6defect6reported6but6no6defect6exists6in6test6object
Error6-6Mistake6-6ans--Human6action6produces6an6incorrect6result
Defect6(bug,6fault)6-6ans--
Flaw6in6a6component6or6system6causing6component6or6system6to6fail6to6perform6required
6function.
Failure6-6ans--
Deviation6of6the6component6or6system6from6its6expected6delivery,6service6or6result.
Quality6-6ans--
The6degree6to6which6a6component,6system6or6process6meets6specified6requirements6an
d/or6user/customer6needs6and6expectations.
Risk6-6ans--
A6factor6that6could6result6in6future6negative6consequences;6usually6expressed6as6impact6
and6likelihood.
False-pass6result6-6ans--
A6test6result6which6fails6to6identify6the6presence6of6a6defect6that6is6actually6present6in6the
6test6object.
Testing6-6ans--Also6know6as6evaluation.6The6process6consisting6of6all6life-
cycle6activities6both6static6and6dynamic,6concerned6with6planning,6preparation,6and6eval
uation6of6software6products6and6related6work6products6to6determine6that6they6are6fit6for6p
urpose6and6to6detect6defects.
Requirement6-6ans--
A6condition6or6capability6needed6by6a6user6to6solve6a6problem6or6achieve6an6objective6th
at6must6be6met6or6possessed6by6a6system6or6system6component6to6satisfy6a6contract,6st
andard,6specification,6or6other6formally6imposed6document.
,Review6-6ans--
An6evaluation6of6a6product6or6project6status6to6ascertain6discrepancies6from6planned6res
ults6and6to6recommend6improvements.6Examples6include6management6review,6informal6
review,6technical6review,6inspection,6and6walkthrough.
Debugging6-6ans--
The6process6of6finding,6analyzing,6and6removing6the6causes6of6failures6in6software.
Confirmation6testing6(re-testing)6-6ans--
Testing6that6runs6test6cases6that6failed6the6last6time6they6were6run,6in6order6to6verify6the6
success6of6corrective6actions.
Test6Strategy6-6ans--A6high-
level6description6of6the6test6levels6to6be6performed6and6the6testing6within6those6levels6for6
an6organization6or6program6(one6or6more6projects)
Test6Execution6-6ans--
The6process6of6running6a6test6on6the6component6or6system6under6test,6producing6actual6
results
Test6approach6-6ans--The6implementation6of6the6test6strategy6for6a6specific6project.
Test6Plan6-6ans--
A6document6describing6the6scope,6approach,6resources,6and6schedule6of6intended6test6a
ctivities.6It6identifies6among6others6test6items,6the6features6to6be6tested,6the6testing6tasks,
6who6will6do6each6task,6degree6of6test6independence, 6the6test6environment,6the6test6desi
gn6techniques,6and6entry6an6exit6criteria6to6be6used,6and6the6rationale6for6their6choice,6an
d6any6risks6requiring6contingency6planning.6It6is6a6record6of6the6test6planning6process.
Test6monitoring6-6ans--
A6test6management6task6that6deals6with6the6activities6related6to6periodically6checking6the
6status6of6a6test6project.6Reports6are6prepared6that6compare6the6actuals6to6that6which6wa
s6planned.
Test6condition6-6ans--
An6item6or6event6of6a6component6or6system6that6could6be6verified6by6one6or6more6test6ca
ses,6e.g.6a6function,6transaction,6feature,6quality6attribute,6or6structural6element.
Test6basis6-6ans--
All6documents6from6which6the6requirements6of6a6component6or6system6can6be6inferred.6t
he6documentation6on6which6the6test6cases6are6based.6If6a6document6can6be6amended6o
nly6by6way6of6formal6amendment6procedure,6then6the6test6basis6is6called6a6frozen6test6ba
sis.
,Test6Data6-6ans--
Data6the6exists6before6a6test6is6executed,6and6that6affects6or6is6affected6by6the6compone
nt6or6system6under6test.6Example6-6in6a6database
Coverage6(test6coverage)6-6ans--
The6degree,6expressed6as6a6percentage,6to6which6a6specified6coverage6item6has6been6e
xercised6by6a6test6suite.
Test6procedure6specification6(test6procedure,6test6script,6manual6test6script)6-6ans--
A6document6specifying6a6sequence6of6actions6for6the6execution6of6a6test.
Test6Suite6-6ans--
A6set6of6several6test6cases6for6a6component6or6system6under6test,6where6the6post6conditi
on6of6one6test6if6often6used6as6the6precondition6for6the6next6one.
Incident6-6ans--Also6known6as6deviation.6Any6event6occurring6that6requires6investigation.
Testware6-6ans--
Artifacts6produced6during6the6test6process6required6to6plan,6design,6and6execute6tests,6s
uch6as6documentation,6scripts,6inputs,6expected6results,6set-up,6and6clear-
up6procedures,6files,6databases,6environment,6and6any6additional6software6or6utilities6us
ed6in6testing.
Regression6testing6-6ans--
Testing6of6a6previously6tested6program6following6modification6to6ensure6that6defects6hav
e6not6been6introduced6or6uncovered6in6unchanged6areas6of6the6software,6as6a6result6of6t
he6changes6made.6It6is6performed6when6the6software6or6its6environment6is6changed.
Exit6Criteria6-6ans--
The6set6of6generic6and6specific6conditions,6agreed6upon6with6the6stakeholders,6for6permit
ting6a6process6to6be6officially6completed.6The6purpose6of6exit6criteria6is6to6prevent6a6task6
from6being6considered6completed6when6there6are6still6outstanding6parts6of6the6task6that6
have6not6been6finished.6Exit6criteria6are6used6to6report6against6and6to6plan6when6to6stop6
testing.
Test6log6-6ans--A6chronological6record6of6relevant6details6about6the6execution6of6tests.
Test6summary6report6-6ans--
A6document6summarizing6testing6activities6and6results.6It6is6also6contains6an6evaluation6
of6the6corresponding6test6items6against6exist6criteria.
Error6Guessing6-6ans--
A6test6design6technique6where6the6experience6of6the6test6is6used6to6anticipate6what6defe
cts6might6be6present6in6the6component6or6system6under6test6as6a6result6of6errors6made,6
and6to6design6tests6specifically6to6expose6them.
, Independence6of6testing6-6ans--
Separation6of6responsibilities,6which6encourages6the6accomplishment6of6objective6testin
g
Test6policy6-6ans--
A6high6level6document6describing6the6principles,6approach,6and6major6objectives6regardi
ng6testing.
Verification6-6ans--
Confirmation6by6examination6and6through6provision6of6objective6evidence6that6specified6r
equirements6have6been6fulfilled.
Validation6-6ans--
Confirmation6by6examination6and6through6provision6of6objective6evidence6that6the6requir
ements6for6a6specific6intended6use6or6application6have6been6fulfilled.
V-model6-6ans--
A6framework6to6describe6the6software6development6lifecycle6activities6from6requirements
6specification6to6maintenance.6The6V-
model6illustrates6how6testing6activities6can6be6integrated6into6each6phase6of6the6software
6development6lifecycle.
Test6level6-6ans--
A6group6of6test6activities6that6are6organized6and6managed6together.6A6test6level6is6linked6
to6the6responsibilities6in6a6project.6Examples6of6test6levels6are6component6test,6integratio
n6test,6system6test,6and6acceptance6test.
Integration6-6ans--
The6process6of6combining6components6or6systems6into6larger6assemblies.
Off-the-shelf6software6(commercial6off-the-shelf6software,6COTS)6-6ans--
A6software6product6that6is6developed6for6the6general6market,6i.e.6for6a6large6number6of6c
ustomers,6and6that6is6delivered6to6many6customers6in6identical6format.
Performance6-6ans--
The6degree6to6which6a6system6or6component6accomplishes6its6designated6functions6with
in6given6constraints6regarding6processing6time6and6throughput6rate.
Incremental6development6model6-6ans--
A6development6lifecycle6where6a6project6is6broken6into6a6series6of6increments,6each6of6w
hich6delivers6a6portion6of6the6functionality6in6the6overall6project6requirements.6The6requir
ements6are6prioritized6and6delivered6in6priority6order6in6the6appropriate6increment.6in6so
me6but6not6all6versions6of6this6lifecycle6model,6each6subproject6follows6a6"mini6V-
model"6with6its6own6design,6coding,6and6testing6phases.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
False-fail6result6-6ans--test6result6-6defect6reported6but6no6defect6exists6in6test6object
Error6-6Mistake6-6ans--Human6action6produces6an6incorrect6result
Defect6(bug,6fault)6-6ans--
Flaw6in6a6component6or6system6causing6component6or6system6to6fail6to6perform6required
6function.
Failure6-6ans--
Deviation6of6the6component6or6system6from6its6expected6delivery,6service6or6result.
Quality6-6ans--
The6degree6to6which6a6component,6system6or6process6meets6specified6requirements6an
d/or6user/customer6needs6and6expectations.
Risk6-6ans--
A6factor6that6could6result6in6future6negative6consequences;6usually6expressed6as6impact6
and6likelihood.
False-pass6result6-6ans--
A6test6result6which6fails6to6identify6the6presence6of6a6defect6that6is6actually6present6in6the
6test6object.
Testing6-6ans--Also6know6as6evaluation.6The6process6consisting6of6all6life-
cycle6activities6both6static6and6dynamic,6concerned6with6planning,6preparation,6and6eval
uation6of6software6products6and6related6work6products6to6determine6that6they6are6fit6for6p
urpose6and6to6detect6defects.
Requirement6-6ans--
A6condition6or6capability6needed6by6a6user6to6solve6a6problem6or6achieve6an6objective6th
at6must6be6met6or6possessed6by6a6system6or6system6component6to6satisfy6a6contract,6st
andard,6specification,6or6other6formally6imposed6document.
,Review6-6ans--
An6evaluation6of6a6product6or6project6status6to6ascertain6discrepancies6from6planned6res
ults6and6to6recommend6improvements.6Examples6include6management6review,6informal6
review,6technical6review,6inspection,6and6walkthrough.
Debugging6-6ans--
The6process6of6finding,6analyzing,6and6removing6the6causes6of6failures6in6software.
Confirmation6testing6(re-testing)6-6ans--
Testing6that6runs6test6cases6that6failed6the6last6time6they6were6run,6in6order6to6verify6the6
success6of6corrective6actions.
Test6Strategy6-6ans--A6high-
level6description6of6the6test6levels6to6be6performed6and6the6testing6within6those6levels6for6
an6organization6or6program6(one6or6more6projects)
Test6Execution6-6ans--
The6process6of6running6a6test6on6the6component6or6system6under6test,6producing6actual6
results
Test6approach6-6ans--The6implementation6of6the6test6strategy6for6a6specific6project.
Test6Plan6-6ans--
A6document6describing6the6scope,6approach,6resources,6and6schedule6of6intended6test6a
ctivities.6It6identifies6among6others6test6items,6the6features6to6be6tested,6the6testing6tasks,
6who6will6do6each6task,6degree6of6test6independence, 6the6test6environment,6the6test6desi
gn6techniques,6and6entry6an6exit6criteria6to6be6used,6and6the6rationale6for6their6choice,6an
d6any6risks6requiring6contingency6planning.6It6is6a6record6of6the6test6planning6process.
Test6monitoring6-6ans--
A6test6management6task6that6deals6with6the6activities6related6to6periodically6checking6the
6status6of6a6test6project.6Reports6are6prepared6that6compare6the6actuals6to6that6which6wa
s6planned.
Test6condition6-6ans--
An6item6or6event6of6a6component6or6system6that6could6be6verified6by6one6or6more6test6ca
ses,6e.g.6a6function,6transaction,6feature,6quality6attribute,6or6structural6element.
Test6basis6-6ans--
All6documents6from6which6the6requirements6of6a6component6or6system6can6be6inferred.6t
he6documentation6on6which6the6test6cases6are6based.6If6a6document6can6be6amended6o
nly6by6way6of6formal6amendment6procedure,6then6the6test6basis6is6called6a6frozen6test6ba
sis.
,Test6Data6-6ans--
Data6the6exists6before6a6test6is6executed,6and6that6affects6or6is6affected6by6the6compone
nt6or6system6under6test.6Example6-6in6a6database
Coverage6(test6coverage)6-6ans--
The6degree,6expressed6as6a6percentage,6to6which6a6specified6coverage6item6has6been6e
xercised6by6a6test6suite.
Test6procedure6specification6(test6procedure,6test6script,6manual6test6script)6-6ans--
A6document6specifying6a6sequence6of6actions6for6the6execution6of6a6test.
Test6Suite6-6ans--
A6set6of6several6test6cases6for6a6component6or6system6under6test,6where6the6post6conditi
on6of6one6test6if6often6used6as6the6precondition6for6the6next6one.
Incident6-6ans--Also6known6as6deviation.6Any6event6occurring6that6requires6investigation.
Testware6-6ans--
Artifacts6produced6during6the6test6process6required6to6plan,6design,6and6execute6tests,6s
uch6as6documentation,6scripts,6inputs,6expected6results,6set-up,6and6clear-
up6procedures,6files,6databases,6environment,6and6any6additional6software6or6utilities6us
ed6in6testing.
Regression6testing6-6ans--
Testing6of6a6previously6tested6program6following6modification6to6ensure6that6defects6hav
e6not6been6introduced6or6uncovered6in6unchanged6areas6of6the6software,6as6a6result6of6t
he6changes6made.6It6is6performed6when6the6software6or6its6environment6is6changed.
Exit6Criteria6-6ans--
The6set6of6generic6and6specific6conditions,6agreed6upon6with6the6stakeholders,6for6permit
ting6a6process6to6be6officially6completed.6The6purpose6of6exit6criteria6is6to6prevent6a6task6
from6being6considered6completed6when6there6are6still6outstanding6parts6of6the6task6that6
have6not6been6finished.6Exit6criteria6are6used6to6report6against6and6to6plan6when6to6stop6
testing.
Test6log6-6ans--A6chronological6record6of6relevant6details6about6the6execution6of6tests.
Test6summary6report6-6ans--
A6document6summarizing6testing6activities6and6results.6It6is6also6contains6an6evaluation6
of6the6corresponding6test6items6against6exist6criteria.
Error6Guessing6-6ans--
A6test6design6technique6where6the6experience6of6the6test6is6used6to6anticipate6what6defe
cts6might6be6present6in6the6component6or6system6under6test6as6a6result6of6errors6made,6
and6to6design6tests6specifically6to6expose6them.
, Independence6of6testing6-6ans--
Separation6of6responsibilities,6which6encourages6the6accomplishment6of6objective6testin
g
Test6policy6-6ans--
A6high6level6document6describing6the6principles,6approach,6and6major6objectives6regardi
ng6testing.
Verification6-6ans--
Confirmation6by6examination6and6through6provision6of6objective6evidence6that6specified6r
equirements6have6been6fulfilled.
Validation6-6ans--
Confirmation6by6examination6and6through6provision6of6objective6evidence6that6the6requir
ements6for6a6specific6intended6use6or6application6have6been6fulfilled.
V-model6-6ans--
A6framework6to6describe6the6software6development6lifecycle6activities6from6requirements
6specification6to6maintenance.6The6V-
model6illustrates6how6testing6activities6can6be6integrated6into6each6phase6of6the6software
6development6lifecycle.
Test6level6-6ans--
A6group6of6test6activities6that6are6organized6and6managed6together.6A6test6level6is6linked6
to6the6responsibilities6in6a6project.6Examples6of6test6levels6are6component6test,6integratio
n6test,6system6test,6and6acceptance6test.
Integration6-6ans--
The6process6of6combining6components6or6systems6into6larger6assemblies.
Off-the-shelf6software6(commercial6off-the-shelf6software,6COTS)6-6ans--
A6software6product6that6is6developed6for6the6general6market,6i.e.6for6a6large6number6of6c
ustomers,6and6that6is6delivered6to6many6customers6in6identical6format.
Performance6-6ans--
The6degree6to6which6a6system6or6component6accomplishes6its6designated6functions6with
in6given6constraints6regarding6processing6time6and6throughput6rate.
Incremental6development6model6-6ans--
A6development6lifecycle6where6a6project6is6broken6into6a6series6of6increments,6each6of6w
hich6delivers6a6portion6of6the6functionality6in6the6overall6project6requirements.6The6requir
ements6are6prioritized6and6delivered6in6priority6order6in6the6appropriate6increment.6in6so
me6but6not6all6versions6of6this6lifecycle6model,6each6subproject6follows6a6"mini6V-
model"6with6its6own6design,6coding,6and6testing6phases.
