CRITICAL SKILLS QUESTIONS

I.
GENERAL SKILLS (CATEGORY 1)
1. COMMUNICATION (DOMAIN 1)
1.1 Giving/Receiving Information
1. List five suggestions for relaying defect information and/or performing criticism effectively.
2. What are three reasons why people don’t listen well?
3. Give one example of an effective audience evaluation technique that can be used to level-set a
testing presentation or design a course for test or development staff.
4. How do you know if the information you provided to an audience has been understood and
communicated effectively?
5. Give three examples of pertinent information that should always be included with defect reports.
1.2 Personal Effectiveness

1. You are the quality assurance manager at the APEX company. One of your quality assurance analysts
is engaged in a dispute with a developer over the cause of a defect reported by the analyst. What
can/should you do?

2. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DOMAIN 2)

2.1 Continuing Education
1. List three ways a tester can improve his/her test ability.
2. In what ways, if any, can a tester induce change and/or modification to a development process?
2.2 Leadership and Recognition

1. What is the main purpose of a task force?

2. What is the role of a facilitator?

3. What role, in test process definition, should a tester play?

3. QUALITY PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS (DOMAIN 3)

3.1 Quality Principles/Quality Management

1. Define cost of quality.

2. Briefly define management by fact.

3. How many Deming principles are there?

4. How many levels are in the CMM?
3.2 Quality Assurance/Quality Control
1. Describe the fundamental difference between QA and QC.
2. Give five examples of quality attributes or critical success factors.
4. METHODS FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE (DOMAIN 4)
4.1 Process Knowledge
1. Briefly describe the difference between automated and manual testing tools.
2. Give two examples of each type.
3. Describe IV and V.
4.2 Roles/Responsibilities
1. List three types of “interfaces.”
2. Who should be “accountable” for testing?
II.
TEST SKILLS/APPROACHES (CATEGORY 2)
5. TESTING PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS (DOMAIN 5)
5.1 Testing Specifications, Techniques, and Methods.
1. What is COTS?

2. List five phases in a typical testing life cycle.

3. List at least four components of a good test strategy.

4. What are three general test strategies during requirements?

5. What are the four verification activities that should occur at the design phase?

6. VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION METHODS (DOMAIN 6)

6.1 Verification Concepts and Reviews/Inspection.
1. List three types of reviews.
_________________
_________________
_________________
2. What is an audit?

3. What three rules should be followed for all reviews?

4. What is the main goal of a review?

5. What are the three most common phase-end reviews?

7. Post-implementation reviews are held when:

a. The product is certified for release

b. The product is replaced
c. The product has been released
d. There is a major failure

7. TEST MANAGEMENT, STANDARDS,AN D ENVIRONMENT (DOMAIN 7)

7.1 Test Management
1. Draw a test process workbench.
2. List five skills a competent tester should have.
3. Give an example of a system objective and its associated test objective.
7.2 Test Standards
1. List three industry test standard organizations.
2. Give three examples of internal test standards.
7.3 Test Environment
1. Differentiate between a test bed and a test script.
2. A test environment includes:
III.
TEST PLANNING (CATEGORY 3)
8. RISK ANALYSIS (DOMAIN 8)
8.1 Risk Identification

1. List three of five dimensions of risk.

2. What are the two risk levels?

3. Define risk as it applies to testing.

8.2 Managing Risks

1. Give three examples of testing risks.
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2. When is risk assessment conducted?

9. TEST TACTICS (DOMAIN 9)
9.1 Structural Test Approaches
1. List four structural test approaches.
9.2 Functional Test Approaches
1. Give four functional test approaches.
9.3 Test Tools/Environment

1. Describe the use of a traceability tool.

2. Discuss why change control is/is not important to a test environment.

3. Change control is sometimes part of:

a. Problem report documents

b. Defect analysis
c. Software library procedures
d. None of the above
4. Configuration management can be applied to non-test changes.
True or False
10. PLANNING PROCESS (DOMAIN 10)
10.1 Pre-Planning Activities

1. Give two examples of well-defined user acceptance criteria.

2. What is the difference between a test objective and a test case?

3. Should assumptions be included in a test plan? Why or why not?

4. Define entrance and exit criteria.

10.2 Test Plan

1. List eight parts of a typical system test plan.
2. A unit level test plan should be input to a system or integration level test plan.
True or False
IV.
EXECUTING THE TEST PLAN (CATEGORY 4)
11. TEST DESIGN (DOMAIN 11)
11.1 Design Preparation
1.
Test coverage is defined as:
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2.
Describe the characteristics of a test bed.
11.2 Design Execution
1. Give three techniques for creation of test data.
2. A test script includes a procedure for executing the test and what other components?
(Name at least 3)
12. PERFORMING TESTS (DOMAIN 12)
12.1 Execute Tests
1. Execution of a test in a test plan can only occur during the test “phase” of a project life cycle.
True or False Why?___________________________________________________
12.2 Compare Actual versus Expected Results
1. To compare actual to expected results, the tester first designs test cases, which include at least
these three components:
_____________________
______________________
12.3 Test Logs
1. What is the purpose of a test log?
2. What type of information should be included on a test log?
12.4 Record Discrepancies
1. The purpose of recording defects is to make a complete record of all discrepancies found during
testing. The input to this task would include (name 3 items):
______________________
2. A defect can be identified in three ways. Name them.
______________________
13. DEFECT TRACKING AND MANAGEMENT
13.1 Testing Defect Corrections
1. Who should review defect reports?
2. Regression testing is the easiest way to uncover defects.
True or False Why?
V.
TEST ANALYSIS, REPORTING, AND IMPROVEMENT (CATEGORY 5)
14. QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT (DOMAIN 14)
14.1 Test Completion Criteria/Metrics
1. What is the purpose of code coverage tools?
2. Give four examples of test specific metrics.

3. Give one commonly recognized size measurement tool.

15. TEST REPORTING (DOMAIN 15)
15.1 Reporting tools and standards
1. Give three components included in a system test report.
2. How is statistical analysis used in test reporting?
16. IMPROVING THE TEST PROCESS (DOMAIN 16)
16.1 Test Quality Control
1.
What are two ways to demonstrate the test process has been performed correctly?
16.2 Analysis of the Test Process
1. How could you analyze the current test process?
16.3 Test Continuous Improvement
1. How could continuous impr