Advanced Tester Certification – Test Analyst

Description

Overview:

• Reduce the number of test cases you need to design, create, and execute
• Find more defects and increase test coverage
• Focus on the “edges” of your system where many of the defects hide
• Create efficient and effective test cases that cover multiple inputs
• Document complex business rules, ensure their integrity, and test them thoroughly
• Document and thoroughly test critical events and time sequences
• Create tests from use cases, a popular method for writing requirements
• Understand the role of stories in agile development and testing
• Create reduced sets of tests for large blocks of information using pair based methods
• Explore and test the software simultaneously by tapping into your knowledge and experience
• Recognize how defects can improve the test analysis and design process
• Understand non-functional attributes of software and how to focus the test efforts

The ISTQB® Certification Advanced Test Analyst Course expands on the test techniques and methods introduced in the ISTQB Foundation certification. This course covers the topics as defined in the 2019 Advanced Test Analyst Syllabus leading towards the Advanced Test Analyst certification. There are seven general topics covered; the testing process, test management, test techniques, testing software quality characteristics, reviews, defect management, and tools. The focus is on testing techniques and methods and understanding the requirements for testing the characteristics of software beyond functionality. Specific techniques addressed include equivalence partitioning, boundary value testing, classification trees, decision tables, cause-effects diagrams, state diagrams and tables, pair-wise techniques, use cases, user stories, domain analysis, and experience-based and defect-based techniques. Additional focus is placed on the two non-functional aspects relating to software quality characteristics based on the ISO 9126 and include functionality and usability. Technical non-functional characteristics are included for familiarity and include reliability, efficiency, maintainability, and portability.

Who Should Attend:

Individuals who have received the ISTQB Foundation Level certification and have met the criteria of their specific country board for taking the advanced certification exams. Qualifications for the exams can be located on the individual country ISTQB board web site. For the United States it is ASTQB.org. All other countries board sites can be found on ISTQB.org.

Pre-Qualification for the Advanced Certification Exam
In order to be eligible to take any of the Certified Tester—Advanced Level (CTAL) exams, potential examinees must submit proof of Certified Tester—Foundation Level (CTFL) certification. CTAL exams are not given at the end of class. After pre-qualification is completed, students receive an exam voucher good for one year. To learn more about Advanced Tester Certification, or to schedule a personal certification planning consultation with one of our Training Advocates, contact our Client Support team.

Outline:

The Testing Process

• Test process – Foundation Level
• Test process – Advanced Level
  • Implementing the test process
• Integrating into the life-cycle
  • Life-cycle models
• Test planning
• Test monitoring and control
• Test analysis
• Test design
  • Concrete and logical test cases
• Test implementation – exit criteria
• Test execution and reporting
• Closure and retrospectives

Test Management

• Monitoring progress
• Tracking risk, defects, and test cases
• Tracking coverage
• Test team organization
• Managing communications
• Risk management activities
• Risk identification
• Risk analysis
• Risk mitigation
• Potential product risks

Test Techniques

• Specification-based techniques
  • Equivalence partitioning
  • Boundary value analysis
  • Decision tables
  • State diagrams and tables
    • Embedded states
    • Equivalent states
    • Chow’s N-Switch Coverage
  • Pair-wise testing techniques
    • Combinatorial arrays
    • Orthogonal arrays
  • Classification trees
  • Using use cases for testing
  • User stories
  • Domain analysis
  • Technique selection
• Defect-based techniques
  • Defect taxonomies
• Experience-based testing
  • Error guessing
  • Checklists and taxonomies
  • Attack-based testing
  • Exploratory testing

Testing Software Quality Characteristics

• General quality characteristics
• Functionality attributes
  • Accuracy testing
  • Suitability testing
  • Interoperability testing
  • Functional security
  • Accessibility
• Usability testing
  • Usability attributes

Reviews

• Reviews revisited
• Successful reviews
• Using checklists in reviews
  • Requirements checklist – example
  • Use case checklist – example
  • User interface checklist – example
  • User story checklist – example
  • Tailoring checklists

Test Tools

• Test tools
• Test data preparation tools
• Test design tools
• Test execution tools
  • Keywords/action words
• Automation – possible benefits
• Automation – possible risks

Appendix A — ISTQB® Glossary of terminology (2019)

Appendix B — In-class exercise solutions

Appendix C — Study Guide and Cross Reference