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At a glance

Advanced Test Analyst (ISTQB Accredited)

Overview

This practical course covers relevant sections of the latest International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) Advanced Syllabus. It gives you the ability to define and carry out the tasks required to put a test strategy into action. With the advanced skills in test analysis, design, and execution, you will learn how to analyse the system in sufficient detail to meet the users’ expectations for quality. You will also learn how to evaluate system requirements to determine validity for the business domain. This course gives you the ability to prepare and execute adequate testing activities, report on testing progress, and provide necessary evidence to support evaluations. You will also be able to implement the necessary tools and techniques to achieve the defined testing goals.

Created by Rex Black, President of the ISTQB (www.istqb.org), President of the American Software Testing Qualifications Board and one of the authors of the ISTQB Advanced Syllabus, this pragmatic course is ideal for testers and test teams who wish to prepare for the ISTQB Advanced Level Certificate. It covers the International Software Testing Qualifications Board Advanced Syllabus, and is ISTQB Accredited.

Exam dates are now available at www.anztb.org/calendar.

Intended For

Test Analysts who wish to validate and extend their software testing skills and knowledge and also prepare for the ISTQB Advanced Level Certificate “Advanced Test Analyst”.

Prerequisites

• Test Analysts must have a minimum of 18 months experience and preferably more than 3 years.
• You are expected to read the ISTQB Advanced Syllabus prior to attending the course (http://www.istqb.org/downloads/syllabi/CTAL_Syllabus_V_2007.pdf).

Note: A prerequisite for sitting any of the ISTQB Advanced Syllabus exams is to have first passed the ISTQB Foundation exam.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course participants will be able to:

• Explain the causes of functional testing taking place in specific stages of an application’s life cycle
• Exemplify the criteria that influence the structure and level of test condition development
• Describe how test analysis and design, in addition to creating dynamic tests, are also static testing techniques that can be used to discover defects
• Explain the concept of a test oracle and how test oracles can be used in test specifications
• Describe the pre-conditions for test execution, including testware, test environment, configuration management and defect management
• Determine from a given set of test metrics whether a test completion criterion has been fulfilled
• Prioritise test case selection, test coverage, and test data creation, based on risk, documenting this appropriately in a test schedule and test procedure
• Outline the activities of a risk-based approach for planning and executing testing
• List examples of typical defects to be identified by each specification-based technique, providing corresponding coverage criteria
• Write test cases from given software models using the test design techniques of equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision tables, state transition testing, classification tree method, pairwise testing and use cases
• Describe the principles and reasons for defect-based techniques and differentiate their use from specification and structure-based techniques
• Explain defect taxonomies and their use
• Understand the principle of and reasons for using experienced-based test techniques and when to use them
• Specify, execute, and report tests using exploratory testing
• Classify defects that can be identified by the different types of software fault attacks according to the defects they target
• Analyse a system in order to determine which specification-based, defect-based, or experienced-based techniques to apply for specific goals
• Explain what testing techniques are appropriate to test for accuracy, suitability, interoperability, functional security, and accessibility characteristics
• Outline, design, specify, and execute usability tests using appropriate techniques, to cover given test objectives and defects to be targeted
• Explain the reasons for including efficiency, reliability, and technical security tests in a testing strategy and provide examples of defects expected to be found
• Characterise non-functional test types for technical testing by typical defects to be targeted, typical application within the application lifecycle, and test techniques for test design
• Use a review checklist to verify code and architecture from a tester’s perspective
• Use a review checklist to verify requirements and use cases from a tester’s perspective
• Compare review types and show their relative strengths, weaknesses, and appropriate usage
• Analyse, classify, and describe functional and non-functional defects in understandable defect reports
• Summarise the test tool categories by objectives, intended use, strengths and risks, using examples
• Map various testing tools to different levels and types of testing
• Describe professional, objective, and effective communication in a project from the tester’s perspective

Content

Sessions are delivered in direct relation to the chapters and sections of the ISTQB Advanced Syllabus. The duration of each of the sessions as they relate to the relevant chapters of the Syllabus are given below:

0.0 Introduction and review

1.0 Basic aspects of software testing

2.0 Testing processes

2.3 Test analysis and design

2.5 Test implementation and execution

2.6 Evaluating exit criteria and reporting

3.0 Test (and Risk) Management

4.0 Test techniques

4.2 Specification-based

4.4 Defect and experience-based

5.0 Test of software characteristics

5.2 Quality attributes for domain testing

5.3 Quality attributes for technical testing

6.0 Reviews

7.0 Incident Management

8.0 Test Process improvement

9.0 Test tools and automation

9.2 Test tool concepts

9.3 Test tool categories

10.0 People skills and team composition

Method Used

Presentations, interactive discussion, some self-study, case studies, hands-on exercises, plus recommended additional reading material.