ISTQB Foundation Level Complete Questions And
Answers
What is the test basis?
a. The point during software development when testing should start
b. The body of knowledge used for test analysis and design
c. The source to determine the actual results from a set of tests
d. The method used to systematically devise test conditions - ANSWER B
(B is correct. Per the glossary, the test basis is "a source to determine expected
results to compare with the actual result of the system under test". A is not correct
because this is usually defined as the moment of involvement for testing. C is not
correct because this is the test oracle. D is not correct because the test basis is not a
method)
When the tester verifies the test basis while designing tests early in the lifecycle,
which common test
objective is being achieved?
a. Gaining confidence
b. Finding defects
c. Preventing defects
d. Providing information for decision making - ANSWER C
(C is correct per the syllabus. The other three are achieved primarily by doing
dynamic testing. This is a bit tricky because you are very likely to find defects while
doing this analysis and this may lead to either gaining or destroying confidence and
needing to supply information to the decision makers. However, the wording of the
question matches the wording in the syllabus that defines preventing defects.)
When following the fundamental test process, when should the test control activity
take place?
a. During the planning activities
b. During the implementation and execution activities
c. During the monitoring activities
d. During all the activities - ANSWER D
(D is correct. Control occurs throughout the
project to ensure that it is staying on track based
on the plan and to take any corrective steps that
may be necessary. The monitoring information is
used to determine if control actions are needed.)
Which of the following is a correct statement?
a. A developer makes a mistake which causes a defect that may be seen as a failure
during dynamic testing
b. A developer makes an error which results in a failure that may be seen as a fault
when the software is executed
c. A developer has introduced a failure which results in a defect that may be seen as
a mistake during dynamic testing
,d. A developer makes a mistake which causes a bug that may be seen as a defect
when the software is executed - ANSWER A
(A is correct. The developer makes a mistake/error which causes a defect/fault/bug
which may cause a failure when the code is dynamically tested or executed. B is
incorrect because fault and failure are reversed. C is incorrect because failure and
mistake are reversed. D is incorrect because it's a failure that's seen during
execution, not the defect itself. The failure is a symptom of the defect.)
Which of the following is an example of debugging?
a. A tester finds a defect and reports it
b. A tester retests a fix from the developer and finds a regression
c. A developer finds and fixes a defect
d. A developer performs unit testing - ANSWER C
(C is correct. Debugging is what the developer
does to identify the cause of the defect, analyze
it and fix it. D may involve debugging, if the
developer finds a defect, but the act of unit
testing is not the same as debugging.)
Which of the following is a true statement about exhaustive testing?
a. It is a form of stress testing
b. It is not feasible except in the case of trivial software
c. It is commonly done with test automation
d. It is normally the responsibility of the developer during unit testing - ANSWER B
(B is correct. Exhaustive testing, all combinations
of inputs and preconditions, is not feasible unless
the software is trivially simple.Otherwise it would
take too long and might not even be possible.)
A new retail product was released to production by your company. Shortly after the
release it was
apparent that there were numerous problems with the point of sale application. This
resulted in a
number of customer complaints and negative postings on social media encouraging
people to take their
business to your competitor. You have investigated the problems and have
discovered that the
production point of sale equipment is a later model than the model used in testing.
The software
functions correctly on the old version, but fails on the later model.
Given this scenario, what is the root cause and what is the effect?
a. The root cause is the old equipment and the effect is the new equipment
b. The root cause is the customer complaints and the effect is the social media
postings
c. The root cause is conducting the testing on the wrong version of the equipment
and the effect
is the customer complaints and postings
d. T - ANSWER C
(C is correct. The root cause is that the testing,
and maybe the development, were conducted on
,the wrong version of the POS equipment. The
effect of the problem is the customer complaints
and the social media postings.)
If you need to provide a report showing test case execution coverage of the
requirements, what do you
need to track?
a. Traceability between the test cases and the requirements
b. Coverage of the risk items by test case
c. Traceability between the requirements and the risk items
d. Coverage of the requirements by the test cases that have been designed -
ANSWER A
(A is correct. In order to show the test execution
coverage of the requirements you will need
traceability between the requirements and the
test cases. As the test cases are executed this
traceability can be used to record tests executed
against the requirements. B is not correct
because it's looking for requirements coverage,
not risk coverage. C is not correct because it's
looking for test execution, not risk items. D is not
correct because it's looking for test cases that
have been executed, not just designed.)
Which of the following is most correct regarding the test level at which functional
tests may be
executed?
a. Unit and integration
b. Integration and system
c. System and acceptance
d. All levels - ANSWER D
(D is correct. Functional testing should be
conducted at all levels)
Which of the following is a true statement regarding the V-model lifecycle?
a. Testing involvement starts when the code is complete
b. The test process is integrated with the development process
c. The software is built in increments and each increment has activities for
requirements, design,
build and test
d. All activities for development and test are completed sequentially - ANSWER B
(B is correct. In the V-Model, testing activities are
paired with each development activity. A and D
are not correct. These behaviors are typical of a
waterfall model. C is not correct. This is typical of
an incremental model.)
Usability testing is an example of which type of testing?
a. Functional
b. Non-functional
, c. Structural
d. Change-related - ANSWER B
(B is correct. Usability is one of the non-functional
test types according to ISO 25010)
What type of testing is normally conducted to verify that a product meets a particular
regulatory
requirement?
a. Unit testing
b. Integration testing
c. System testing
d. Acceptance testing - ANSWER D
(D is correct per the syllabus. Regulatory
acceptance is a form of acceptance testing. The
other types of testing should be conducted as
well, but the focus on the compliance with the
regulatory requirements should occur during
acceptance testing. It is a good practice to
conduct this testing as early as possible, but
formal acceptance by a regulatory agency is
normally done during acceptance testing.)
You have been receiving daily builds from the developers. Even though they are
documenting the fixes
they are including in each build, you are finding that the fixes either aren't in the build
or are not
working. What type of testing is best suited for finding these issues?
a. Unit testing
b. System testing
c. Confirmation testing
d. Regression testing - ANSWER C
(C is correct. Confirmation testing will determine if
a fix is present in a build and if it actually fixes
the defect it is supposed to fix. A is not correct
because this would be conducted by the
developer as they fix the issues. While it might
catch a fix that doesn't work, it's not likely to
catch the check-in/build process that is excluding
the fix from the build. B is not correct because
system testing will take longer to pinpoint this
problem and may result in more troubleshooting
time when the problem is discovered again. D is
not correct because this is the testing that is
done to see if there have been any unintended
changes in the software's behavior.)
In a formal review, which role is normally responsible for documenting all the open
issues?
a. The facilitator
b. The author
Answers
What is the test basis?
a. The point during software development when testing should start
b. The body of knowledge used for test analysis and design
c. The source to determine the actual results from a set of tests
d. The method used to systematically devise test conditions - ANSWER B
(B is correct. Per the glossary, the test basis is "a source to determine expected
results to compare with the actual result of the system under test". A is not correct
because this is usually defined as the moment of involvement for testing. C is not
correct because this is the test oracle. D is not correct because the test basis is not a
method)
When the tester verifies the test basis while designing tests early in the lifecycle,
which common test
objective is being achieved?
a. Gaining confidence
b. Finding defects
c. Preventing defects
d. Providing information for decision making - ANSWER C
(C is correct per the syllabus. The other three are achieved primarily by doing
dynamic testing. This is a bit tricky because you are very likely to find defects while
doing this analysis and this may lead to either gaining or destroying confidence and
needing to supply information to the decision makers. However, the wording of the
question matches the wording in the syllabus that defines preventing defects.)
When following the fundamental test process, when should the test control activity
take place?
a. During the planning activities
b. During the implementation and execution activities
c. During the monitoring activities
d. During all the activities - ANSWER D
(D is correct. Control occurs throughout the
project to ensure that it is staying on track based
on the plan and to take any corrective steps that
may be necessary. The monitoring information is
used to determine if control actions are needed.)
Which of the following is a correct statement?
a. A developer makes a mistake which causes a defect that may be seen as a failure
during dynamic testing
b. A developer makes an error which results in a failure that may be seen as a fault
when the software is executed
c. A developer has introduced a failure which results in a defect that may be seen as
a mistake during dynamic testing
,d. A developer makes a mistake which causes a bug that may be seen as a defect
when the software is executed - ANSWER A
(A is correct. The developer makes a mistake/error which causes a defect/fault/bug
which may cause a failure when the code is dynamically tested or executed. B is
incorrect because fault and failure are reversed. C is incorrect because failure and
mistake are reversed. D is incorrect because it's a failure that's seen during
execution, not the defect itself. The failure is a symptom of the defect.)
Which of the following is an example of debugging?
a. A tester finds a defect and reports it
b. A tester retests a fix from the developer and finds a regression
c. A developer finds and fixes a defect
d. A developer performs unit testing - ANSWER C
(C is correct. Debugging is what the developer
does to identify the cause of the defect, analyze
it and fix it. D may involve debugging, if the
developer finds a defect, but the act of unit
testing is not the same as debugging.)
Which of the following is a true statement about exhaustive testing?
a. It is a form of stress testing
b. It is not feasible except in the case of trivial software
c. It is commonly done with test automation
d. It is normally the responsibility of the developer during unit testing - ANSWER B
(B is correct. Exhaustive testing, all combinations
of inputs and preconditions, is not feasible unless
the software is trivially simple.Otherwise it would
take too long and might not even be possible.)
A new retail product was released to production by your company. Shortly after the
release it was
apparent that there were numerous problems with the point of sale application. This
resulted in a
number of customer complaints and negative postings on social media encouraging
people to take their
business to your competitor. You have investigated the problems and have
discovered that the
production point of sale equipment is a later model than the model used in testing.
The software
functions correctly on the old version, but fails on the later model.
Given this scenario, what is the root cause and what is the effect?
a. The root cause is the old equipment and the effect is the new equipment
b. The root cause is the customer complaints and the effect is the social media
postings
c. The root cause is conducting the testing on the wrong version of the equipment
and the effect
is the customer complaints and postings
d. T - ANSWER C
(C is correct. The root cause is that the testing,
and maybe the development, were conducted on
,the wrong version of the POS equipment. The
effect of the problem is the customer complaints
and the social media postings.)
If you need to provide a report showing test case execution coverage of the
requirements, what do you
need to track?
a. Traceability between the test cases and the requirements
b. Coverage of the risk items by test case
c. Traceability between the requirements and the risk items
d. Coverage of the requirements by the test cases that have been designed -
ANSWER A
(A is correct. In order to show the test execution
coverage of the requirements you will need
traceability between the requirements and the
test cases. As the test cases are executed this
traceability can be used to record tests executed
against the requirements. B is not correct
because it's looking for requirements coverage,
not risk coverage. C is not correct because it's
looking for test execution, not risk items. D is not
correct because it's looking for test cases that
have been executed, not just designed.)
Which of the following is most correct regarding the test level at which functional
tests may be
executed?
a. Unit and integration
b. Integration and system
c. System and acceptance
d. All levels - ANSWER D
(D is correct. Functional testing should be
conducted at all levels)
Which of the following is a true statement regarding the V-model lifecycle?
a. Testing involvement starts when the code is complete
b. The test process is integrated with the development process
c. The software is built in increments and each increment has activities for
requirements, design,
build and test
d. All activities for development and test are completed sequentially - ANSWER B
(B is correct. In the V-Model, testing activities are
paired with each development activity. A and D
are not correct. These behaviors are typical of a
waterfall model. C is not correct. This is typical of
an incremental model.)
Usability testing is an example of which type of testing?
a. Functional
b. Non-functional
, c. Structural
d. Change-related - ANSWER B
(B is correct. Usability is one of the non-functional
test types according to ISO 25010)
What type of testing is normally conducted to verify that a product meets a particular
regulatory
requirement?
a. Unit testing
b. Integration testing
c. System testing
d. Acceptance testing - ANSWER D
(D is correct per the syllabus. Regulatory
acceptance is a form of acceptance testing. The
other types of testing should be conducted as
well, but the focus on the compliance with the
regulatory requirements should occur during
acceptance testing. It is a good practice to
conduct this testing as early as possible, but
formal acceptance by a regulatory agency is
normally done during acceptance testing.)
You have been receiving daily builds from the developers. Even though they are
documenting the fixes
they are including in each build, you are finding that the fixes either aren't in the build
or are not
working. What type of testing is best suited for finding these issues?
a. Unit testing
b. System testing
c. Confirmation testing
d. Regression testing - ANSWER C
(C is correct. Confirmation testing will determine if
a fix is present in a build and if it actually fixes
the defect it is supposed to fix. A is not correct
because this would be conducted by the
developer as they fix the issues. While it might
catch a fix that doesn't work, it's not likely to
catch the check-in/build process that is excluding
the fix from the build. B is not correct because
system testing will take longer to pinpoint this
problem and may result in more troubleshooting
time when the problem is discovered again. D is
not correct because this is the testing that is
done to see if there have been any unintended
changes in the software's behavior.)
In a formal review, which role is normally responsible for documenting all the open
issues?
a. The facilitator
b. The author
