iSQI CTAL-TA_Syll2019 - ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level - Test Analyst (Syllabus 2019)

State transition testing is a technique that models the behavior of a system as a finite number of states and the transitions between them. It is suitable for testing systems that have different outcomes depending on the previous history of inputs and events. In this case, the ATM system has different states depending on whether the user has entered a valid or invalid PIN code, and how many times they have tried. 1-switch coverage is a criterion that requires testing all possible pairs of transitions from one state to another. This can help to find failures that occur when the system changes from one state to another, or when the system does not change state when it should. For example, 1-switch coverage would test the following scenarios:

User enters a valid PIN code on the first try and requests a cash advance (valid transition from unauthenticated to authenticated state)

User enters an invalid PIN code on the first try and then a valid PIN code on the second try and requests a cash advance (valid transition from unauthenticated to authenticated state after one invalid attempt)

User enters an invalid PIN code on the first and second try and then a valid PIN code on the third try and requests a cash advance (valid transition from unauthenticated to authenticated state after two invalid attempts)

User enters an invalid PIN code on the first, second, and third try and the system rejects the card (valid transition from unauthenticated to rejected state after three invalid attempts)

User enters a valid PIN code on the first try and then requests a cash advance twice (invalid transition from authenticated to authenticated state without inserting the card again)

User enters a valid PIN code on the first try and then removes the card and inserts it again and requests a cash advance (invalid transition from authenticated to unauthenticated state without entering the PIN code again)

References = ISTQB Advanced Level Test Analyst Syllabus 2019, section 3.2.3; How to Design Test Cases Using State Transition Testing Technique?; 0 and 1 - Switch Coverage in State Transition Testing?

The correct answer isD.Functional appropriateness.

Functional appropriateness

Functional appropriateness is the type of testing that ensures the application is suitable for the intended purpose and the user’s needs. It evaluates the relevance, usefulness, and user-friendliness of the application’s functions and features. In this case, the application should be tested for its suitability for senior citizens, who may have different preferences, expectations, and abilities than younger users.The interface should be easy to understand, navigate, and operate, and the application should provide adequate help and feedback to the users1.

References=

ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus Test Analyst2, Section 3.2.2 Functionality

ISTQB Test Analyst Syllabus and Study Guide3, Section 3.2.2 Functionality

Usability Is Ageless: Conducting Usability Tests with Older Adults4, Section 1.1 Conceptualizing and Assessing Usability

Interoperability is the degree to which two or more systems or components can exchange and use information. It is a crucial quality characteristic for an e-commerce product that needs to interface with backend applications, such as finance, stock control and order delivery. The test plan must include tests to verify that the COTS package can communicate and integrate with the existing systems and applications, and that the data and functionality are consistent and accurate across the interfaces. References = ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus Technical Test Analyst, page 10, section 1.2.2.2.

Test conditions are the inputs and expected outputs of a test case, based on the requirements. To identify the test conditions from REQ2 and REQ3, we need to consider all the possible combinations of the categories of hours exposed to the sun (A, B, C) and the labels of sun intensity (low, medium, high, extreme). There are 12 such combinations in total. However, the three test cases given only cover 3 of them: A-low, C-medium, and A-low. Therefore, there are 9 test conditions that are not covered by the test cases. However, some of these test conditions are invalid or impossible, such as A-extreme or C-low, because the sun intensity is correlated with the hours exposed to the sun. Therefore, we need to exclude these invalid test conditions from the count. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the sun intensity is usually low before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m., medium between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., high between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and extreme between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the summer or at high altitudes. Based on this information, we can assume that the valid test conditions are:

A-low

A-medium

B-medium

B-high

C-high

C-extreme

These six test conditions are not covered by the three test cases, so the answer is C. 6. References = ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus Technical Test Analyst (Section 3.2.1), Be Safe in the Sun (Section 2.1)

User experience (UX) is a broad term that encompasses the overall impression and satisfaction that a user has when interacting with a software product. It includes aspects such as value, desirability, adaptability, and usability. Usability is a specific aspect of UX that focuses on how easy, efficient, and error-free it is for a user to perform a task or achieve a goal with the product. Usability is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a good UX. A product can be usable but not desirable, or desirable but not usable. References = ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus Test Analyst, Section 3.1.1, Usability and User Experience Testing1; Usability vs. User Experience: What’s the Difference? - HubSpot Blog, Section Usability vs. User Experience

Testing pairs of combinations is a technique that reduces the number of test cases by testing only two factors at a time, instead of testing all possible combinations. Testing pairs of combinations is based on the assumption that most defects are caused by interactions of at most two factors. Testing pairs of combinations can be applied to this problem using the installation environments, which are the browsers, the operating systems, and the languages. By using testing pairs of combinations, the number of test cases will be lower than exhaustive testing, which would require testing every combination of factors. The formula for calculating the number of test cases for testing pairs of combinations is:

N = P * (P - 1) / 2

where N is the number of test cases, and P is the number of values for each factor. In this problem, P is 4, as there are four browsers, four operating systems, and four languages. Therefore, the number of test cases for testing pairs of combinations is:

N = 4 * (4 - 1) / 2 N = 4 * 3 / 2 N = 12 References =

ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus Technical Test Analyst1, page 2

Pairwise Software Testing - GeeksforGeeks2, section “Introduction”

Pairwise Testing: A Best Practice That Isn’t3, section “Pairwise Testing”

The correct answer isB.The information exchange between each system and its environment.

The information exchange between each system and its environment

The information exchange between each system and its environment refers to the compatibility and functionality of the systems with respect to the hardware, software, network, and other external factors that may affect their interaction.This type of testing is important to ensure that the systems can operate smoothly and reliably in different scenarios and conditions1.

References=

ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus Test Analyst2, Section 3.2.2 Interoperability

ISTQB Test Analyst Syllabus and Study Guide3, Section 3.2.2 Interoperability

A Simple Guide to Interoperability Testing (with Examples)4, Section 2. How to do Interoperability testing

A decision table is collapsed when duplicate or impossible cases are removed. In this decision table, there are two duplicate cases: column 2 and column 4 have the same actions (A1 and A2), and column 5 and column 6 have the same action (A1). There are also two impossible cases: column 7 and column 8 have no actions, which means that there is no outcome for these combinations of conditions. Therefore, after collapsing the decision table, only two cases are left: column 1 and column 3, which have different actions (A1 and A2 for column 1, and A1 for column 3). References =

ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus Technical Test Analyst1, page 2

Decision Table-Based Testing2, section “Don’t Care Entries and Rule Counts”

A Guide on Building Decision Tables3, section “How to ensure that the Table is Complete?”

A test design tool is a tool that helps testers create test cases, or at least test inputs, based on the requirements and specifications of the software. It can use various techniques, such as equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision tables, state transition diagrams, etc., to generate test inputs that cover different aspects of the software functionality and quality. A test design tool does not validate models of the software, execute tests automatically, or trace tests to requirements, although these may be features of other types of testing tools. References = What Is Test Design : Tools and Best Practices; Test Design in Software Testing - A Comprehensive Guide; ISTQB Advanced Level Test Analyst Syllabus 2019, section 3.2.1.