iSQI CTAL-ATT Certified Tester Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester Exam Practice Test

Table 2 provides the best test coverage because it includes tests for adding a non-existent member (Member4), which should result in an error, and it also tests for removing a member and then deleting the group, which is the correct sequence of actions according to the requirements. The other tables either do not test all the required scenarios or have actions in thewrong order (e.g., attempting to delete the group before removing all members). References = ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents and Training resources.

 Exploratory testing is a type of testing that emphasizes the personal freedom and responsibility of the individual tester to continually optimize the quality of his/her work by treating test-related learning, test design, test execution, and test result interpretation as mutually supportive activities that run in parallel throughout the project. While exploratory testing can be highly effective in certain contexts, for safety-critical systems, it is generally not recommended. Safety-critical systems require a high degree of assurance and predictability that each component of the system behaves as expected under all circumstances. Manual black-box tests, which are more structured and can be thoroughly planned and documented, are preferred in these scenarios to ensure comprehensive coverage and traceability.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus and training materials provide guidance on the appropriate use of different testing techniques in various contexts, including the recommendation of structured manual black-box testing over exploratory testing for safety-critical systems1234.

 Service virtualization is a technique used in software testing where a virtualized service simulates the behavior of dependent components that are not available for testing. This allows testing to proceed without waiting for the actual components to be available or operational. It is particularly useful in Agile and continuous testing environments where components may be developed in parallel or where integration points may not yet be stable. Service virtualization helps to create a more controlled and deterministic testing environment, enabling more thorough testing of the product under development.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus includes service virtualization as one of the key concepts to understand in the context of Agile testing123.

A deterministic unit test is one that produces the same results every time it is run under the same conditions. This characteristic is crucial for unit tests because it ensures that the tests are reliable and that their results are repeatable. Deterministic tests help in identifying when a change in the codebase has introduced a defect, as any variation in the test outcome can be attributed to the change rather than an unpredictable test behavior12.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus and study resources emphasize the importance of deterministic behavior in unit tests as part of ensuring test reliability and effectiveness34.

 Table 4 is the correct data-driven input and expected output table for this situation. It correctly calculates the TaxToPay based on the GrossSal and TaxRate, and then determines the NetSal by subtracting TaxToPay from GrossSal. Additionally, it accurately adds the TaxToPay to the previous month’s TaxPdYTD and the NetSal to the previous month’s SalPdYTD, which are both zero for month 1. This table aligns with the requirements that the tax and net salary paid in the year to date are looked up on the key of (Employee Id and [month - 1]) except for month 1 where they will be zero.

References = ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents and Training resources12.

The epic described is broad and encompasses a system that involves multiple stakeholders and vehicle types, indicating that it is not a small piece of work that can be completed in a short iteration. This violates the ‘Small’ criterion of INVEST, which states that stories should be the smallest piece of work that delivers useful functionality to fit within an iteration12. Additionally, the epic’s acceptance criteria apply to all user stories derived from it, suggesting that the stories are not independent of each other, as changes to one could affect the others. This goes against the ‘Independent’ criterion, which emphasizes that stories should be self-contained to avoid delays caused by dependencies12.

References = The INVEST criteria are a set of guidelines used to evaluate the quality of user stories and epics in Agile development. They ensure that the stories are well-defined and suitable for Agile practices, focusing on creating value through independent, negotiable, valuable, estimable, small, and testable stories123.

 The term ‘isolated’ in the context of unit testing refers to the practice of testing a unit of code in isolation from other units. This means that the test should only cover the functionality of the unit it is designed to test, without any interactions with other units or systems. This isolation helps to ensure that the test is focused, reliable, and not affected by external factors, making it easier to pinpoint the source of any issues that arise.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents outline the principles of unit testing, including the importance of isolation to ensure that each test is targeted and effective12.

 Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) is a collaborative approach that involves customers, developers, and testers to define acceptance criteria before development begins. This practice helps ensure that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the requirements and can prevent misunderstandings like those experienced in the first release. By using examples in ATDD, the team can clarify what the software should do, which aligns with the user stories and supports the Test-Driven Development (TDD) process12.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents and resources from Software Testing Help discuss the benefits of ATDD in aligning team members and stakeholders on the expected outcomes of user stories, which is particularly useful when there have been previous misunderstandings34.

 Test automation is not limited to the automation of test execution. It also includes the configuration of test environments, which is essential for ensuring that tests run in a stable and controlled setting. This broader view of test automation supports continuous integration and delivery practices, which are fundamental in Agile projects. References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus outlines the importance of test automation within Agile projects, including the creation and implementation of various Agile test approaches and supporting continuous integration and delivery123.

 A good practice in test automation for a regression-averse approach is to increase automated test coverage. This allows the team to ensure that as many features as possible are being tested automatically, which can help in identifying regressions early. Moreover, by automating the regression tests, testers can dedicate more time to exploratory testing, which is crucial for discovering issues that automated tests may not catch. Exploratory testing is an approach that relies on the tester’s creativity and experience, and it is an essential complement to automated regression testing123.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents and the resources available at Software Testing Help emphasize the importance of comprehensive test automation in Agile environments. They suggest that increasing automated test coverage is beneficial for maintaining software quality and allowing testers to focus on exploratory testing, which is a critical aspect of a thorough testing strategy45678.

Story Mapping is a requirements engineering technique that provides a visual representation of the user journey within the system. It helps in identifying how different user groups interact with the system, thereby uncovering gaps and inconsistencies in user stories. This technique allows teams to prioritize and plan releases based on the user’s experience and needs.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus and training materials discuss the use of various requirements engineering techniques, including Story Mapping, to better understand and define user interactions with the system12.

Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) is a collaborative practice that involves the team members with different perspectives, such as customer, development, and testing, to define acceptance tests that serve as requirements1. ATDD can be applied to all types of requirements, including functional, non-functional, and technical stories, to ensure a shared understanding and agreement on the expected behavior of the software12. It is a valuable approach in Agile environments where continuous collaboration is essential, and it complements TDD by focusing on the behavior and requirements from the user’s perspective3. While ATDD does not require automated acceptance tests, automating them can enhance the process by allowing for more frequent and consistent execution1.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus and related resources discuss the importance of test automation, including ATDD, in Agile contexts. They highlight that ATDD can be applied to various types of requirements and is compatible with TDD, as both practices aim to improve the quality and reliability of the software being developed453.

 For the user story in question, the data file for the data-driven test automation script should include columns that directly relate to the criteria for free shipping. The column ‘item ID’ is necessary to identify the specific items being purchased. ‘Quantity purchased’ is required to determine if the number of items meets the threshold for free shipping. The ‘free shipping (y/n)’ column is essential to verify if the free shipping message displays correctly based on the quantity purchased. This setup aligns with the principles of data-driven testing where inputs and expected outcomes are clearly defined to validate the functionality being tested.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus and materials emphasize the importance of creating data files that support the automated testing of user stories. The data file should contain columns that are relevant to the story’s acceptance criteria and enable the automation to verify the correct behavior of the system12.

Continuous testing facilitates continuous delivery by ensuring that every change made to the codebase is tested automatically and immediately, which helps in identifying defects as early as possible. Automated testing in the delivery environment is crucial as it validates the success of the delivery process by ensuring that the software operates as expected in the production-like environment before the actual release.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester certification highlights the importance of technical testing skills in Agile development, including test automation approaches and continuous deployment and delivery1234.

The main flaw in the proposed test charter is that it does not cover the main functionality of the user story. The user story focuses on the customer wanting to be informed about the delivery time of their items so they can plan to be home. The proposed charter only tests for the absence of a shipping fee and does not address whether the system provides the customer with the delivery time information.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus emphasizes the importance of aligning test charters with the user story’s main functionality to ensure that tests provide adequate coverage12. It is crucial in Agile methodologies to create and evaluate testable acceptance criteria that reflect the user story’s objectives12.

Story mapping is the most effective requirements engineering technique for identifying and prioritizing user stories related to the epic mentioned. It allows the team to visualize the entire customer journey, which is crucial for a content management system that aims to enhance the content editing and publishing process. By mapping out the user stories, the team can see how they fit into the overall system, prioritize them based on the value they provide to the end-users, and ensure that all necessary functionalities are covered.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester materials discuss the use of various requirements engineering techniques in an Agile context. Story mapping, in particular, is highlighted as a valuable method for organizing and prioritizing user stories to create a shared understanding among the team members123.

When creating a user story, it is essential to consider the perspective of the end user. This is because user stories are meant to capture the requirements and experiences of the actual users who will interact with the system or product. The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus emphasizes the importance of analyzing user stories and epics using requirements engineering techniques, which include creating and evaluating testable acceptance criteria from the end user’s perspective. This approach ensures that the developed features will meet the real needs and expectations of the users, leading to a more user-centered and valuable product.

References = ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents and Training resources12.

 The correct use of Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) to design test scenarios involves specifying the behavior in a given-when-then format. This format helps to clarify the conditions under which a particular outcome should occur. Option A follows this structure correctly:

• Given that the shopper scans their card (the precondition),
• When they checkout (the action),
• Then they should receive all the quantity discounts for everything they have purchased (the expected outcome).

This scenario clearly outlines the behavior of the system in response to the user’s actions, which is central to BDD.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus emphasizes the importance of creating testable acceptance criteria for a given user story using requirements engineering and test techniques, which include the application of BDD in the context of a given user story12.

The pseudocode provided for review indicates a password entry system with a lockout mechanism after a certain number of failed attempts. The issues identified during the code review are:

• Variables have not been properly defined with meaningful names - the variables used in the pseudocode are not descriptive, which can make the code difficult to understand and maintain.
• There are unused variables defined - the pseudocode includes variables that are declared but not used, which is inefficient and can lead to confusion.
• Loop counters are not properly initialized - if a loop counter is used, it must be initialized correctly to ensure the loop functions as intended.
• There are statements within the loop that should be outside the loop - certain messages or actions may be repeated unnecessarily within a loop when they should be placed outside to execute only once.

References = ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents and study resources emphasize the importance of clear, maintainable code, which includes using meaningful variable names, removing unused variables, proper initialization of loop counters, and correct placement of code statements to avoid redundancy and inefficiency in code execution. These principles are essential for agile technical testing to ensure that the code remains robust and adaptable to changes.

A virtualized service in the context of Agile Technical Testing is a simulated version of a real service that mimics the behavior and data handling of the actual service. It is designed to be stateful, meaning it can maintain state across multiple interactions, which is essential for testing scenarios that require a consistent and predictable response from the service being tested. This allows testers to validate the integration and interaction with the service without the need for the actual service to be available or operational, facilitating continuous testing and development.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus includes the concept of service virtualization as part of the technical skills necessary for testers in an Agile environment. It is mentioned as a technique to support continuous integration and delivery by providing a stable and controllable test environment12.

The most efficient and effective approach to test automation execution in a CI environment, given the constraints of time and the need to review test results, is to prioritize tests based on their importance and the frequency of builds. Running high priority tests on each build ensures that critical features work as expected with every change. Medium priority tests can be run nightly to catch issues that may not be as urgent but still important. Low priority tests can be run weekly, which allows for a broader test coverage over time without overburdening the daily build process. Lastly, running non-functional tests in the integrated stage environment on the Thursday night before the end of the sprint aligns with the need for these tests to be in a more stable and integrated setting, while also ensuring that they are conducted before the sprint’s completion123.

References = This answer is supported by the ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents and the principles of test automation execution efficiency45. Additionally, resources from Software Testing Help provide insights into best practices for test automation strategy and execution67.

In a process-compliant approach to testing a safety-critical project, test automation must ensure traceability back to the requirements and results documentation. This is crucial for verifying that all requirements have been tested and for maintaining a clear record of test results and their correlation with the specified requirements. Traceability is a key aspect of maintaining the rigor and discipline required in safety-critical systems testing.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester materials emphasize the importance of traceability in test automation, especially in the context of safety-critical projects where adherence to process and documentation is vital123.

Static code analysis is a method used to automatically scan and analyze the source code for potential issues. It helps reduce technical debt by identifying inefficiencies, complexities, and insecure code. These issues, once identified, can be addressed by developers, leading to improved code quality and maintainability. This process aids in preventing the accumulation of technical debt, which can occur when problematic code is left unaddressed and compounds over time.

References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester documents outline the importance of static code analysis in identifying defects and technical debt as part of a code review process12. It is emphasized that this analysis is crucial for maintaining code quality and reducing technical debt in an Agile environment31.