ISTQB CTFL-2018 Practice Test - Questions Answers, Page 30

According to the syllabus, boundary value analysis is a technique that tests the values on and near the boundaries of an equivalence partition. The three-point boundary values are the minimum, just below the minimum, and just above the minimum for the lower boundary, and the maximum, just below the maximum, and just above the maximum for the upper boundary. The answer A is correct because it contains the three-point boundary values for both the lower and upper boundaries of the age range. The other answers are incorrect because they either miss some of the boundary values or include values that are too far from the boundaries.

According to the syllabus, decision tables are a technique that shows combinations of inputs and/or stimuli (causes) with their associated outputs and/or actions (effects). The answer B is correct because it matches the rules in the decision table for the given test case. The other answers are incorrect because they do not match the rules in the decision table for the given test case.

According to the syllabus, state transition testing is a technique that tests the behaviour of a system or component based on its transitions between states. A state transition diagram is a graphical representation of the states and transitions of a system or component. A test case that uses valid transitions to exercise all states should cover all the nodes and edges in the diagram. The answer D is correct because it covers all the four states (SS, S1, S2, S3) and all the five transitions (SS-S1, S1-S3, S3-S2, S2-SS, SS-S3) in the diagram. The other answers are incorrect because they either miss some states or transitions or use more transitions than necessary.

According to the syllabus, use case testing is a technique that tests the functionality of a system using scenarios based on use cases. A use case is a description of how an actor interacts with a system to achieve a goal. A use case defines the expected behaviour and possible variations of the system under test. The answer A is correct because test cases are designed to exercise the defined behaviours of the use case and its variations. The other answers are incorrect because they are not true statements about use case testing. There can be multiple test cases for each use case, depending on the complexity and variations of the use case. Test cases can be derived from other sources besides activity diagrams, such as textual descriptions or flow charts. It is possible to measure use case test coverage by comparing the number of executed test cases with the number of defined test cases for each use case.

According to the syllabus, decision coverage is a technique that measures the percentage of decision outcomes that have been exercised by a test suite. A decision outcome is the result of evaluating a boolean expression in a control structure, such as an if statement or a switch statement. The goal of decision coverage testing is to cover and validate all the accessible source code by checking and ensuring that each branch of every possible decision point is executed at least once. The answer C is incorrect because it is not a valid use of decision coverage testing. Decision coverage testing does not check that all decisions are based on a numeric value, as there can be other types of values involved in boolean expressions, such as strings or booleans. The other answers are correct because they are valid uses of decision coverage testing. Checking that all decisions have been exercised in a single program or a business process can help to identify defects or missing functionality in the code or process logic. Checking that at least 100% decision coverage has been achieved can help to ensure that all reachable code has been executed and that 100% statement coverage has been achieved as well.

According to the syllabus, exploratory testing is a technique that involves simultaneous learning, test design and test execution. A tester dynamically designs and executes tests based on their knowledge, exploration of the test item and the results of previous tests. A time-boxed test session is a fixed period of time during which testing is performed. A test charter is a document that contains test objectives, scope, risks and other information to guide the testing. The answer A is correct because it describes an approach that can be used for exploratory testing. The other answers are incorrect because they describe other techniques, such as error guessing (B), compliance testing and user acceptance testing (D).

According to the syllabus, error guessing is a technique that uses testers' experience and intuition to identify potential errors or defects in a software system. An experienced tester makes a list of potential defects and failures, and designs and runs tests to generate these failures should the defects be present in the code. The answer B is correct because it best describes a methodical approach to the error guessing technique. The other answers are incorrect because they describe other techniques, such as exploratory testing (A), checklist-based testing and negative testing (D).

According to the syllabus, an independent test team is a group of testers who are not involved in the development of the software system under test. They perform testing activities from an external perspective, without any bias or influence from the developers or users. An independent test team can have various benefits and drawbacks, depending on the context and situation. The answer C is correct because it lists two benefits and two drawbacks of an independent test team. The benefits are:

Independent testers can find different defects, because they have a different view and knowledge of the system than the developers or users.

Independent testers can verify assumptions made during the specification of a system, because they can challenge and validate the requirements and design decisions.

The drawbacks are:

Developers may put less emphasis on quality, because they may rely on the independent testers to find and fix the defects.

Independent testers can be seen as the reason for delayed projects, because they may report defects late in the development cycle or demand more time for testing.

The other answers are incorrect because they mix benefits and drawbacks or list incorrect statements.

According to the syllabus, test execution scheduling is the process of assigning and ordering test cases or test procedures to be executed in a test cycle. Test execution scheduling should take into account the prioritisation and dependency of the test cases or test procedures, as well as the availability of test resources and environments. The answer B is correct because it best meets the prioritisation and dependency conditions given in the table. The answer B follows this logic:

Start with the highest priority tests that have no dependencies, which are 5 and 7.

Then, execute the tests that depend on 5 and 7, which are 4 and 3 respectively.

Next, execute the remaining high priority tests that have no dependencies, which are 9 and 10.

After that, execute the tests that depend on 9 and 10, which are 1 and 6 respectively.

Finally, execute the low priority tests that have no dependencies, which are 8 and 2.

The other answers are incorrect because they either violate the dependency conditions or do not follow the prioritisation order. For example, answer A executes test 2 before test 10, which is not allowed because test 2 depends on test 10. Answer C executes test 6 before test 9, which is not allowed because test 6 depends on test 9. Answer D executes test 1 before test 9, which is not allowed because test 1 depends on test 9.