Exploratory Testing

5 minutes 5 Questions

Exploratory Testing is an unscripted, context-driven approach to software testing that enables testers to simultaneously learn about the application, design test cases, and execute tests. This approach encourages creativity and agility, allowing testers to leverage their skills, intuition, and experience to identify defects that might be missed by conventional scripted testing methods. Exploratory Testing emphasizes adaptability and flexibility and is guided by heuristics, rather than pre-defined test cases. Testers can efficiently uncover issues by designing and executing tests based on their understanding of the system and its requirements, following any identified risks or defects to their logical conclusion. Exploratory Testing is particularly effective in Agile environments due to its focus on rapid feedback, learning, and adaptability, enabling teams to respond quickly to customer needs and continuously improve product quality.

Guide on Exploratory Testing

What is Exploratory Testing?
Exploratory Testing is a type of testing where test design and test execution occur simultaneously with the aim of identifying bugs that were not discovered in the pre-planned testing process. It allows for flexibility, creativity, and is performed without any specific plans and schedules.

Why is it Important?
Exploratory testing is important because it helps in identifying unexpected bugs or issues that were not covered under normal testing methods. It promotes the concept of 'thinking-out-of-box' and allows testers to test the application from the end user's perspective.

How does it work?
In essence, exploratory testing involves four phases: Explore, Design, Execute, and Result logging. The tester embarks on a journey to explore the features of the application, design test scenarios, execute them and finally, log the results.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Exploratory Testing
1. Understand the concept thoroughly: Make sure you have sound knowledge of what exploratory testing is, how it works, and why it is necessary.
2. Use real-world examples: To explain exploratory testing, it can be beneficial to discuss its real-world application.
3. Know its pros and cons: Questions could be asked about the benefits and drawbacks of exploratory testing. Make sure to research and be clear about them.
4. Compare with other testing methods: Understanding how exploratory testing stands in comparison with other testing methods can be useful in answering some exam questions.

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Question 1

You are a tester on an Agile team, and you have been assigned to explore a new feature for processing customer orders. You notice that when you enter invalid data, the system crashes. What should be your immediate course of action?

Ignore the issue and focus on other areas of the feature Ask the developer to fix the issue on the spot Keep entering invalid data to see if other crashes occur Report the issue and continue to explore other areas Escalate the issue to management Stop testing and wait for the issue to be resolved

Correct Answer: Report the issue and continue to explore other areas

The correct action is to report the issue and continue exploring other areas, as this approach provides valuable feedback for the development team and avoids waiting on the fix, which would delay the testing process.

Question 2

You are assigned to test an application being developed by two teams. One team is using a scripted testing approach, while the other is using exploratory testing. Which of these factors can be an advantage of exploratory testing in this scenario?

Minimal need for domain knowledge Easier collaboration between teams A larger amount of documentation Reduced tester creativity A more structured and organized testing process The ability to respond quickly to changes in requirements or design

Correct Answer: The ability to respond quickly to changes in requirements or design

Exploratory testing allows testers to respond quickly to changes in requirements or design, which is especially helpful in Agile environments. The other options are not benefits of exploratory testing - these either pertain to scripted testing or are generally negative factors.

Question 3

While performing exploratory testing, you find a bug that causes revenue calculations to produce incorrect results. You know the product owner is currently in a meeting. How should you handle this situation?

Ask the developers to fix the bug without discussing it with the product owner Document the bug and discuss it with the product owner after the meeting Interrupt the meeting to inform the product owner Resolve the bug on your own Wait for the product owner to finish the meeting before documenting the bug Ignore the bug, assuming someone else will find it

Correct Answer: Document the bug and discuss it with the product owner after the meeting

The correct approach is to document the bug, but not interrupt the meeting. It is important to communicate the issue to the product owner, but do so respectfully and within the proper channels.

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