The Test Analyst in Risk-Based Testing

The test analyst's contribution to product risk identification and assessment, and choosing the scope of regression testing after a change.

5 minutes 5 Questions

In the ISTQB Advanced Level Test Analyst syllabus, risk-based testing is a strategy that uses product (quality) risks to guide the planning, prioritization, design, execution and reporting of tests. A risk is a potential problem defined by its likelihood (probability of occurrence) and its impact (…

Concepts covered
Combining Selection Techniques and Adjusting the Regression Test SuiteRegression Test Selection Using Operational ProfilesRisk-Based and History-Based Regression Test SelectionTest Analyst Contribution to Product Risk Assessment and Risk Mitigation ProposalsTest Analyst Contribution to Product Risk IdentificationImpact Analysis for Regression Test SelectionCoverage-Based Regression Test Selection and the Requirement Traceability Matrix
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CTAL-TA - The Test Analyst in Risk-Based Testing Example Questions

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Question 1

A test analyst selects manual regression tests for a pension contribution web portal after developers change the rounding rule in the employer contribution calculation. The team can run 55 manual tests this cycle. The risk register was reassessed after the change, and it rates two items high: the contribution calculation, with 25 traced tests, and the annual statement generation, which reuses the calculated amounts, with 15 traced tests. Of these 40 tests, 28 have passed in each of the last 9 cycles. A further 15 tests on the member profile page failed often during a redesign that ended two releases ago, and that page is unchanged in this release. Twelve tests check the tax authority export file, which is built from the rounded amounts, and none of them has run for 8 cycles. Which regression scope fits these facts best?

Correct Answer: The 40 tests tied to the high-risk calculation and statement items, plus the 12 export tests that have gone longest unrun

Covering all 40 tests traced to the reassessed high-risk calculation and statement items, plus the 12 long-unrun export tests built from the rounded amounts, puts 52 of the 55 slots on the areas the rounding change actually affects.
Dropping the 28 consistently passing high-risk tests ignores that the change invalidates past pass history, and the profile tests target an unchanged page whose failures ended with the redesign. Choosing calculation tests plus profile tests leaves out statement generation, which reuses the changed amounts. Journey-based selection across the whole portal ignores both the risk assessment and the impact of the change.
Key concept: risk-based and impact-based regression test selection, with test history used only as a secondary factor.

Question 2

A test analyst is scoping a manual regression cycle for a utility self-service portal. The meter-reading submission form has been rewritten to accept photo uploads. The requirement traceability matrix is current: 12 tests trace to meter-reading submission, and 7 tests trace to the monthly bill estimate feature, which consumes the submitted readings. Defect history shows that the bill estimate failed after 2 of the last 3 changes to reading input. The suite also contains a 15-test quick-check subset built from an operational profile. That profile was captured before reminder emails raised meter-reading submission from 5% to 40% of all sessions, and the subset holds only 1 submission test. The team can execute 22 manual tests this cycle. Which regression scope and suite adjustment fit these facts best?

Correct Answer: Run the 19 traced submission and estimate tests plus 3 long-unrun ones; rebuild the quick-check subset from current usage data

Running all 12 submission and 7 estimate tests covers the changed form and the dependent feature with a history of failure. The 3 extra tests fill the 22-test capacity with long-unrun cases, and the quick-check subset must be rebuilt because its operational profile no longer matches real usage.
Keeping the subset unchanged leaves an obsolete profile that underrepresents a path now used in 40% of sessions. Running the quick-check plus estimate tests skips most of the 12 submission tests covering the rewritten form. Running only 10 of the 15 quick-check tests drops the defect-prone estimate tests this cycle and misuses the subset.
Key concept: impact-based regression selection and maintaining operational-profile test suites as usage changes.

Question 3

A test analyst selects manual regression tests for a utility billing web portal after developers change the meter-reading import module. The requirement traceability matrix is current, and the risk register was reassessed after the change. Invoice calculation uses the imported readings for legally regulated bills; it is rated high risk and has 25 traced regression tests. The consumption chart page is the most frequently visited page of the portal; it is rated low risk and has 35 traced regression tests. All 35 chart tests use the same import file format, and 8 of them have gone six cycles since their last execution. The current cycle allows 35 manual tests. Which regression selection fits these facts best?

Correct Answer: Run all 25 billing tests, then use the 10 remaining slots for chart tests, starting with the 8 left unrun longest

Risk-based selection puts all 25 high-risk, legally regulated billing tests first. The 10 remaining slots then go to chart tests, starting with the 8 that have gone six cycles unrun, because their staleness adds the most information.
Usage frequency is a weaker criterion than the reassessed risk rating, so it should not push the low-risk chart tests ahead of billing. A proportional split by test count ignores risk and leaves 10 high-risk billing tests unrun. Choosing for import-format coverage gains nothing, since all chart tests use the same format.
Key concept: risk-based regression test prioritization using traceability and execution history.

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