QAI CAST study plan

Define the seven ISTQB-style test principles in your own words and give one real defect example for each

Distinguish verification from validation and classify ten sample activities into each category

Map the test levels (component, integration, system, acceptance) to who performs them and what exit criteria apply

Compare the four test types (functional, non-functional, structural/white-box, change-related) using a single feature as the running example

Explain the psychology of testing and list five communication habits that reduce developer-tester friction

Trace how testing fits into each software development lifecycle model (sequential, iterative, incremental) and where test effort concentrates in each

Describe static testing techniques (review types, walkthrough, technical review, inspection) and state what each can catch that dynamic testing cannot

Identify the roles and responsibilities in a formal review and the entry/exit criteria for one

Draft a test plan outline covering scope, objectives, approach, entry/exit criteria, risks, and estimation

Apply risk-based testing to rank ten candidate features by likelihood and impact and justify the top three

Select estimation approaches (metrics-based, expert-based, test point analysis) and produce an estimate for one module

Write traceability between three requirements and their planned test conditions

Apply equivalence partitioning and boundary value analysis to three input fields and derive the minimum test set

Build a decision table for a business rule with at least three conditions and collapse it into test cases

Derive state transition tests for an object with at least four states and identify invalid transitions

Write a set of test cases in a standard format with preconditions, steps, expected results, and priority

Execute the week-4 test cases against a sample application or spreadsheet model and record actual results

Write defect reports that satisfy a severity/priority matrix and include reproducible steps, environment, and evidence

Classify five defects by root cause and describe the containment action for each

Explain the defect lifecycle states and the decision points where a defect can be deferred, rejected, or reopened

Distinguish severity from priority and resolve five ambiguous cases with written justification

Compute test progress metrics (test case execution rate, pass/fail ratio, defect density, defect detection percentage) from a supplied dataset

Interpret a defect arrival and closure trend and state what it implies about release readiness

Define exit criteria for a release and defend them against a schedule-pressure scenario

Distinguish product metrics from process metrics and give two examples of each with a decision they inform

Explain how to avoid metric misuse, including vanity metrics and gaming, with three concrete safeguards

Calculate coverage measures (requirement coverage, code coverage concepts) and state the limits of each

Build a test summary report structure and populate it with the week-6 data

Categorize testing tools by purpose (test management, static analysis, test design, execution, performance, defect tracking) and match five tools to use cases

Explain the benefits and risks of test automation and identify which of your week-4 test cases are worth automating

Describe the role of a pilot project, tool selection criteria, and total cost of ownership in tool adoption

Outline a keyword-driven or data-driven automation approach for one repeatable test flow