CSTE Preparatory Training
Watch a Live Preview | Instructor Led Version The CSTE Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) skill categories have been selected to address the challenges faced by today’s software testers. The Web-based CSTE Exam Study Course is a live, facilitated discussion and presentation of the ten CBOK skill categories. The course reinforces current knowledge, re-introduces concepts that may not be used everyday, explains the rationale for use, and highlights both multiple choice and essay type sample examination questions and responses. It is recognized that many software testers do not need to be competent in all of the CBOK categories to fulfill their current job responsibilities. However, the CSTE candidate should have a working knowledge of the information in all skill categories and will be examined on all ten CBOK categories. This course provides a background of the IT testing fundamentals and also includes the more advanced concepts, which the Certified Software Tester must understand. The completion of this course along with the necessary practical experience and related resource familiarity will help prepare the candidate for the CSTE examination. Due to time limitations, this course is not intended to cover every component of the CBOK in great depth.* The course is composed of 12 sessions to help participants prepare for the CSTE Certification exam. Sessions in the First Quarter of 2015 will begin January 6, 2015. The course will run weekly through March 24, 2015. This course will also be offered during the Second Quarter of 2015. You will receive an e-mail reminder notice of the “Live Virtual Classroom” the day before each session. Each session will consist of Knowledge and Essay exams to be taken online. Feedback will be provided. Most meetings are on Tuesdays. Tuesday – Q&A Session: 11 AM – 11:30 AM USA Eastern Time The purpose of this session is to go over the assignments and clear up any questions you may have. Tuesday – Tutorial: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM USA Eastern Time The seminar leader will go over a series of slides and discuss the topics contained in the CBOK that are of importance to you. Pre Work: Prior to the first session – Read the Welcome Info, download and print the Course Materials, and view / take the prework materials on the prework drop-down within the Sessions tab. Welcome Info Tab: View the Intructor Bio as desired. Make note of the Additional Information containing the telephone teleconference phone number and passcode. The information also contains a free SKYPE toll-free alternative especially for callers outside the USA. Course Materials Tab: You can download and print the Course Book which is the workbook for the course. You can download and print the CSTE CBOK (Common Body of Knowledge) for your reference throughout the course. You may find it convenient to keep the downloaded image for quick keyword searches. Sessions Tab, Prework drop-down box: You can watch the Prologue to get a course overview. You can preview the “Live Virtual Classroom” Orientation slides to get an idea of what the “Live Virtual Classroom” screens will look like. These same slides will be used as an orientation during the first session. Make a written record of your current screen resolution and color quality. Be prepared to change the resolution to 1024 X 768 and quality to minimum (16 bit or 256 color) prior to each session. You can change it back to original settings after each session if you wish. You can download the Skill Self-Assessment spreadsheet and self-assess you degree of skill in each of the 10 skill categories, before the first “Live Virtual Classroom” session. This will help you identify your current level of knowedge in each area. This is not sent to the instructor. Allow adequate time since there are 160 detailed skill self-assessment areas. You can take the Pre-Test to pre-assess your present level of knowledge. It uses 30 multiple choice questions. It is automatically scored upon conclusion. Although the instructor gets a copy, don’t worry about how you do; course discussion is limited to group responses. This is an excellent way of doing a “dry run.” You can take the Test Topics which are essay questions, in the same way and for the same purpose as the Pre-Test. These are questions on topics that Testing professionals most frequently encounter. The Test Topic Answers contain sample answers to the Test Topics. It is suggested that you attempt to answer the questions before looking here. Link to Additional Resources has links to various web sites and books on software quality which you might find helpful.
“Live Virtual Classroom” log in and use instructions shows you the screens you get when you click on the meeting Link to “Live Virtual Classroom” for the meeting session you are in.Knowledge Category 1 ~ Software Testing Principles and Concepts
This skill category focuses on the “basics” of software testing as represented by the vocabulary of testing, testing approaches, methods and techniques as well as the materials used by testers in performing their test activities.
Knowledge Category 2 ~ Building the Software Testing Ecosystem
The test ecosystem is comprised of all the conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding and affecting the testing of software.
Knowledge Category 3 ~ Managing the Test Project
Software testing is a project with almost all the same attributes as a software development project. This category discusses project planning, project staffing, scheduling and budgeting, communicating, assigning and monitoring work and ensuring that changes to the project plan are incorporated into the test plan.
Knowledge Category 4 ~ Risk in the Software Development Life Cycle
It is often stated that a primary goal of a software tester is to reduce the risk associated with the deployment of a software application system. The very process of test planning is based on an understanding of the types and magnitudes of risk throughout the software application lifecycle. This skill category explains the concept of risk which includes project, process, and product risk. Understanding risk is required in order to evaluate whether the controls are in place and working in the development processes and within the application under test.
Knowledge Category 5 ~ Executing the Test Plan
This skill category explores the skills testers need to plan tests, including the selection of techniques and methods to be used to validate the product against its approved requirements and design. Testers must understand the development methods and environment to effectively plan for testing.
Knowledge Category 6 ~ Walkthroughs, Checkpoint Reviews and Inspections
The importance of integrated quality control throughout the development life cycle cannot be understated. Often testing is only described in terms of dynamic test case execution. In this section of the STBOK, an in-depth discussion about the static testing techniques of walkthroughs, checkpoint reviews and inspections is given.
Knowledge Category 7 ~ Designing Test Cases
This section of the STBOK defines the procedures to identify individual test conditions, decompose the test conditions into individual test cases and create test scripts. The skill category covers identifying test conditions from specifications documents, test transaction types, Use Cases, and Agile User Stories. Further detailed are the techniques to develop test cases from the test conditions using such white box techniques as branch condition and data flow. Black box test cases designed based on techniques such as equivalence partitioning and all-pairs testing are explained in detail.
Knowledge Category 8 ~ Executing the Tests
Testing should commence when the project commences and conclude when the software is no longer in operation. This category focuses on the many skills needed to execute the tests from Acceptance Testing across the SDLC, Unit, Integration and System testing as well as User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and testing Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software.
Knowledge Category 9 ~ Measurement Test Status, Analysis and Reporting
In this category the tester’s ability to develop testing status reports is discussed. These reports should show the status of the testing based on the test plan. Reporting should document what tests have been performed and the status of those tests. The test reporting process is a process to collect data, analyze the data, supplement the data with metrics, graphs and charts and other pictorial representations which help the developers and users interpret that data. The lessons learned from the test effort should be used to improve the next iteration of the test process.
Knowledge Category 10 ~ Testing Specialized Technologies
Testers require skills in their organization’s current technology, as well as a general understanding of the new information technology that might be acquired by their organization. Testing new technology creates some unique challenges which would not be an issue once the new technology is fully assimiliated. There are many specialized technologies, new or otherwise, which require specific skills to test. This skill category addresses specilized technologies of web application testing, mobile application testing, Cloud base applications, testing within an Agile framework, DevOps application testing, and the Internet of Thing.