Software Testing - How To Go About For Beginners
Printed From: One Stop Testing
Category: Software Testing @ OneStopTesting
Forum Name: Beginners @ OneStopTesting
Forum Discription: New to the Club...!!! Don't Worry, We are here for you...!!! Learn the very basics of Software Testing and other pertinent Informations.
URL: http://forum.onestoptesting.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7021
Printed Date: 25Jan2025 at 9:18am
Topic: Software Testing - How To Go About For Beginners
Posted By: Mithi25
Subject: Software Testing - How To Go About For Beginners
Date Posted: 17Sep2009 at 11:16pm
I am totally new to this field, where and what should I begin with?
This seemingly stupid question is actually a very valid query, as
many of the testers are from the non-computer background. It indeed can
be very hard for any new person to understand the terminologies if that
person is entering the IT field for the very first time.
My advice to the new testers with non-computer background would be
to read something about computers and relevant terminologies. Reading
computer science basics can help them. They should try to understand
various terms used in Software Engineering and programming domain.
(Please note that the Computer Science and Software Engineering field
is very vast, you just have to go through the basics and not the entire
course).
Once you start understanding, what is a program? What does it mean
by execution? What are the different languages? Etc. you gain enough
momentum and understanding which helps you in dealing with any new
terminology in the computer world. As you finish it, you should also
take an overview of various development methodologies used in the
software development field such as Water-Fall model, spiral model,
incremental-integration model etc.
After you finish your first step, you should start looking into
various terminologies and definitions used in software testing field
such as various types of testing, testing strategies, methodologies
etc. Even though most of the definitions/terminologies are very simple
and quite easy to understand, you should try to create a small
definition directory, which will be handy for you anytime you wish to
go through.
As soon as you are done with the above specified things, you should
understand what is a bug/error and life-cycle of a bug (For this you
can go through my articles "Software Testing – An Introduction",
"Software Testing – Contents of a Bug", "Software Testing – Bug Life
Cycles" and "Software Testing – Bug And Statuses Used During A Bug Life
Cycle"). At this point, you will have enough knowledge to be able to
take a plunge in the vast field of Software Testing.
How should I test a system without knowing requirements?
Recently many people asked me the same question … and truly
speaking my answer to this question is "YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE A CHANCE TO
TEST SYSTEM WITHOUT KNOWING REQUIREMENTS".
If you are testing a system without knowing the requirements, its
just like searching for something in this world and you don’t know what
you are exactly expected to look for and identify. This way whatever
you come across, you will think that it’s the same thing that you have
been searching entire world for. And we have to admit that it surely
can be your mistake. If someone has asked you to test a system without
giving you the proper requirements, then almost everything you see in
the system will seem to be a bug for an example if the requirement says
that there should be a submit button on the login form but as the
requirement has not been specified, you surely will say that the submit
button is a mistake of developer and it should not be there (even when
logically we know there WILL be a submit button on the login form) and
hence you will count it as a bug.
So please, do not think of testing a system without getting proper
requirements. And if someone makes you test the system without
specifying you the actual requirements, then you should start yelling
at each and everything that happens in the system saying it is a bug …
the reason is simple … you don’t know what should be there in the
system and what should not!
On other hand, if you really want to test a system and no matter
what are the requirements, then you surely can go ahead and do so. But
then you will have to use only monkey testing. The reason for this is
again the same … you don’t know anything about the system! So whatever
you LOGICALLY think can be a potential bug in the system, you can
report it.
What should I do to become a good and complete tester?
You should try to expand the horizon of your knowledge, your
understanding of any subject, depth of thinking and be creative. Try to
learn new trick which will help you stand in the crowd. Develop your
own understanding and techniques of how you should test the system so
that you can find more and more bugs, giving the best result.
Anyone can test a system, even if a normal person brings a
Television at his house he can find out a normal defect that like
defective power cable by trying to turn the Television On, and mark my
words … EVERYONE WILL DO THE SAME THING AT FIRST. Then what’s the
difference in that normal person and you as a tester (or say GOOD
Tester)? Here you can distinguish yourself from others; you can try to
search for more bugs in the system.
Is it necessary for a Tester to learn Automation Tools?
Software testing in India is growing very fast. And I can assure
you that there will be deep penetration of automation tools and their
uses. So the more you know about automation tools the better chances
you stand to mark your presence in the industry over others.
It also depends on the type of project you are working in, if your
work demands you to understand and use an automation tool then in that
case you will have to surely learn it.
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