Stage 2 · Lesson 1 of 8
Analysing requirements and acceptance criteria
Good testing starts before any code exists. You read the (a short description of what a user needs) or the specification, and you ask questions. What happens with empty input, very long input or special characters?
What errors can happen, and what should the user see? Which users and roles are involved, and what must they never be able to do? A missing answer is a defect in the requirement.
Raising it when the team refines the story costs one conversation instead of an urgent fix after release. Each question you ask also becomes a test idea, so this step feeds straight into test design. , the conditions a story must meet, are easiest to test when they are written as clear examples.
Common trapaccepting vague words such as "fast", "secure" or "user friendly" without asking what they mean in numbers or behaviour.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock
Resources for this stage
Start with
- GuideFreeISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0
ISTQB · Beginner
Chapter 4 of the free syllabus covers partitions, boundaries, decision tables and state transitions with worked examples
Practise
Keep handy
Also worth your time
A plain, proven checklist for titles, steps and expected results from one of the largest open bug trackers