Stage 1 of 8 · 7 lessons · ~3 weeks
Testing fundamentals
What testing is for, where it fits in how software is built, and the vocabulary every QA conversation uses: levels, types, the test pyramid and risk.
Start: Why testing existsLessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order
Do this
- Read chapters 1 and 2 of the free ISTQB Foundation syllabus.
- Read Martin Fowler's article on the practical test pyramid.
- Pick an app you use every day and list its five riskiest features with a reason for each.
- For one feature, write two checks at each test level: unit, integration, system and acceptance.
- Write three non-functional checks for the same app: one performance, one accessibility, one security.
- Explain the difference between verification and validation to a friend with your own example.
Start with
- GuideFreeISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0
ISTQB · Beginner
The free Foundation syllabus is the clearest single summary of testing vocabulary; read chapters 1 and 2
Keep handy
Also worth your time
The best-known explanation of balancing unit, integration and UI tests, with concrete examples
- Software Engineering at GoogleGo deeper
Free online; the testing chapters explain how a very large company decides what to test and at which size
Before moving on: A one-page test approach for a real app you use, such as a food delivery or banking app: its riskiest areas, what you would test at each level, and three functional and three non-functional checks.
Do not rush past this stage to get to automation. The people who struggle as automation engineers usually automate the wrong things, because they never learnt to ask what matters and why. Read the free ISTQB syllabus chapters on fundamentals and test levels, but learn the ideas, not the wording.