The correct statement is B. According to the ISTQB CTFL syllabus, the testing quadrants help to

categorize tests based on their purpose and whether they are technology-facing or business-facing,

and whether they support the team or critique the product. Quadrant Q2 includes tests that are

business-facing and support the team, such as automated acceptance tests produced during

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) and Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)  .

Quadrant Q3 includes business-facing tests that critique the product, such as exploratory testing,

usability testing, and user acceptance testing. These tests are typically manual and focus on

evaluating the product from a user perspective, rather than being part of a continuous integration

process  .

Quadrant Q4 includes technology-facing tests that critique the product, such as performance tests,

security tests, and other non-functional tests, which can be automated but are not related to unit

tests produced during TDD .

One of the primary objectives of testing is to ensure that the software or system being tested meets

all regulatory requirements. This is crucial in many industries where compliance with laws and

standards is mandatory. According to the ISTQB CTFL Syllabus v4.0, testing aims to evaluate the

quality of the software product and verify that it complies with specified requirements, including

regulatory requirements  .

The test leader is the person who is responsible for planning, monitoring, and controlling the test

activities and resources in a test project. The test leader should have the best knowledge of the test

objectives, scope, risks, resources, schedule, and quality criteria. The test leader should also be

aware of the test automation criteria, such as the execution frequency, the test support, the team

education, the roles and responsibilities, and the devs and testers collaboration1. Based on these

factors, the test leader can decide which tests are suitable for automation and which are not, and

prioritize them accordingly. The test leader can also coordinate with the test automation engineers,

the developers, and the stakeholders to ensure the alignment of the test automation strategy with

the test project goals and expectations. Reference = ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)

v4.0 Syllabus, Chapter 2, Section 2.3.1, Page 152; ISTQB Glossary of Testing Terms v4.0, Page 403;

ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0 Syllabus, Chapter 6, Section 6.1.1, Page 514; Top

8 Test Automation Criteria You Need To Fulfill - QAMIND1

Experience-based test techniques are test design techniques that rely on the experience, knowledge,

intuition, and creativity of the testers to identify and execute test cases that are likely to find defects

in the software system. Experience-based test techniques are often useful to detect hidden defects

that have not been targeted by black-box test techniques, which are test design techniques that use

the external behavior and specifications of the software system as the test basis, without considering

its internal structure or implementation. Experience-based test techniques can complement black-

box test techniques by covering aspects that are not explicitly specified, such as usability, security,

reliability, performance, etc. The other statements are false, because:

Experience-based test techniques do not rely on the experience of testers to identify the root causes

of defects found by black-box test techniques, but rather to identify the potential sources of defects

based on their own insights, heuristics, or exploratory testing. The root causes of defects are usually

identified by debugging or root cause analysis, which are activities that involve examining the code

or the development process to find and fix the errors that led to the defects.

Some of the most common test basis used by white-box test techniques include the source code, the

design documents, the architecture diagrams, and the control flow graphs of the software system.

White-box test techniques are test design techniques that use the internal structure and

implementation of the software system as the test basis, and aim to achieve a certain level of test

coverage based on the code elements, such as statements, branches, paths, etc. User stories, use

cases, and business processes are examples of test basis used by black-box test techniques, as they

describe the functional and non-functional requirements of the software system from the

perspective of the users or the stakeholders.

The primary goal of experience-based test techniques is not to design test cases that can be easily

automated using a GUI-based test automation tool, but rather to design test cases that can reveal

defects that are not easily detected by other test techniques, such as boundary value analysis,

equivalence partitioning, state transition testing, etc. Test automation is the use of software tools to

execute test cases and compare actual results with expected results, without human intervention.

Test automation can be applied to different types of test techniques, depending on the test

objectives, the test levels, the test tools, and the test resources. However, test automation is not

always feasible or beneficial, especially for test cases that require human judgment, creativity, or

exploration, such as those designed by experience-based test techniques. Reference: ISTQB Certified

Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0 sources and documents:

ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level Syllabus v4.0, Chapter 2.2.1, Black-box Test Design

Techniques

ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level Syllabus v4.0, Chapter 2.2.2, White-box Test Design

Techniques

ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level Syllabus v4.0, Chapter 2.2.3, Experience-based Test Design

Techniques

ISTQB® Glossary of Testing Terms v4.0, Experience-based Test Technique, Black-box Test Technique,

White-box Test Technique, Test Basis, Test Coverage, Test Automation

A test status report is a document that provides a snapshot of the testing activities and their progress

during a particular period. It should include information about any impediments encountered during

the test execution and the actions taken to resolve them, which helps stakeholders understand the

challenges and how they were addressed  .

Option B describes an activity related to test completion rather than ongoing status reporting. Option

C is incorrect because the structure and contents of the report may vary based on the audience's

needs. Option D, while important, is not the primary purpose of a test status report, which focuses

more on the current status and impediments.

In software testing, risks are categorized into product risks and project risks. Product risks are

associated with the potential of a product to fail in meeting its quality criteria. Project risks are

related to potential issues that could affect the project's ability to deliver a product.

[i] is a project risk because it concerns the availability and adequacy of hardware resources for

performance testing.

[ii] is a product risk because it pertains to a security and functionality issue within the web

application.

[iii] is a project risk because it involves the availability of necessary requirements documentation for

the testing process.

[iv] is a product risk because it relates to the system's functionality and data integrity after a failure.

Thus, statement A correctly classifies [ii] and [iv] as product risks and [i] and [iii] as project risks  .

The V-model is a software development life cycle model that defines four test levels that correspond

to four development phases: component (unit) testing with component design, integration testing

with architectural design, system testing with system requirements, and acceptance testing with user

requirements. The V-model emphasizes the importance of verifying and validating each phase of

development with a corresponding level of testing, and ensuring that the test objectives, test basis,

and test artifacts are aligned and consistent across the test levels. Therefore, an organization that

wants to follow the V-model cannot do away with integration testing, as it would break the

symmetry and completeness of the V-model, and compromise the quality and reliability of the

software or system under test. Integration testing is a test level that aims to test the interactions and

interfaces between components or subsystems, and to detect any defects or inconsistencies that

may arise from the integration of different parts of the software or system. Integration testing is

essential for ensuring the functionality, performance, and compatibility of the software or system as

a whole, and for identifying and resolving any integration issues early in the development process.

Skipping integration testing would increase the risk of finding serious defects later in the test

process, or worse, in the production environment, which would be more costly and difficult to fix,

and could damage the reputation and credibility of the organization. Therefore, the correct answer is

D.

The other options are incorrect because:

A . It is not allowed as organizations can decide on the test levels to do depending on the context of

the system under test. While it is true that the choice and scope of test levels may vary depending on

the context of the system under test, such as the size, complexity, criticality, and risk level of the

system, the organization cannot simply ignore or skip a test level that is defined and required by the

chosen software development life cycle model. The organization must follow the principles and

guidelines of the software development life cycle model, and ensure that the test levels are

consistent and coherent with the development phases. If the organization wants to have more

flexibility and adaptability in choosing the test levels, it should consider using a different software

development life cycle model, such as an agile or iterative model, that allows for more dynamic and

incremental testing approaches.

B . It is not allowed because integration testing is not an important test level and can be dispensed

with. This statement is false and misleading, as integration testing is a very important test level that

cannot be dispensed with. Integration testing is vital for testing the interactions and interfaces

between components or subsystems, and for ensuring the functionality, performance, and

compatibility of the software or system as a whole. Integration testing can reveal defects or

inconsistencies that may not be detected by component (unit) testing alone, such as interface errors,

data flow errors, integration logic errors, or performance degradation. Integration testing can also

help to verify and validate the architectural design and the integration strategy of the software or

system, and to ensure that the software or system meets the specified and expected quality

attributes, such as reliability, usability, security, and maintainability. Integration testing can also

provide feedback and confidence to the developers and stakeholders about the progress and quality

of the software or system development. Therefore, integration testing is a crucial and indispensable

test level that should not be skipped or omitted.

C . It is not allowed because integration testing is a very important test level and ignoring it means

definite poor product quality. This statement is partially true, as integration testing is a very

important test level that should not be ignored, and skipping it could result in poor product quality.

However, this statement is too strong and absolute, as it implies that integration testing is the only

factor that determines the product quality, and that ignoring it would guarantee a poor product

quality. This is not necessarily the case, as there may be other factors that affect the product quality,

such as the quality of the requirements, design, code, and other test levels, the effectiveness and

efficiency of the test techniques and tools, the competence and experience of the developers and

testers, the availability and adequacy of the resources and environment, the management and

communication of the project, and the expectations and satisfaction of the customers and users.

Therefore, while integration testing is a very important test level that should not be skipped, it is not

the only test level that matters, and skipping it does not necessarily mean definite poor product

quality, but rather a higher risk and likelihood of poor product quality.

Reference = ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level Syllabus, Version 4.0, 2018, Section 2.3, pages

16-18; ISTQB Glossary of Testing Terms, Version 4.0, 2018, pages 38-39; ISTQB CTFL 4.0 - Sample

Exam - Answers, Version 1.1, 2023,

When working on a project with incomplete requirements and under pressure to deploy, exploratory

testing is particularly suitable. This type of testing allows testers to use their expertise and intuition

to explore the system's functionality and identify defects without needing detailed specifications.

Exploratory testing is flexible and can quickly adapt to changes and gaps in the requirements  .

The absence-of-errors fallacy is the mistaken belief that just because a software system is free of

defects, it will meet the user's needs and expectations. Involving users early through practices like

prototyping helps ensure that the development team is building the right system that meets user

expectations, not just a system that is defect-free. This approach aligns with the testing principle that

emphasizes understanding the users' needs and ensuring the system fulfills them. This principle is

explained in the ISTQB CTFL Syllabus v4.0  .

Test planning involves defining the overall approach to testing, including scheduling, resources, and

milestones. It is during this phase that the detailed schedule for each testing activity is determined

based on estimates, resource availability, and constraints. The ISTQB CTFL Syllabus v4.0 outlines that

test planning encompasses the creation of test plans and schedules to ensure that testing activities

are properly managed and controlled  .