What Test Case Is

CNM Cyber suites

What Test Case Is (hereinafter, the Lectio) is the lesson part of Manual Testing Essentials lesson that introduces its participants to manual testing concepts. This lesson belongs to the CNMCT Entrance section of the CNM Cyber Placement.

Content

The predecessor lectio is Verification vs Validation.

Script

The English word, case, originally derived from a Latin noun casus that meant an accident, event, occurrence; occasion, opportunity. A test case is a set of requirements for particular testing.

In systems engineering, a test case commonly specifies the inputs, external factors, available assets, procedures, and expected outputs that the tested system shall produce. Having that specification, the tester who administers the performance test can evaluate whether the tested system achieves the objectives it has been designed to achieve.

Not all performance cases must be highly detailed. For instance, one performance test case for this very lectio can be:

Evaluate whether the closing question of the lectio reflects the brief lecture that this lectio includes.

With regard to the development iterations or phases, all test cases can be divided in two categories: progression tests and regression tests. Progression testing is undertaken to ensure that newly-developed features are developed properly. Regression testing is undertaken to ensure that newly-developed features do not interfere the proper functioning of the system prior to the recent changes.

Those user stories that have been used for the last development can be perfectly used for progression testing. Regularly, any acceptance test involves these stories. Vice versa, those user stories that that were used for all the developments prior to the last one can be perfectly used for regression testing.

Test cases for usability testing are rarely detailed; they tend to be more general than those for performance testing. A simplest example of a usability test case can be,

While using the tested system, report if you feel uncomfortable, get confused, or even start thinking what to do next.

Regression testing for user experience improvements is not feasible; all of usability testing is in the progression testing category.

Key terms

Test case, case, performance test case, usability test case, progression test, progression testing, regression test, regression testing

Closing

The successor lectio is What Reporting Is.