When you visit any company’s career page, you must have seen one common job profile, which is Software Testing; it might come with different titles such as QA Engineer, Test Engineer, and much more. Overall, they’re in the same category but with different responsibilities. You must have thought, “What Software Testing Is And Types of Software Testing?”
Well, you need not worry because today, in this article, we are going to talk about what software testing is, along with its types.
So, without any lateness, let’s get started and learn about it.
Table of Contents
The very first question is:
What is Software Testing?
In very simple words, software testing is a process to evaluate whether the application is working as expected; it involves various processes, starting from running the software, doing code reviews, monitoring, and much more.
The overall focus of software testing includes but is not limited to finding and removing bugs, validating the functionality, enhancing the quality of the product, and improving the experience.
It might be possible that you are having a hard time understanding it, so to help you out, let me give you one example.
Example of: What Software Testing is?
Imagine that you have created a robot that you will show in your school/college. Now, before you show it to your college, you want to make sure that the robot is working fine, right? For instance, you will check if the robot is able to walk or talk, etc. So you will use some methods to check that, right? Well, this is what software testing is.
Just like how you are doing it with a robot, the software testers check whether or not the software or product is working fine, and if there are defects, then they take the necessary steps for the same.
Moving further, you may have a question in mind, that is:
Who can become a Software Tester?
To be honest, any person can become a software tester; it is all about the skills. While you can find online that some degree in Computer Science or IT is required, that’s optional. You can become a software tester if you have knowledge of software testing methodologies and tools.
Apart from this, if you want to take the testing domain seriously, you can get some testing certifications as well. Though that’s optional again, it is very much recommended because it can increase your chances of getting hired.
![](https://growzical.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/scope-of-software-testing-growzical.webp)
Since you are now aware of queries like What is Software Testing? and Who can become a Software Tester, it’s time to move forward and learn about:
What are the types of Software Testing?
Well, software testing is quite deep, which is why there are more than 130+ types of testing available in the market. Based on the needs and requirements, the type of testing is chosen.
Are you thinking you have to learn all of them to be a software tester? Well, no. You just have to know some of them; you will gradually get to know the rest when you start your software testing career.
Let me first quote some of the most common types of Software Testing; the list goes like this:
![Types of Software Testing](https://growzical.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/types-of-software-testing.webp)
So, you know the popular types of testing, right? Usually, there are two major types of testing: Manual Testing and Automation Testing. Rest other sort of testing come under these two categories only. These are just names; we are now going to discuss each type of testing a little.
Common Types of Software Testing
Unit Testing
It can be defined as a process of testing where individual components are tested to ensure that they are functioning correctly. Here, some modules or, say, some pieces of code are checked and tested. The unit testing is performed by the developers with a primary focus on checking the limited or, say, independent part of the software.
Integration Testing
When the unit testing is done, the developers or, say, testers verify if the components work together. For instance, if there are modules like A, B, C, and D. Then, in unit tests, we check A, then B, then C, then D, while in Integration Testing, we can test AB, BC, CD, ABD, or any combination. Usually, this is done to check the interaction between the components.
System Testing
After the Unit Testing and Integration testing between the components is done. It’s time to connect all of the components into the software and then check whether or not it meets the required criteria. What we focus on is the performance, quality, functionality, reliability, and security of the system.
Acceptance Testing
When all of the components are integrated, and system testing is done, acceptance testing comes into play in this type of testing; the end users or, say, the group of people (who are decision makers) verify if the deliverables meet the business requirements or not. If not, then modifications are done, and previous testing may be repeated.
Regression Testing
When software is created, it can undergo modifications in the future, such as new features or patches. Now, the regression testing will be done to ensure that the code implementations or, say, the modifications do not affect the current working functionality of the software; if that’s done, then the needful actions are taken, and later on, re-testing will be done.
Functional Testing
As the name suggests, in this type of testing, the primary focus is to verify whether the functions of the software are working correctly as per the specifications. The overall aim is to validate the functionality of the software and ensure that it works as per the requirements or the design structure.
Non-Functional Testing
Unlike functional testing, here, all of the non-functional features or the software are tested. For instance, the testing involves the methods that check if the product is scalable or if that’s secure or not. Likewise, we check for the usability, reliability, and performance of the software application.
Performance Testing
Do we need to explain this? Well, this is self-explanatory because, in this type of testing, we check the speed, stability, performance, efficiency, and scalability of the software solution. The developers or, say, the testers implement different load conditions to check whether or not this product or software will stand.
Security Testing
If the software is not secure, then no one will accept that. That is where security testing comes into play; in security testing, the software is checked to see if it can resist attacks or if the data stored or transferred with or through the software is secure. Alongside this, unauthorized access is prevented, too. Not only this but many other strategies are implemented to make sure the end result is bug-free.
Usability Testing
The end-user will be using the software, and if they don’t find it easy and friendly, they will have a hard time with it. So, to be on the safer side, usability testing is done to make sure the software is user-friendly and has a good interface. For this, the developers and testers work on the feedback received by the different types of users from different levels. The primary aim is to improve the experience and ease of use.
So these were the some most common types of Software Testing methods.
Moving to another question.
How can I become a Software Tester?
You can easily become a Software Tester if you follow the proper roadmap. What most people think is that they need to have a degree in Computer Science or Information Technology to be a tester. Though that’s preferred, it is not mandatory. You can get a graduation degree in any discipline.
Next, you have to gain some understanding of the testing strategies and tools; this is a very much-needed skill that you must have. Otherwise, there will be some problems.
Later on, you have to understand the role of a software tester, understand the day-to-day responsibilities and gather as much information as possible.
After which, you can take some testing certifications such as:
- ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) Certification
- CSTE (Certified Software Tester) Certification
- CSQA (Certified Software Quality Analyst) Certification
- ISTQB Agile Tester Certification
- Certified Agile Tester (CAT) Certification
These certifications are optional, but if you are beginning your career and have no prior experience, then trust me, having these certifications will be a huge plus for you.
Once you get the certificate (if), then you can move forward to gain some experience. Usually, companies give fresher opportunities as well. In case you are having a hard time getting your first job as a tester, you can start as an intern somewhere and then use that experience to get a job.
After that, there will be a good chance of you getting hired (maybe as a fresher or as an experienced candidate). I am assuming that you get placed, so what you can do is build your portfolio, stay updated with the industry trends, and, last but not least, keep applying for new opportunities.
I hope this article on what software testing is and types of software testing was helpful for you. However, we discussed other career opportunities as well.
Conclusion
In this article, we have talked about various questions related to software testing that start with what software testing is, types of Software Testing and how one can become a software tester.
In short, software testing is the process of validating software whether or not it is working as expected. There are 130+ types of software testing, but we have discussed some of the most common software testing types.
Also, anyone can become a software tester. They just need to have proper skills and certifications (if any). Now, if you are confused about the topic discussed above, feel free to let us know through the comment section.