CTFL 5.1.1: Exemplify the purpose and content of a test plan
K2Syllabus section 5.1.1
3 original PrepBench practice questions for learning objective 5.1.1 of the CTFL 4.0 syllabus. Try the examples below and check each answer against its syllabus reference.
Practice questions
Question 1
A test manager is asked why the team is spending time writing a test plan when the schedule is already tight. Which answer reflects what test planning does?
- It records what was tested and what the results were, so the team can show afterwards that testing took place
- It makes the testers confront the future challenges of the project — risks, schedule, people, tools, costs and effort
- It settles the test approach in advance, so that it does not have to be reconsidered once test execution starts
- It moves responsibility for the quality of the release to the stakeholders who approve the plan
Show answer
- It records what was tested and what the results were, so the team can show afterwards that testing took placeRecording what was tested and the results is the work of test logs and reports.
- Correct answer: It makes the testers confront the future challenges of the project — risks, schedule, people, tools, costs and effortPlanning forces the testers to confront risks, schedule, people, tools, cost and effort.
- It settles the test approach in advance, so that it does not have to be reconsidered once test execution startsA test plan may be revised; test control exists precisely to adjust as circumstances change.
- It moves responsibility for the quality of the release to the stakeholders who approve the planA test plan is a means of communication with stakeholders; it does not transfer responsibility.
Test planning guides the testers' thinking and forces them to confront the future challenges related to risks, schedules, people, tools, costs and effort. Preparing a test plan is a useful way to think through the efforts needed to achieve the test objectives; the value is in the thinking it forces, not only in the document it produces.
Syllabus section 5.1.1
Question 2
A tester needs to record which test levels and test types will be used, what the entry and exit criteria are, and which metrics will be collected. Which part of a test plan holds all of this?
- Assumptions and constraints, which record what the test project takes for granted
- Context of testing, which records the test scope, test objectives and test basis
- Communication, which records the forms and frequency of communication used
- Test approach, which records how the testing is going to be carried out
Show answer
- Assumptions and constraints, which record what the test project takes for grantedAssumptions and constraints record what the test project presumes and what limits it.
- Context of testing, which records the test scope, test objectives and test basisThe context of testing records the test scope, the test objectives and the test basis.
- Communication, which records the forms and frequency of communication usedCommunication records the forms and frequency of communication and documentation templates.
- Correct answer: Test approach, which records how the testing is going to be carried outLevels, types, criteria and metrics to be collected all sit in the test approach.
The typical content of a test plan includes the context of testing, assumptions and constraints, stakeholders, communication, the risk register, the test approach, and budget and schedule. The test approach is the part covering test levels, test types, test techniques, test deliverables, entry criteria and exit criteria, independence of testing, metrics to be collected, and test data and test environment requirements.
Syllabus section 5.1.1
Question 3
While writing a test plan, a team records that testing depends on the third-party payment sandbox becoming available in week three, and that no performance testing is possible before then. Under which typical test plan content does this belong?
- Assumptions and constraints of the test project
- The risk register, covering product risks and project risks
- The test approach, including entry criteria and exit criteria
- Communication, including its forms and frequency
Show answer
- Correct answer: Assumptions and constraints of the test projectA dependency assumed and the limitation it imposes are assumptions and constraints.
- The risk register, covering product risks and project risksThe risk register lists risks with likelihood, impact and mitigation, not dependencies.
- The test approach, including entry criteria and exit criteriaThe test approach covers levels, types, techniques, criteria and deliverables.
- Communication, including its forms and frequencyCommunication covers forms, frequency and documentation templates.
The typical content of a test plan includes the context of testing, the assumptions and constraints of the test project, stakeholders, communication, the risk register, the test approach, and budget and schedule. A dependency on an external system being available, and the limitation that follows from it, are an assumption and a constraint of the test project.
Syllabus section 5.1.1
Original PrepBench practice material, not official exam questions or exam dumps. PrepBench is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ISTQB®.