Reader Patricia Osorio asks two good questions about a little-known test technique:
This is a question/suggestion. In the chapter 4 [of the Advanced syllabus], Test Techniques, I found Classification tree method technique. I know this technique…but it does not appear in the Foundation Syllabus. It appears in Advanced Syllabus. Why is this technique not included in Foundation Syllabus? Why it is classified as the same level of pair wise and orthogonal arrays? I have understood this technique as join application of BVA + Equivalence Partitioning + Error guessing + Defect based.
The answer to the first question, Patricia, is that this technique is really too sophisticated and complex to expect entry-level testers to master. Remember, the Foundation syllabus is meant to serve as an entry-level certification, such that people with no testing knowledge can take the training and exams as preparation to enter a testing career (or simply to be competent if posted temporarily in a testing role).
The answer to the second question is that pairwise testing techniques, include orthogonal arrays, are about testing combinations. That’s what classification trees allow you to do: define sophisticated types of combinations that you want to test. However, if you see affinities with other test techniques, that’s good; it probably means you’re thinking of ways to combine those techniques together and use them for specific problems, which is exactly what you want.
Tags: software test techniques, software testing
Rex Black is President of RBCS (
