Pass the ISTQB Advance Level CTAL-TTA Questions and answers with CertsForce

In the context of safety-critical systems, particularly in the medical domain, reliability is of utmost importance. For such systems, it is crucial to ensure that the software can handle unexpected input values and continue to operate without failure. This is essential to ensure patient safety and compliance with FDA requirements. Vulnerability scans (option A) are more related to security testing, whereas scalability (option C) and installation/de-installation (option D) are important but not specifically related to the reliability and safety criticality of the system in the medical domain.

In the data flow analysis of the pseudocode, the variable output presents a potential anomaly. Initially, output is set to input1, but it may be overwritten if input2 is greater. The anomaly, specifically a 'definition-use' (du-path) issue, arises because there might be scenarios where output does not adequately reflect changes depending on the dynamic data flow influenced by the conditional. Proper testing and validation of such conditional structures are crucial to ensure that output consistently represents the largest of the two inputs as intended.

The earliest stage in the application's SDLC at which performance efficiency testing can be performed is during requirements analysis. At this stage, performance requirements and goals are established, providing a baseline for what needs to be tested and verified throughout the later stages of development​​.

The pseudo code provided for the Price program shows a potential for an infinite loop due to the way the 'Del_Charge' variable is being manipulated. The loop is set to continue 'WHILE Del_Charge > 0', and within the loop, 'Del_Charge' is initially set to 5 and then potentially decreased by 2 if 'Sale_Value > 60000'. However, at the end of each loop iteration, 'Del_Charge' is increased by 1. This means that if 'Sale_Value' is not greater than 60000, 'Del_Charge' will not decrease and will instead increment indefinitely, causing an infinite loop. Even if 'Sale_Value' is greater than 60000, the decrement by 2 could be negated by the subsequent increments if the loop runs enough times, potentially leading to an infinite loop situation. There is no guaranteed exit condition once the loop is entered, which is a control flow anomaly.

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. This type of security breach can lead to unauthorized access to user sessions or sensitive information and manipulate client-side scripts. Testing for XSS vulnerabilities is critical to ensure that any input received from the UI is appropriately sanitized, preventing malicious code from executing within the system. This is a fundamental aspect of security testing to protect the integrity and confidentiality of user data and system functionality.

The fault attack described involves forcing all possible incoming errors from software/operating system interfaces. The type of failure being sought is one where the application does not handle erroneous or unexpected input correctly, which can lead to crashes or other unintended behavior. Thus, an application crash when unsupported characters are pasted into an input field is a typical failure that this kind of fault attack would aim to uncover.

When a test class that validates a specific criterion (such as the minimum length of a password) fails, the immediate next step is to repair the failing code and re-execute the test. This approach adheres to the test-driven development (TDD) practices, where the cycle of writing a failing test, making it pass, and then refactoring is repeated. It ensures that each validation criterion is correctly implemented before moving on to additional functionalities or validations .

Statements about Maintainability Testing:

A. It should start as soon as the draft design documents are available for review.

True. Maintainability testing can begin early in the development lifecycle, starting with reviews of design documents to ensure that maintainability concerns are addressed from the outset.

B. An application can be considered maintainable when static analysis and code review defects have been fixed.

False. While fixing defects identified by static analysis and code reviews improves maintainability, other factors such as documentation, ease of making changes, and regression testing must also be considered.

C. It tests the regression impact of software or environmental changes to an operational system.

False. This describes regression testing more than maintainability testing, which focuses on the ease of modifying the system and maintaining its performance.

D. It can be performed during Operational Acceptance Testing by multiple departments.

True. Maintainability testing can be part of operational acceptance testing (OAT), where different departments ensure that the system can be maintained and operated effectively.

E. It can be performed during User Acceptance Testing to ensure business processes can be maintained.

False. User acceptance testing (UAT) focuses on verifying that the system meets business requirements and user needs, not specifically on maintainability.

Correct Answer:

B. a and d

References:

The ISTQB CTAL-TTA syllabus and standard testing practices emphasize the importance of maintainability testing early in the lifecycle and its role in operational acceptance testing.

Sources:

ISTQB-CTAL-TTA Syllabus

General knowledge on maintainability testing practices.

The scenario written in correct Gherkin format and appropriate for the User Story described is Option D:

Given that three Purchase Orders with a total value of £21.75 have been placed so far this month,

When the Purchasing Manager requests the list of Purchase Orders placed this month,

Then the 3 orders and their total value of £21.75 are displayed.

This scenario correctly uses the Gherkin syntax with Given-When-Then structures that clearly specify the context, the action taken by the user, and the expected outcome, making it directly relevant to the user story’s intent .

Modified condition/decision coverage (MC/DC) requires each condition in a decision to be shown to independently affect the decision's outcome. For the code fragment provided, we have three independent conditions that need to be evaluated both as true and false. The minimum number of test cases needed to satisfy MC/DC for three conditions is four, which would allow each condition to be shown to independently affect the outcome of the decision.