Designing Test Cases
A test case records its purpose, preconditions, inputs, execution steps, and expected result.
Summary
A test case records its purpose, preconditions, inputs, execution steps, and expected result. Effective test design selects cases systematically from requirements and program logic to target distinct behaviors, boundaries, and failure conditions rather than many arbitrary inputs.
| Technique | Selection focus |
|---|---|
| Equivalence partitioning | Input groups expected to behave similarly |
| Boundary value analysis | Values at and immediately around input limits |
| Negative testing | Invalid inputs, missing values, and prohibited operations |
White-box test design uses program structure to exercise statements or decision outcomes. Branch coverage measures the proportion of possible decision outcomes exercised by a test suite.
Each executed test compares the actual result against an independently established expected result. A test oracle provides the source or mechanism for determining that expectation. Explicit expected results can reveal ambiguous requirements, while repeatable tests support regression testing after code changes.
For accepted integers from through , boundary tests include , , , , , and .
🧠 Key Concepts
- Test case components
- Equivalence partitioning
- Boundary value analysis
- Negative testing
- White-box testing
- Test oracle
- Branch coverage
- Regression testing
- Testing limitations
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Designing Test Cases
📘 Overview A test case specifies inputs, execution conditions, and an expected result to check a program's behavior. Effective test design targets distinct behaviors, boundaries, and failure conditions rather than relying on many arbitrary inputs.
🧠 Key Idea Choose test cases systematically from requirements and program logic, with expected results determined independently of the implementation being tested.
⚔️ Core Details: - A test case records its purpose, preconditions, inputs, execution steps, and expected result. - Equivalence partitioning divides inputs into groups expected to produce similar behavior. - Boundary value analysis selects inputs at and immediately around the limits of an input range. - Negative testing checks responses to invalid inputs, missing values, and prohibited operations. - White-box test design uses program structure to select cases that exercise statements or decision outcomes. - Each executed test compares the actual result with an independently established expected result.
🎯 Why It Matters: - Systematic selection reduces redundant tests while improving the chance of exposing defects. - Boundary and invalid-input cases reveal failures that ordinary successful executions often miss. - Repeatable tests support regression testing after code changes. - Explicit expected results expose ambiguous requirements before implementation decisions become entrenched.
🧠 Quick Recall: - Test oracle - A source or mechanism for determining the expected result of a test. - Equivalence partition - An input group whose members are expected to be handled similarly. - Boundary example - For accepted integers from
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