CAST Professional Ethics & Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organization publishes the 'Standard Glossary of Terms Used in Software Testing' that testers are expected to follow?
- ISO
- ISTQB (Correct answer)
- IEEE
- ANSI
Correct answer: ISTQB
ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) publishes the standard glossary used internationally by software testing professionals.
Question 2: A tester working on a healthcare application discovers that patient data is being stored insecurely. This was not part of their assigned test scope. What should they do?
- Ignore it since it is outside their assigned scope
- Complete only the assigned tests and mention the issue informally to a colleague
- Report the security issue to the appropriate team or management, even though it is outside their scope (Correct answer)
- Fix the security issue themselves before reporting it
Correct answer: Report the security issue to the appropriate team or management, even though it is outside their scope
Professional responsibility requires reporting potential risks to users or the public even when they fall outside the tester's explicitly assigned scope.
Question 3: What does 'conflict of interest' mean in the context of software testing ethics?
- A disagreement between testers about how to write test cases
- A situation where a tester's personal interests could improperly influence their professional judgment (Correct answer)
- A conflict between the test plan and the requirements document
- A dispute between the testing team and development team
Correct answer: A situation where a tester's personal interests could improperly influence their professional judgment
A conflict of interest arises when a tester's personal interests or relationships could improperly influence their professional testing judgments or decisions.
Question 4: Under the principle of professional competence, what is a tester obligated to do when assigned a task outside their expertise?
- Attempt the task without informing anyone to avoid appearing incompetent
- Disclose their limitations and seek additional training, supervision, or assistance (Correct answer)
- Refuse the task entirely
- Delegate the task to a junior tester without explanation
Correct answer: Disclose their limitations and seek additional training, supervision, or assistance
Professional competence requires testers to be honest about their skill limitations and to seek guidance or training when assigned tasks beyond their current expertise.
Question 5: The concept of 'independence in testing' is important primarily because:
- Independent testers work faster than developers testing their own code
- Independent testers are less likely to have cognitive biases that prevent finding defects in code they wrote (Correct answer)
- Independent testing always finds more defects than developer testing
- Independence is required by all international testing standards
Correct answer: Independent testers are less likely to have cognitive biases that prevent finding defects in code they wrote
Independent testers are free from the psychological bias of not wanting to find flaws in work they created, making them more objective and effective at defect detection.
Question 6: When a tester signs a test completion report, they are professionally affirming that:
- The software has no defects
- The testing activities described were conducted as stated and results are accurately represented (Correct answer)
- The software is ready for production release
- All identified defects have been resolved
Correct answer: The testing activities described were conducted as stated and results are accurately represented
Signing a test completion report is a professional attestation that the described testing activities were performed and that the reported results accurately reflect what was observed.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the ethical principle of 'non-maleficence' as applied to software testing?
- Testers should not report defects that would delay the project
- Testers must avoid actions that could cause harm to users, stakeholders, or the public (Correct answer)
- Testers should only perform testing methods they are personally comfortable with
- Testers should never challenge management decisions
Correct answer: Testers must avoid actions that could cause harm to users, stakeholders, or the public
Non-maleficence in testing means testers must avoid actions, omissions, or decisions that could result in harm to users, third parties, or the general public.
CAST Professional Ethics & Standards 3
Which organization publishes the 'Standard Glossary of Terms Used in Software Testing' that testers are expected to follow?