Exploratory Testing Charter Writing and Design 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What type of charter would be most useful at the start of testing an unfamiliar application?
- A reconnaissance charter focused on understanding the system (Correct answer)
- A regression charter focused on known bugs
- A performance charter focused on load testing
- A security charter focused on SQL injection
Correct answer: A reconnaissance charter focused on understanding the system
A reconnaissance charter helps testers build a mental model of the system before diving into specific risk areas.
Question 2: What is a 'risk-based charter' in exploratory testing?
- A charter targeting areas most likely to have high-impact defects (Correct answer)
- A charter written to satisfy audit requirements
- A charter that lists all known bugs to retest
- A charter approved by the risk management team
Correct answer: A charter targeting areas most likely to have high-impact defects
Risk-based charters focus testing effort on areas with the highest potential impact if defects are present.
Question 3: Which of the following would NOT typically appear in the 'resources' portion of a charter?
- The expected number of bugs to find (Correct answer)
- Test data accounts
- Browser versions to use
- Environment and tools needed
Correct answer: The expected number of bugs to find
The expected bug count is not a resource — resources refer to tools, accounts, data, and environments needed for testing.
Question 4: What is the benefit of creating charters collaboratively with developers or product managers?
- It ensures charters reflect product knowledge and risk areas the team values (Correct answer)
- It removes the tester's responsibility for finding defects
- It guarantees 100% code coverage
- It replaces the need for a formal test plan
Correct answer: It ensures charters reflect product knowledge and risk areas the team values
Collaborative charter creation surfaces domain knowledge and ensures testing aligns with the team's most critical concerns.
Question 5: How should a tester handle a charter that proves too broad during a session?
- Note the scope issue, narrow the focus, and suggest splitting into multiple charters (Correct answer)
- Continue testing everything in the charter regardless
- Abandon the session and start a new one
- Request a new application build
Correct answer: Note the scope issue, narrow the focus, and suggest splitting into multiple charters
When a charter is too broad, the tester should narrow focus mid-session and recommend splitting it for future sessions.
Question 6: What does 'setup' refer to in the context of a test charter?
- Prerequisites and environmental conditions needed before exploration begins (Correct answer)
- The test cases to be executed
- The expected results for each action
- The defect severity classification
Correct answer: Prerequisites and environmental conditions needed before exploration begins
Setup describes the prerequisites — like test data, accounts, or environment state — needed before the tester can begin exploring.
Exploratory Testing Charter Writing and Design 2
What type of charter would be most useful at the start of testing an unfamiliar application?