Black-box testing techniques in Software Engineering - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is black-box testing?

Black-box testing is a software testing method where the tester evaluates the functionality of an application without looking at its internal code or structure. The focus is on inputs and expected outputs.

beginner

Name three common black-box testing techniques.

Three common black-box testing techniques are equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, and decision table testing.

beginner

What is equivalence partitioning in black-box testing?

Equivalence partitioning divides input data into groups that are expected to be treated the same by the software. Testing one value from each group helps reduce the number of test cases while covering possible inputs.

beginner

Explain boundary value analysis.

Boundary value analysis tests the values at the edges of input ranges because errors often occur at these boundaries. For example, if input is valid between 1 and 10, tests would include 1, 10, and values just outside this range.

intermediate

What is decision table testing?

Decision table testing uses a table to represent different combinations of inputs and their corresponding expected outputs. It helps test complex business rules by covering all possible conditions.

Which of the following is NOT a black-box testing technique?

A Code coverage analysis

B Boundary value analysis

C Equivalence partitioning

D Decision table testing

Code coverage analysis is a white-box testing technique because it requires knowledge of the internal code.

In black-box testing, what is the main focus?

A Internal code structure

B User interface design

C Database schema

D Input and output behavior

Black-box testing focuses on checking if the software behaves correctly for given inputs and produces expected outputs.

Which black-box technique helps reduce the number of test cases by grouping inputs?

A Boundary value analysis

B Equivalence partitioning

C Decision table testing

D State transition testing

Equivalence partitioning groups inputs that should be treated the same, reducing test cases.

Boundary value analysis tests values:

A At the edges of input ranges

B Only in the middle of input ranges

C Randomly selected

D Only invalid inputs

Boundary value analysis focuses on testing inputs at the edges where errors are more likely.

Decision table testing is especially useful for:

A Simple input fields

B Code debugging

C Complex business rules

D Performance testing

Decision tables help test all combinations of conditions in complex business rules.

Describe the main idea behind black-box testing and why it is useful.

Think about testing like a user who only sees the software interface.

Explain how equivalence partitioning and boundary value analysis help create effective test cases.

Consider how testers pick inputs to cover many cases without testing everything.