Path coverage in Testing Fundamentals - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is path coverage in software testing?

Path coverage is a testing technique that ensures every possible route or path through a program's control flow is executed at least once during testing.

beginner

Why is path coverage important?

Path coverage helps find errors in complex decision logic by testing all possible paths, reducing the chance of hidden bugs.

intermediate

How does path coverage differ from statement coverage?

Statement coverage tests if each line of code runs at least once, while path coverage tests all possible paths through the code, including different decision outcomes.

intermediate

What is a challenge when using path coverage?

The number of paths can grow very large with many decisions, making full path coverage hard or impossible to achieve in practice.

beginner

Give an example of a simple program path.

For example, in an if-else statement, there are two paths: one where the if condition is true and one where it is false. Path coverage means testing both.

What does path coverage ensure in testing?

A Every possible path through the program is executed

B Every variable is initialized

C Every function is called once

D Every user input is validated

Path coverage means testing all possible routes through the program's control flow.

Which is a limitation of path coverage?

A It ignores decision points

B It tests only one path

C It can be impossible to test all paths in complex programs

D It only tests syntax errors

Because the number of paths grows quickly, full path coverage can be impractical.

Path coverage is more thorough than which of these?

A Code formatting

B Syntax checking

C Memory profiling

D Statement coverage

Path coverage tests all paths, while statement coverage only ensures each line runs once.

In an if-else statement, how many paths are there?

A One

B Two

C Three

D Four

There are two paths: one where the if condition is true, and one where it is false.

Which testing technique focuses on decision outcomes?

A Path coverage

B Load testing

C Usability testing

D Syntax checking

Path coverage tests all decision outcomes by covering all paths.

Explain path coverage and why it is useful in software testing.

Think about how many ways a program can run depending on decisions.

Describe a challenge testers face when trying to achieve full path coverage.

Consider what happens when many if-else or loops combine.