Free CTFL-AT sample questions

Correct answer: Prioritize the creation of an automated regression suite that runs as part of a continuous integration (CI) pipeline.

The core issue is the unsustainable manual regression effort, which is a common problem as an Agile project grows. Automating the regression suite and integrating it into a CI pipeline provides rapid feedback without consuming valuable sprint time. This directly addresses the root cause, freeing up testers to focus on new features and exploratory testing. Extending sprints or adding hardening sprints are anti-patterns that delay feedback. Risk-based testing is a good practice but doesn't solve the underlying scalability problem of manual regression.

Correct answer: Have the team members with the highest and lowest estimates explain the reasoning behind their scores.

The primary purpose of planning poker is not just to produce a number, but to foster conversation and create a shared understanding of the work involved. A large divergence in estimates indicates a significant difference in understanding the complexity, risks, or effort. Having the high and low estimators explain their rationale is the standard practice to uncover hidden assumptions (e.g., testers may be considering complex data validation and regulatory compliance testing that others overlooked).

Correct answers: The clear objective or mission for the testing session.; The specific areas of the application to be targeted.

A test charter's primary purpose is to provide a clear mission or goal, guiding the exploration without overly constraining it.

The charter should define the scope of the session, indicating which features or areas are in-scope for exploration.

Correct answer: True

This is true. The Agile Test Pyramid model advocates for having a large base of fast, reliable unit tests, a smaller middle layer of service/API/integration tests, and a very small top layer of slow, brittle end-to-end GUI tests. Therefore, service layer tests should be more numerous than GUI tests.

Correct answer: It ensures the story has clear acceptance criteria that can be verified.

The 'T' in the INVEST acronym stands for 'Testable'. This principle dictates that a user story must be written with enough clarity and detail, including specific acceptance criteria, so that it's possible to determine whether the implementation is complete and correct. If you can't test it, you don't know when you're 'done'.

Correct answer: To establish the initial test infrastructure, strategy, and tools required for the subsequent development sprints.

Sprint Zero is a preparation phase before the first feature-developing sprint. From a testing viewpoint, its main purpose is to set up the foundation for successful testing throughout the project. This includes setting up test environments, selecting and configuring test automation tools, defining an initial test strategy, and performing initial risk analysis.

Correct answer: To challenge the scenarios by proposing alternative paths, edge cases, and negative examples.

BDD is a collaborative process. The tester's key role is to bring a critical, quality-focused perspective. While developers focus on implementation and Product Owners on business value, the tester should think about what could go wrong. This involves proposing negative scenarios (e.g., 'When I enter an invalid password'), boundary conditions, and alternative user flows to ensure the acceptance criteria are comprehensive and robust.

Correct answer: Q4 (Technology Facing, Critiquing the Product)

Quadrant 4 is focused on technology-facing tests that critique the product, which includes non-functional tests like performance, load, stress, and scalability. Since the user story is about improving performance and resilience of a technical component (the database connection pool) without changing business-facing functionality, the primary testing effort (e.g., load testing, stress testing the connection limits) falls squarely within Q4.

Correct answer: True

This statement is true and captures the essence of the whole-team approach. In Agile, quality is not a separate phase or the sole responsibility of a QA department. Developers, testers, product owners, and business analysts all contribute to and are collectively responsible for building a quality product.

Correct answer: Working software is the primary measure of progress.

By insisting on clear, testable acceptance criteria, the tester is ensuring that the team knows precisely what constitutes 'working software' for that feature. Without this clarity, the team cannot definitively measure progress or declare the story complete. The tester's action directly supports the principle that tangible, working software is the ultimate goal and measure of success.