QA Terminology Cheat Sheet
Whether you’re a seasoned tester or just getting started in software quality, understanding the vocabulary of QA can make or break your ability to collaborate effectively across teams. QA isn’t just about finding bugs—it’s about creating a shared language around reliability, performance, and user experience. This cheat sheet breaks down the essential terms you’ll hear in every stand-up, sprint review, or release note, from “smoke test” to “shift-left testing.” Keep it handy as your quick reference to the world of modern QA.
🧩 Core Concepts
Term
Definition
QA (Quality Assurance)
A systematic process to ensure the final product meets specified requirements and quality standards. Focuses on processes that lead to quality.
QC (Quality Control)
The inspection and testing of the actual product to identify defects. Focuses on outputs.
Testing
The act of executing a system to find bugs or verify that it behaves as expected.
Bug / Defect / Issue
A flaw or error in software that causes incorrect or unexpected behavior.
Regression Testing
Re-running previous tests after changes to ensure old functionality still works.
Smoke Testing
A quick test to verify that the critical functions of a program work (“Does it start?”).
Sanity Testing
A focused check to confirm a specific issue or function works after a minor change.
Functional Testing
Validating what the system does against requirements.
Non-Functional Testing
Validating how the system behaves — e.g., performance, usability, security.
⚙️ Testing Types
Term
Definition
Unit Testing
Testing individual components or functions in isolation. Usually automated.
Integration Testing
Checking how modules or services work together.
System Testing
Testing the complete integrated system as a whole.
Acceptance Testing (UAT)
End-user testing to verify the system meets business needs.
End-to-End (E2E) Testing
Testing a full user workflow from start to finish.
Exploratory Testing
Unscripted, creative testing based on tester intuition and experience.
Load Testing
Testing system behavior under expected load.
Stress Testing
Pushing the system beyond its limits to find breaking points.
Performance Testing
Measuring responsiveness, stability, and speed under workload.
Security Testing
Identifying vulnerabilities, threats, and risks in a system.
Accessibility Testing
Ensuring the software is usable by people with disabilities.
🧪 Test Artifacts
Term
Definition
Test Case
A set of conditions and steps to verify a specific feature or functionality.
Test Scenario
A high-level description of what to test (e.g., “Verify user login flow”).
Test Plan
A document outlining objectives, scope, approach, and schedule for testing.
Test Suite
A collection of related test cases.
Test Data
Input data used for executing test cases.
Test Environment
The setup (hardware, software, data, configuration) where testing occurs.
Defect Lifecycle
The process from bug discovery → reporting → fixing → re-testing → closure.
🤖 Automation & Tools
Term
Definition
Test Automation
Using scripts/tools to perform tests automatically.
Framework
A structure for organizing and running automated tests (e.g., Selenium, Cypress).
CI/CD (Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment)
Automating code integration, testing, and deployment pipelines.
Test Runner
Tool that executes test scripts and reports results (e.g., JUnit, pytest).
Mock / Stub
Simulated objects or services used for testing without real dependencies.
Test Coverage
The percentage of code or features tested.
Flaky Test
A test that sometimes passes and sometimes fails for non-code-related reasons.
📊 Metrics & Reporting
Term
Definition
Defect Density
Number of defects per unit of code (e.g., per 1,000 lines).
Test Execution Rate
Number of tests run over a given period.
Pass/Fail Rate
Percentage of test cases passed vs. failed.
Defect Leakage
Bugs that escape detection and appear in production.
Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)
Average time to discover a defect.
Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR)
Average time to fix and close a defect.
👥 Process & Standards
Term
Definition
SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)
The process of planning, creating, testing, and deploying software.
STLC (Software Testing Life Cycle)
Phases of testing: requirement analysis → planning → design → execution → closure.
Agile Testing
Continuous testing integrated into agile development cycles.
Shift-Left Testing
Moving testing earlier in the development process to catch issues sooner.
TDD (Test-Driven Development)
Writing tests before writing the code itself.
BDD (Behavior-Driven Development)
Writing tests in a natural language that describes user behavior (e.g., “Given–When–Then”).
💬 Common Acronyms
Acronym
Meaning
API
Application Programming Interface
UAT
User Acceptance Testing
E2E
End-to-End Testing
CI/CD
Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment
SDET
Software Development Engineer in Test
P1 / P2 / P3
Priority levels for defects
RCA
Root Cause Analysis
RTM
Requirements Traceability Matrix
SLA
Service Level Agreement
