Excellent — if you’re planning to learn software testing, it’s smart to know what topics to focus on.
Here’s a clear roadmap that covers everything from basics to advanced,
suitable for beginners and those preparing for roles like QA Tester, Test Engineer, or QA Analyst.
1. Fundamentals of Software Testing
Start by understanding what testing is and why it matters.
What is Software Testing
Objectives and Principles of Testing
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)
Verification vs Validation
QA vs QC (Quality Assurance vs Quality Control)
Defect, Bug, Error, Failure — Differences
Goal: Build conceptual clarity.
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2. Types and Levels of Testing
Learn the main categories and phases of testing.
Types of Testing
Functional Testing
Non-functional Testing (Performance, Security, Usability, etc.)
Regression Testing
Smoke and Sanity Testing
Exploratory & Ad-hoc Testing
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Levels of Testing
Unit Testing
Integration Testing
System Testing
Acceptance Testing
Aim: Understand what kind of testing is applicable in various situations.
3. Test Design Techniques
Understand how to design good test cases.
Requirement Analysis
Test Case Design
Test Data Preparation
Boundary Value Analysis (BVA)
Equivalence Partitioning
Decision Table & State Transition Testing
Use Case Testing
Aim: Write intelligent, effective, and reusable test cases.
4. Defect Management
Understand how to manage and track bugs.
Defect Life Cycle / Bug Life Cycle
Severity vs Priority
Bug Reporting (Good Bug Report Practices)
Tools: JIRA, Bugzilla, Azure DevOps, or Mantis
Goal: Understand real-world defect reporting and tracking.
5. Manual Testing Tools
Familiarize yourself with tools that make manual testing easier.
JIRA (for issue tracking)
TestLink or Zephyr (for test case management)
Postman (for API testing)
Excel or Google Sheets (for documenting test cases)
Goal: Become comfortable with the tools used by QA teams.
6. Automation Testing
Learn automation basics once you’re solid in manual testing.
What is Automation Testing
Advantages & When to Automate
Scripting Basics (using Java, Python, or JavaScript)
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Tools:
Selenium WebDriver (most widely used)
TestNG / JUnit (for test management)
Cypress, Playwright, or Postman (for APIs)
Objective: Automate regression or repetitive tests.
7. Specialized Testing Areas
Optional but beneficial for career development:
Performance Testing – JMeter, LoadRunner
Security Testing – OWASP Basics, Burp Suite
Mobile App Testing – Appium, Android Studio
API Testing – Postman, REST Assured
Database Testing – SQL basics (CRUD operations)
8. Documentation & Reporting
Learn to develop and upkeep:
Test Plan
Test Scenarios
Test Cases
Traceability Matrix
Test Summary Report
Objective: Effectively communicate test progress.
9. Soft Skills & Career Skills
Analytical thinking
Communication & collaboration
Business requirement understanding
Agile and Scrum fundamentals
10. Certifications (Optional but Helpful)
Think of obtaining certifications to enhance your profile:
ISTQB Foundation Level (for freshers)
Certified Software Tester (CSTE)
Agile Testing Certification
Would you have me create this as a formal study plan
(4–6 weeks) with weekly objectives and resources (such as tutorials, practice aids, and projects)?
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