ATA: ISTQB Advanced Level Test Analyst

By ISTQB · Question Mode

QuestionQ31

Test Analysis and Test Design

For an ATM banking project introduced earlier:

> “When the user initially inserts a valid credit card type, the system regards the user as being in an unauthenticated state. When requesting a cash advance, the user must be in an authenticated state. The user authenticates by entering the correct PIN code. When authenticating the user, the system shall permit the user to enter their PIN code up to three times before authentication fails and the card is rejected. On the first and second attempts, the system shall prompt the user to re-enter the PIN code.”

Suppose you are concerned that the system could behave incorrectly depending on the precise number of invalid PIN codes entered. Which of the following test design techniques is specifically aimed at such failures?

Explanation

State transition testing is appropriate when behavior is determined by states and the events that move the system between them. Here, each invalid PIN entry changes the authentication-attempt state, with different required outcomes after the first, second, and third invalid entries. A 1-switch test covers pairs of successive transitions and can reveal defects in these state-dependent sequences, such as prompting or rejecting the card at the wrong attempt count.

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