Software Quality Assurance Practice Exam

Which type of testing assesses the performance of the system under various conditions?

1. Load testing

2. Stress testing

3. Usability testing

4. Penetration testing

The correct answer is: Load testing

Load testing is a critical component of performance testing that focuses specifically on evaluating how a system behaves under normal and peak load conditions. This type of testing measures the system's response times, throughput rates, and resource utilization levels while simulating a specified number of concurrent users or transactions. By assessing the performance of the application under different loads, load testing helps identify potential bottlenecks and ensures that the system can handle expected user traffic without degradation in performance. In contrast to load testing, stress testing evaluates the limits of the system by pushing it beyond normal operational capacity to determine at what point the system fails or experiences significant degradation. While both are related to performance assessment, the primary purpose of load testing is to validate performance against expected conditions, while stress testing is more about uncovering maximum capacity and limits. Usability testing is concerned with the user experience and the ease of use of the application rather than performance metrics. It focuses on how intuitive and user-friendly a system is, making it distinct from the performance-focused nature of load testing. Penetration testing is a security-focused practice that assesses the system's vulnerabilities and potential exploits rather than evaluating its performance characteristics. It looks for security weaknesses rather than measuring how the system operates under different load scenarios. Therefore, load