This question appears in Mumbai University > Software Testing & Quality Assurance Subject

Marks: 6 M

Year: Dec 2013

Random Testing :

• In random testing approach, test inputs are selected randomly from the input domain of the system.

• Random testing can be summarized as a four step procedure :

  1. The input domain is identified.

  2. Test inputs are selected independently from the domain.

  3. The system under test is executed on these inputs. The inputs constitute a random test set.

  4. The results are compared to the system specification. The test is a failure if any input leads to incorrect results ; otherwise it is a success.

Types of random testing

• Random input sequence generation (i.e. a sequence of method calls)

• Random sequence of data inputs (sometimes called stochastic testing) – for ex. a random sequence of method calls

• Random data selection from existing database.

Advantages of Random Testing :

• Random testing gives us an advantage of easily estimating software reliability from test outcomes.

• hey're are done from a user’s point of view

• Do not require to know programming languages or how the software has been implemented

• Can be conducted by a body independent from the developers,

• Can be designed as soon as the specifications are complete

Disadvantages of random testing :

• They are not realistic.

• Many of the tests are redundant and unrealistic.

• More time is spent on analysing results.

• One cannot recreate the test if data is not recorded which was used for testing.

• The actual test results are random in the case of randomized software and random testing. Therefore it is not possible to give an exact expected value.