Software Quality Assurance Practice Exam

What type of testing is performed to understand the application's behavior under increasing loads?

1. Unit testing

2. Integration testing

3. Performance testing

4. Acceptance testing

The correct answer is: Performance testing

Performance testing is conducted to evaluate how an application behaves under various load conditions. This type of testing is crucial as it simulates real-world usage by gradually increasing the load on the application, which allows testers to observe how the system responds as more users or transactions are introduced. The aim is to identify any performance bottlenecks, ensure stability, and ascertain that the application can handle expected and peak levels of usage efficiently. Understanding the performance of an application under stress is essential for ensuring its reliability and user satisfaction, particularly for applications that anticipate high traffic. Performance testing encompasses various metrics, including response time, throughput, and resource utilization, making it a critical part of software quality assurance. Unit testing, on the other hand, focuses on individual components for functionality, not holistic application behavior under load. Integration testing checks the interaction between integrated components but does not assess system performance under varying load scenarios. Acceptance testing evaluates whether the product meets business requirements and is ready for delivery, without specifically measuring performance under load.