Test Analyst

Job Description

The Test Analyst is responsible for developing the test plans and protocol. They must ensure all test plans created adhere to both industry regulations and company standards. This duty also requires a degree of teamwork, as these test plans have to be communicated to the project's stakeholders.

According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of Test Analyst is $97,710, with an hourly wage of $46.97. Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers are Software Publishers, Computer Systems Design and Related Services, Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing, Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services. Top paying industries for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers are automobile dealers, semiconductor and other electronic manufacturing, Natural Gas Distribution and Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing

Test Analysts are not as one-dimensional as one would think. It is a profession that requires much more than computer skills. Test Analysts have to be big-picture thinkers, yet they also must have an above average attention to detail. Identifying the source of a bug can be as small as a single error in one line of code. They have to have to be able to see the big picture of a project in order to develop tests that can find these small errors. In addition to their technical skills, Test Analysts must have certain soft skills to excel at their job. The following sections are a collection of skills we found to be most prominent in our analysis of Test Analyst job descriptions.

  • Attention to detail
  • Ability to see the big picture
  • Planning and organizational skills
  • Proficiency in document and report writing
  • Ability to work in a team
  • Awareness of Software Development Life Cycle
  • Logical and critical thinking skills
  • Deep knowledge of software development
  • Project management skills

The role of Test Analyst is more intricate than it sounds. A Test Analyst duties include more than just running tests. The following list of duties and responsibilities popped up most in our research of several Test Analyst job descriptions.

  • Identifying products to be assessed in the software review process.
  • Defining the appropriate test to be carried out including the test data to be used.
  • Managing the test data by documenting the results of each test cycle to identify flaws.
  • Liaising with the software development team.
  • Running diagnostic and system testing and presenting the information to the relevant stakeholders.
  • Interacting with and coordinating the development and validation team and ensuring that effective communication takes place.
  • Identifying and eliminating redundant functions and components.
  • Improving knowledge of business applications and user needs and expectations.
  • Understanding and implementing industry standards and protocols.

  • This certification focuses on the advanced working responsibilities of the Test Analyst: Structure the tasks defined in the test strategy in terms of business domain requirements. Analyse the system in sufficient detail to meet the user quality expectations. Evaluate the system requirements to determine domain validity. Prepare and execute adequate activities, and report on their progress. Provide the necessary evidence to support the evaluation. Implement the necessary tools and techniques to achieve the defined goals. Navigate to Course
  • Quality assurance (QA) engineering can mean many different things to different people. In this course, learn about QA practices within the context of a software engineering project. Navigate to Course
  • Learners will build test plans, test suites, and test analysis reports. Learners will develop properties and assertions in code to facilitate automated test generation. Learners will also create pre-conditions for methods to facilitate formal proofs of correctness.Navigate to Course
  • Learner will have an understanding of the fundamental principles and processes of software testing. You will have actively created test cases and run them using an automated testing tool. You will being writing and recognizing good test cases, including input data and expected outcomes.Navigate to Course