Part 1 "Test Techniques various" A component has been analyzed as being highly critical. Which of the following structure-based test design techniques provides the highest level of coverage? 1…

Question

Options

• AStatement testing
• BDecision testing
• CCondition determination testing
• DMultiple condition testing

• A
  3% (2)
• B
  8% (5)
• C
  86% (55)
• D
  3% (2)

Explanation

Condition determination testing (also known as Modified Condition/Decision Coverage, or MC/DC) is the correct answer because it ensures each individual condition within a decision independently and demonstrably influences the decision outcome - catching interaction faults that simpler techniques miss entirely. This level of rigor is the industry standard for safety-critical software (e.g., aviation DO-178B Level A), which is exactly what a "highly critical" component demands.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (Statement testing) is the weakest - it only verifies each statement executes at least once, revealing nothing about logic correctness.
• B (Decision testing) steps up by checking both true and false outcomes of each branch, but it doesn't examine individual conditions within compound decisions.
• D (Multiple condition testing) tests combinations of conditions but does so without the rigorous requirement that each condition independently affects the outcome, making it less systematic and less thorough than condition determination testing.

Memory tip: Think of a risk ladder - Statement → Decision → Condition Determination. The higher the criticality of the component, the higher you climb. "Determination" implies proving each condition matters independently, which is exactly what high-stakes testing demands. If you see "highly critical" in an exam question about structural coverage, condition determination testing is your answer.

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