Part 6 "Specification Based Test Techniques" You are testing a set of signal changes at a railway station. The system is newly build using a traditional V-model approach. A full set of documentation…

Question

Options

• AEquivalence Partitioning
• BExploratory Testing
• CState transition Testing
• DBoundary Value Analysis

• A
  6% (3)
• B
  8% (4)
• C
  70% (37)
• D
  17% (9)

Explanation

State Transition Testing is the correct choice because railway signal systems are inherently state-based - signals move through defined states (e.g., red → yellow → green) with specific rules governing each transition. This technique is purpose-built to verify that all valid transitions behave correctly and that invalid transitions are properly rejected, which is essential for a safety-critical system where a missed or illegal state change could cause catastrophe. The full documentation available (state diagrams, specifications) provides exactly the test basis needed to define states, events, and transitions systematically.

Why the others are wrong:

• A (Equivalence Partitioning) - suited for testing input value ranges/groups, not behavioral state changes between system modes.
• B (Exploratory Testing) - an experience-based, ad-hoc technique; it explicitly does not rely on documentation and is inappropriate for safety-critical systems requiring rigorous, repeatable test coverage.
• D (Boundary Value Analysis) - an extension of EP that targets edge values in data ranges; useful for numeric inputs, but doesn't model system behavior across transitions.

Memory tip: Whenever you see the words "changes," "transitions," "modes," or "safety-critical system with states" in an exam scenario - think State Transition Testing. Railway signals, traffic lights, ATM flows, and login lockouts are all classic triggers for this technique.

No community discussion yet for this question.