CSTE Syllabus

CSTE Exam Prep Participant,

Thank you for considering the 12 session CSTE Exam Prep Course that will start in the Fourth quarter of 2013 on September 03, 2013. The course will run weekly through November 19, 2013. This course will also be offered during the First quarter during January - March 2014. This course will provide you with all the necessary information and knowledge you will need to significantly improve the probability of passing the CSTE Examination. While this course will stress the importance of information you will need to know for the exam, this course cannot guarantee you will pass the exam.

Our focus is to prepare you for the exam and we will provide you additional assistance with the registration process for the exam if you need it.

You will receive an e-mail reminder notice of the Live Virtual Classroom (LVC) before each session. Most Sessions will also have a separate Question and Answer session based on the prior Session's materials as well. In addition to live exercises conducted online in the LVC, each Session will also have Knowledge and Essay exams to be taken online after each LVC. Feedback will be provided.

Most all meetings are currently on Tuesdays.
Occasionally, a subsequent session in the series will actually be held in the same calendar week as the previous session to allow for holidays and instructor schedules. If this should happen, it is usually scheduled for Thursdays.
Sometime before the start of the series, you will receive an email with a login ID and password to both a special website and also the online program that is an integral part of the course.
To get a needed head start, we suggest you login to that website, examining and downloading materials from the first 3 tabs in the menu bar as described below, well prior to the start of the series. This includes your workbook, the CBOK, self-assessments, prologue videos, and the like.
Audio is conducted over phone lines, via telephone teleconference, as well as VOIP over the internet for the presenter only. We require connection with you over the phone for two way interaction. Speakers are not required at your workstation, although they are useful when we play videos.
No special software needs to be installed at your workstation, other than the Adobe flash player, which comes pre-installed on virtually all computers. Version 10.3 or higher is required.

If you want a sneak peek of what lies ahead:

View video sample of a LVC.

Important Prework Materials

Summary:

Prior to the first session - Read the Welcome Info, download and print the Course Materials, and view / take the prework materials on the prework drop-down within the Weekly Sessions tab.

Detail:

Welcome Info Tab:

View the Intructor Bio as desired.
Make note of the Additional Information containing the telephone teleconference phone number and passcode. The information also contains a free SKYPE toll-free alternative especially for callers outside the USA .

Course Materials Tab:

You can download and print the Course Book which is the workbook for the course.
You can download and print the CSTE CBOK (Common Body of Knowledge) for your reference throughout the course. You may find it convenient to keep the downloaded image for quick keyword searches.

Weekly Sessions Tab, Prework drop-down box:

You can watch the Prologue to get a course overview.
You can preview the LVC Orientation slides to get an idea of what the LVC screens will look like. These same slides will be used as an orientation during the first LVC. Make a written record of your current screen resolution and color quality. Be prepared to change the resolution to 1024 X 768 and quality to minimum (16 bit or 256 color) prior to each LVC. You can change it back to original settings after each LVC if you wish.
You can download the Skill Self-Assessment spreadsheet and self-assess you degree of skill in each of the 10 skill categories, before the first LVC. This will help you identify your current level of knowedge in each area. This is not sent to the instructor. Allow adequate time since there are 160 detailed skill self-assessment areas.
You can take the Pre-Test to pre-assess your present level of knowledge. It uses 30 multiple choice questions. It is automatically scored upon conclusion. Although the instructor gets a copy, don't worry about how you do; course discussion is limited to group responses. This is an excellent way of doing a "dry run."
You can take the Test Topics which are essay questions, in the same way and for the same purpose as the Pre-Test. These are questions on topics that Testing professionals most frequently encounter.
The Test Topic Answers contain sample answers to the Test Topics. It is suggested that you attempt to answer the questions before looking here.
Link to Additional Resources has links to various web sites and books on software quality which you might find helpful.
LVC log in and use instructions shows you the screens you get when you click on the meeting Link to LVC for the meeting Session you are in.

Schedule

The course usually meets on Tuesday of each week. Occasionally we meet on Thursday to bypass scheduled events. You will be sent the link for the LVC on or before the Monday of each week. We honor daylight savings time when that occurs.

Tuesday 11:00am - 11:30am (USA Eastern time) – (Sessions 3-12) The LVC's Q&A session meets weekly to go over the assignments and clear up any questions you may have about the material covered on the previous Session or Sessions.
Tuesday 11:30am - 12:30pm (USA Eastern time) – (Sessions 3-12) During this one hour session the seminar leader will go over a series of slides and discuss the topics contained in the CBOK that are of importance to you. There may be times when the time of the LVC needs to be adjusted.
NOTE: Special times for the first two sessions are posted below. Please make note of these special times.
Session 1: 11:00am - 12:00pm ( USA Eastern time) - tutorial only; no Q&A session
1:00pm - 2:00pm ( USA Eastern time) - 2nd tutorial only; no Q&A session
Session 2: 11:00am - 12:00pm ( USA Eastern time) - tutorial only; no Q&A session
1:30pm - 2:30pm ( USA Eastern time) - 2nd tutorial only; no Q&A session
Fourth quarter planned dates, subject to occasional, infrequent change:

Tuesday, September 03
Tuesday, September 10
Tuesday, September 17
Tuesday, September 24
Tuesday, October 01
Thursday, October 03
Tuesday, October 08
Thursday, October 10
Tuesday, October 15
Tuesday, November 05
Tuesday, November 12
Tuesday, November 19

First quarter planned dates 2014 , most Tuesdays January thru March (detailed dates publicized in November ).

Syllabus

You will have weekly instructor led LVC classes emphasizing category orientation, importance of material, orientation to other skill categories, and monitored candidate discussions. In addition, you will have instructor assisted phone conference discussion sessions to review exercises and case studies.

Weekly multiple choice and essay assignments will be given. All assignments should be completed on or before the Q&A session the following session. Feedback will be provided to you in an e-mail on all assignments submitted.

Pre-Work	Completing the Self Assessment, Developing a Personal Action Program. Prior to First Meeting - Take the 30 question sample test which will be reviewed with the class as a group .

Session 1 September 03	Skill Category 1: Software Testing Principles and Concepts Software Testing Principles and Concepts This Session's topics will focus on the Certification and Examination process, and we will discuss the tester's vocabulary. A clarification of terms like QA and QC and an explanation of the Cost of Quality will also be included. Sample test questions will also be discussed. Category 1 is by far the largest section of the CBOK. To provide ample time to cover this material, two separate LVCs will be held on day 1 (Session 1) with a 1 hour break between sessions. The second session (Session 2) will also be 2 sessions with a 1.5 hour break. Session 1 and 2 will not have designated Q&A time, questions will be entertained during each LVC. Sessions 3 through 12 will follow a standard format with 30 minute Q&A followed by the hour LVC.

Session 2 September 10	Skill Category 1: Software Testing Principles and Concepts This Session's discussions will include the software development life cycle, common tools and techniques for testing, and reviews. The basic test stages will be discussed along with special types of tests and the various roles and responsibilities of the software tester.

Session 3 September 17	Skill Category 2: Managing the Test Environment Topics this Session will focus on building the testing environment, test process improvement and test tools.

Session 4 September 24	Skill Category 3: Building the Test Project Communications, managing test projects, and software configuration management will be addressed in this Session's sessions.

Session 5 October 01	Skill Category 4: Software Test Planning Topics this Session will focus on the risk to software testing, test plan implementation, test plan documentation, test strategy, test plan features and what must be considered when planning for test.

Session 6 October 03	Skill Category 5: Executing the Test Plan Topics this Session will focus on executing the test plan. A breakdown will be provided on each phase of the testing. Clarification will be giving on what a test case is vs. test scripts.

Session 7 October 08	Skill Category 6: Test Reporting Process Topics this Session will focus on measurement and how it affects our test effort. Defect management will be introduced as a preventive step.

Session 8 October 10	Skill Category 7: Acceptance Testing Topics this Session will focus on roles and responsibilities of UAT and the four components of UAT.

Session 9 October 15	Skill Category 8: Software Developed by Outside Contractors This Session we will discuss the challenges presented when testing software developed by outside contractors and ways to maximize the efficiency of the testing contracted software.

Session 10 November 05	Skill Category 9: Internal Control and Security Internal Controls and Security Procedures used within our testing efforts will also be covered.

Session 11 November 12	Skill Category 10: Testing New Technologies Topics this Session will focus on testing of new technologies and the effort required for this will be addressed.

Session 12 November 19	Final Review Review of the Certification and Examination process and test taking tips.

Course Website

We have created a special Website for you and this course. Please protect the User ID and Password as we track who accesses the site by user ID and by IP address. We will post any downloads and assignments at the start of each session. Once posted, we will keep that information on the site for the entire duration of the course. Check back often since we’ll be adding items to the Web page frequently. All e-mail should be addressed to csteprep@qaicampus.org.

You will be able to download and print the Student Workbook for the CSTE Study Course and the CSTE Common Body of Knowledge from the Pre-Work page of the Website.

Connecting to the LVC

Please note that the video and audio segments of the LVCs are accessed independently. For the video portion, we are using a system called Adobe Connect which allows you to see the instructor and the weekly presentations. You will NOT have to download any special drivers or media player software; however, your system must have the latest version of Flash installed. To connect to the live video portion of the LVC, click the address link on the e-mail you receive each session. You will need to enter your e-mail address and Password in the "Enter with your login and password" area of the main screen to enter the meeting. Although you will not need speakers at your PC, they are helpful when we play videos.

To hear the audio portion and participate in discussions, you must place a phone call to the phone number listed on the LVC website under the Additional Info link.

Communication

Open communication is encouraged not only between the participants and the instructors but also among the participants of the course. Such communications can be of a great assistance especially if a local study group is not available. Any e-mail that you send concerning course information should be addressed to all attendees so we can share this information. If you have concerns about the course please feel free to contact me directly at csteprep@qaicampus.org.