Sample questions
Qa Performance TestingDifficulty 1
What is the primary goal of a load test in performance testing?
- aTo verify how the system behaves under an expected, realistic level of concurrent usage✓
- bTo find the exact point where the system crashes under increasing traffic
- cTo keep the system running under expected load for many hours to detect slow degradation
- dTo measure recovery behavior after a sudden, short burst of traffic far above normal
Explanation:Load testing validates behavior under expected/normal traffic, unlike stress testing (finding the breaking point), soak testing (long-duration degradation), or spike testing (sudden bursts).
Qa Performance TestingDifficulty 1
What does a stress test primarily aim to discover?
- aHow the system performs under a typical day's traffic pattern
- bWhere the system breaks down under load that exceeds its capacity✓
- cWhether the system leaks memory over a long continuous run
- dWhether the system recovers quickly after one short traffic spike
Explanation:Stress testing pushes load beyond expected capacity to find where and how the system fails, unlike load testing (a), soak testing (c), or spike testing (d).
Qa Performance TestingDifficulty 2
A team runs the same moderate load against a service continuously for 48 hours instead of the usual 30 minutes. Which type of performance test are they performing, and what is it primarily meant to reveal?
- aA stress test, meant to find the maximum breaking point
- bA spike test, meant to check recovery after sudden bursts
- cA soak (endurance) test, revealing slow issues over time✓
- dA load test, meant to confirm behavior under expected daily traffic
Explanation:Running moderate load continuously for an extended duration is the defining characteristic of a soak/endurance test, which targets slow-building issues that short tests can't reveal.
Qa Performance TestingDifficulty 2
What scenario best describes a spike test?
- aGradually increasing users over an hour to a sustainable target level
- bRunning steady expected traffic for several hours without change
- cIncreasing load slowly until the system fails, to find its ceiling
- dA sudden, brief jump in traffic far above normal, then a drop back down✓
Explanation:A spike test applies a sudden, short-lived surge in traffic to observe how the system handles and recovers from an abrupt jump, distinct from gradual ramp-up (a), steady load (b), or stress testing (c).
Qa Performance TestingDifficulty 2
A tester runs a scenario where traffic is increased in steps well beyond the system's documented capacity to see when errors start appearing. Compared to a load test, what is different about this approach?
- aIt deliberately exceeds expected capacity to find the failure point✓
- bIt only tests a single short burst instead of sustained traffic
- cIt only checks memory usage over a multi-day window
- dIt focuses solely on measuring recovery time after the test ends
Explanation:This description matches stress testing, which intentionally exceeds documented capacity to locate the failure point, whereas load testing stays within expected traffic.
Qa Performance TestingDifficulty 2
After 20 hours of constant moderate traffic, response times gradually get worse and the process eventually runs out of memory. Which type of test would have caught this issue before production, and why?
- aA spike test, because it stresses the system with sudden bursts
- bA soak test, since sustained load over time reveals slow resource leaks✓
- cA stress test, because it pushes past the breaking point
- dA load test, because it validates expected daily traffic patterns
Explanation:A slow memory leak that only appears after many hours of sustained traffic is exactly what a soak (endurance) test is designed to reveal, since short tests wouldn't run long enough.