A team has automated their regression tests, but the suite is taking too long to execute. They want to reduce execution time without sacrificing coverage. Which approach is most effective?

Run tests in parallel across multiple machines or containers.

Reduce the number of test data variations to shorten execution.

Increase the timeout for each test to avoid re-runs.

Remove tests that are rarely failing to speed up the suite.

Which factor is commonly considered when prioritizing regression tests?

The risk of the changed area and the likelihood of failure

The alphabetical order of test names

The number of testers available

A team is preparing a release. The change is in the authentication module, which is used by all other modules. The team has a regression suite of 300 tests. They have a 2-hour window for regression testing. The test lead must decide which tests to run. Which approach is most effective?

Run a random selection of tests to cover a variety of modules.

Run all tests that touch authentication, plus a smoke test of the main workflows.

Run only the tests that directly test authentication functions.

Run the full suite and accept that the release may be delayed.

A team is working on a legacy system with poor modularity. A change to a shared utility function affects many modules. The regression suite has 1,000 tests, but the team has limited time and budget. They need to decide which tests to run. Which approach is most appropriate?

Run a random sample of tests to get a representative coverage.

Run only the tests that directly test the utility function.

Run all tests because the change is in a shared function and could affect anything.

Use static analysis and code coverage to identify all modules that call the utility, then run tests for those modules first.

A team has an automated regression suite, but after a major refactoring, many tests fail because the UI selectors have changed. The team needs to update the tests. What is the best approach?

Update the selectors in the affected tests and verify they pass.

Mark the tests as 'known to fail' and move on.

Revert the refactoring to keep the tests passing.

Delete the failing tests and write new ones from scratch.

Certified Tester Advanced Level Agile Tester

Domain 1Objective 4

Regression Test Approaches CTAL-AT Practice Questions (Page 5)

Part of the Test Strategy and Test Approach Challenges domain, which makes up ~20% of our current practice bank. ISTQB does not publish an official question count, but from its 90-minute exam (~35–60 total, ~7–12 in this domain), expect 2–3 from this objective — we provide 27 practice questions to prepare you well beyond it. (estimate)

27questions here

6free pages

5concepts

Questions 21–25

21application · medium
A team has automated their regression tests, but the suite is taking too long to execute. They want to reduce execution time without sacrificing coverage. Which approach is most effective?
Select an answer first
22foundation · easy
Which factor is commonly considered when prioritizing regression tests?
Select an answer first
23expert · hard
A team is preparing a release. The change is in the authentication module, which is used by all other modules. The team has a regression suite of 300 tests. They have a 2-hour window for regression testing. The test lead must decide which tests to run. Which approach is most effective?
Select an answer first
24expert · hard
A team is working on a legacy system with poor modularity. A change to a shared utility function affects many modules. The regression suite has 1,000 tests, but the team has limited time and budget. They need to decide which tests to run. Which approach is most appropriate?
Select an answer first
25application · medium
A team has an automated regression suite, but after a major refactoring, many tests fail because the UI selectors have changed. The team needs to update the tests. What is the best approach?
Select an answer first

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