A test automation script fails because it cannot locate a button on the page. The application under test has not changed, and the button is present in the UI. What is the most likely root cause?

A network issue that prevents the test from reaching the application

A test data issue that causes the button to be disabled

An application defect that prevents the button from being rendered

An automation defect, such as an incorrect locator or a synchronization issue

Which of the following is an example of an environmental factor that can cause unexpected automation results?

The automation script uses a loop that iterates too many times

A third-party service that the application depends on is temporarily unavailable

The test data contains special characters that are not handled by the script

The application has a bug that causes a page to crash

A test automation team is running a suite of API tests. The tests pass in the CI environment but fail when run from a developer's local machine. The failure is a 401 Unauthorized error. The CI environment uses a service account with specific permissions, while the developer uses their personal account. What is the most likely cause?

The developer's local machine has a proxy that modifies the request headers.

The developer's local machine has a different IP address that is not allowed by the API.

The developer's local machine has a different time zone, causing token expiration.

The developer's personal account does not have the required permissions to access the API.

Which of the following is an effective strategy to stabilize a flaky test?

Run the test multiple times and only report the result of the last run

Use explicit waits that wait for specific conditions instead of fixed sleeps

Remove the test from the test suite to avoid failures

Increase the test's timeout value to allow more time for the application to respond

When analyzing an unexpected test failure, which of the following is the first step to determine whether the cause is an automation defect or an application defect?

Check if the automation tool is up to date

Review the application logs to see if any errors were recorded

Re-run the test to see if it passes consistently

Manually execute the same steps to verify if the application behaves as expected

Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Automation Engineering

Domain 7Objective 3

Objective: Identify Where Test Automation Produces Unexpected Results CTAL-TAE Practice Questions (Page 1)

Part of the Domain 7: Verifying the Test Automation Solution domain, which makes up ~11% of our current practice bank. ISTQB does not publish an official question count, but from its 90-minute exam (~35–60 total, ~4–7 in this domain), expect 1–2 from this objective — we provide 30 practice questions to prepare you well beyond it. (estimate)

30questions here

6free pages

7concepts

Questions 1–5

1foundation · easy
A test automation script fails because it cannot locate a button on the page. The application under test has not changed, and the button is present in the UI. What is the most likely root cause?
Select an answer first
2foundation · easy
Which of the following is an example of an environmental factor that can cause unexpected automation results?
Select an answer first
3expert · hard
A test automation team is running a suite of API tests. The tests pass in the CI environment but fail when run from a developer's local machine. The failure is a 401 Unauthorized error. The CI environment uses a service account with specific permissions, while the developer uses their personal account. What is the most likely cause?
Select an answer first
4foundation · easy
Which of the following is an effective strategy to stabilize a flaky test?
Select an answer first
5foundation · easy
When analyzing an unexpected test failure, which of the following is the first step to determine whether the cause is an automation defect or an application defect?
Select an answer first

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