How To Improve Your Testing Skills And Outperform Your Rivals!

The 8 Practical Techniques to Keep the Mind in Tune for Testing will be explained in this post

During a recent Software Testing interview, I asked the candidate what he does to keep his mind sharp so he can think of fresh testing concepts on a regular basis. "I do testing," he responded, perplexed. I grinned.

We become experts in a certain topic or product after working on the same project/application/product/domain for many years, but if we are not careful, we lose the most important thing — the eye to test.

Yes, you read that correctly. When you've been working on the same product every day for two years and you're bored and don't see any new bugs, it's time to revitalise; it's time to brush up on your knowledge, and it's time to be a learner again, my buddy.

Software testing is a responsibility, not a job. You're either doing manual testing or building complicated automation programmes. You are the person who is responsible for the overall quality of that web page/module/product.

To stay on top of the responsibilities in today's highly competitive IT world, you must: Find anything problematic before someone else does.

·         You see something vital before anyone else does

·         You are the first to report something extraordinary before everyone else

·         You combine past experiences, learn from them, and use what you've learned in the workplace to produce a fantastic result

As a tester, we spend the majority of our time executing written test cases, creating QA automation course scripts, and reporting errors. While doing so, we are losing the ability to see things from a new perspective.

 

Why Is Software Testing So Difficult?

Software testing is difficult since it requires you to stay current on new information while also providing more qualitative feedback to improve a product (in short, find more bugs). How will we be able to cope with such pressure? It isn't just a one-time learning experience. It's a process, and believe me when I say that if you follow a few easy principles on a regular basis, you'll be fine.

 

8 Tips for Keeping Your Mind Sharp During Testing

#1) Think of everything around you as "Testing."

Observe everything around you while travelling, cooking, playing with kids, walking in the garden, or reading a book, and drive your thoughts to prepare test concepts to test these things. Every time you have a chance to think about it, come up with at least 5 test ideas for everything around you.

Consider this: how do you test a train? How do you put a spoon to the test? How do you put a book through its paces? What is the best way to test a jar? What is the best way to test a cable? How do you put a remote to the test? The list goes on and on. After 15 days of doing this, you should see a difference in yourself. You'll be bursting at the seams with ideas. You'll have a better understanding of things and be able to connect the dots.

#2) Every day, learn something new

Every day, you must have at least one item to cross off as "Learned," whether it's a simple testing approach or an automation tool. When small pieces of knowledge are accumulated, they form an ocean of knowledge. If you stick to this technique, your career will undoubtedly improve. Give it a shot!!!

#3) Maintain a diverse range of interests

Nowadays, a quality person is expected to be familiar with the development lifecycle, documentation, testing processes, programming, analysis, software testing certified courses, and domain expertise.

It's difficult to learn anything new while you're busy trying something else. You cannot, however, take the danger of tugging your career chords downward. Open your eyes and take notice of what is going on around you. You won't be able to learn everything, but you will be able to generate some ideas for key products/domains that aren't the same as the one you've been working on.

·         If you've been working with Windows, learn about Linux, read about it, and experiment with it.

·         If you've spent much of your career as a manual tester, investigate what automation technologies are available and experiment with them.

·         If you've just tested online applications so far, take a look at how mobile application testing differs.

·         If you've worked in the financial industry, you'll be familiar with how the healthcare industry operates.

Having a diverse set of hobbies allows you to see the larger picture and appreciate the parallels and differences more easily.

#4) Have fun with games

There are a plethora of free strategy games, pattern detecting games, and missing letter games to choose from. Take advantage of the situation and learn from it. Games sharpen and alert your mind. A sharp intellect may easily locate something hidden.

#5: Take the time to read

Read everything you can. To become a good tester, you don't have to read solely software testing books. Books on any subject will be a treasure to you if you can correctly co-relate things.

6) Take frequent pauses

Humans have a tendency to become accustomed to their surroundings. If you stare at a broken piece of furniture for a long period, your mind will eventually drift away from the damaged part and focus on how exquisite that item was. Don't fix your gaze on the same subject all the time. Take breaks, look about, talk about what you've learned, and then get back to work. Is there any difference? Quite a bit.

#7 Make a mental note

On a notepad, scribble down at least five points per day on what you learnt, what you did to make things happen, what you discovered, or what ideas you applied. When you take the time to revisit it, it will be a treasure.

#8 Develop your managerial skills

Only by improving your management skills will you be able to achieve success. Learn from your supervisors about how they handle resources, clients, projects, timelines, and other obstacles.

You don't have to be a management to manage something. Begin with your work and schedule. Try to assist others and accept assistance when it is needed. With continued practise, your management skills will improve, allowing you to achieve your full potential.

 

Conclusion

I'm going to stop here because I believe I've covered all of the points for daily practise. I'm not interested in addressing points about sharing/upgrading information or discussing various issues because I believe we all do so as part of our jobs.

Finally, aim to be an exploratory tester so that you may fit into all of the other categories.