QA engineer

Phase 1. Where to start

Why this course exists and who it fits: the problem it solves, how phases, quizzes, tests and trainers work, and how to go through it without dropping off.

• Зачем этот курс required

Phase 2. What testing is · 11 questions

Why software is tested, the QA role, manual vs automated, the software and testing lifecycle.

• What Testing Is and Why It's Needed
• Who a Tester Is and Their Role on the Team
• Testing Myths and What You Actually Need to Start
• Manual and Automated Testing: What's the Difference
• The Software Lifecycle and Where Testing Fits (SDLC and STLC)
• Software Development Models: Waterfall, V-Model, and Iterations

Take the phase quiz → self-check after reading the phase

Phase 3. Types and levels · 11 questions

Test levels, functional and non-functional, black/white box, smoke and regression.

• Test Levels: Unit, Integration, System, and Acceptance
• Types of Testing: Functional and Non-Functional
• Non-Functional Testing Types in Practice
• Black Box, White Box, and Grey Box; Smoke, Regression, and Sanity
• Exploratory Testing and Degrees of Formalization
• Localization Testing

Take the phase quiz → self-check after reading the phase

Phase 4. Test-case design · 12 questions

Writing test cases, the test plan and suites, reporting and metrics, effort estimation, test-design techniques, decision tables, checklists and data.

• How to write a test case: steps and expected result
• Test Case Quality: Balances, Fault-Finding Power, and Typical Mistakes
• Test plan and test suites: how to organize your checks
• Test Result Reporting and Metrics
• Effort Estimation in Testing
• Test design techniques: equivalence classes and boundary values
• Decision tables and pairwise testing
• Checklists and test data
• User Scenarios, Personas, and Test Case Suites

Take the phase quiz → self-check after reading the phase

Phase 5. Bugs · 11 questions

What a bug is, severity and priority, writing a bug report and making it high-quality, the bug lifecycle and trackers.

• What is a bug: severity and priority
• How to write a bug report
• Bug Report Quality: Logic, Properties, and Typical Mistakes
• Finding the Root Cause of a Defect
• Bug lifecycle and trackers (Jira)

Take the phase quiz → self-check after reading the phase

Phase 6. Tools and practice · 11 questions

Test management, web basics (HTML/CSS/JS), client-server and HTTP, DevTools, API in Postman, SQL, cross-browser testing and Linux commands.

• Test Management: TestRail, Qase, Zephyr
• Web Basics: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the DOM
• Client-Server and HTTP: How a Page Talks to a Server
• Browser DevTools for Testers
• API Testing Basics in Postman
• SQL for Testers
• Cross-Browser and Mobile Testing
• Linux Commands and the Terminal for Testers

Take the phase quiz → self-check after reading the phase

Phase 7. SQL from scratch · 8 questions

A standalone SQL series with no prerequisites: databases and tables, SELECT, JOIN, aggregates, window functions, NULL, modifying data and indexes.

• What a Database and Tables Are
• SELECT: Pick, Filter, Sort
• JOIN: Combine Data from Several Tables
• Aggregates: COUNT, GROUP BY and HAVING
• Window Functions: Counting Without Collapsing Rows
• NULL and Data Types: Where Everyone Stumbles
• INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE and Transactions
• Why a Query Is Slow: Indexes on Your Fingers

Take the phase quiz → self-check after reading the phase

Phase 8. Automation: Playwright basics

When you need e2e and how to set it up.

• Когда нужен e2e
• Настройка

Phase 9. Automation: writing tests

Locators, test structure, waits and assertions.

• Локаторы
• Структура тестов
• Утверждения и ожидание

Phase 10. Automation: data and state

Test data, authentication, networking.

• Данные и аутентификация
• Сеть

Phase 11. Automation: reliability and CI

Fighting flakiness, running in the pipeline.

• Нестабильные тесты
• E2E в CI

Phase 12. On a team and beyond · 11 questions

QA in Agile and Scrum, testing against requirements, automation basics and where to grow next.

• QA in Agile and Scrum: your role in a sprint
• Testing against requirements
• Requirement Levels and the Properties of Good Requirements
• Requirements Review: Techniques and Good Questions
• How Automation Works: Approaches and Economics
• Where to grow as a tester

Take the phase quiz → self-check after reading the phase

Phase 13. Development methodologies and process · 8 questions

Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, Kanban, XP, estimation and scaling — how a team organizes work from idea to release.

• Development Models: From Waterfall to Agile
• Scrum: Roles, Events, and Artifacts
• Kanban: Flow, WIP Limits, and Pull
• Extreme Programming: the Engineering Practices of Agile
• Estimation and planning: story points and velocity
• Scaling Agile: SAFe and LeSS

Take the phase quiz → self-check after reading the phase