Learning automation testing is an invaluable venture to help programmers code. Fortunately, it’s not as challenging as many people would expect. Multiple resources are available to help programmers, quality assurance engineers, and business owners navigate the learning process.
This guide will provide the different modes of study to help you learn automation testing easily, quickly, and effectively.
What Is Automation Testing?
Automation testing is a software testing technique that tests data and utilizes the information to improve the quality of software. There are two types of testing: manual and automated. In the former, humans conduct the test, whereas the latter is achieved through an automated tool.
Testing automation helps overcome repetitive tests that are difficult to conduct manually. It is best suited for large projects that require redundant tests. This is a common practice by business analysts, web developers, and DevOps engineers.
What Is Automation Testing Used For?
Automation testing is vital for software engineers, developers, and test engineers when handling a new project. It’s the preferred mode over manual testing as it increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the software and helps identify defects.
And that’s what its main purpose really is. Automation testing helps development projects succeed. Here are some of its specific uses:
- To save money and time. Once you create an automated test, it can run over as often as you would like. This makes it less costly and less time-consuming compared to manually conducting the tests.
- To improve quality. You can run an automated test to increase the depth and scope of the software. The testing process goes through different data tables, programs, and file contents to thoroughly assess the software’s behavior.
- To improve accuracy. Automated tests execute their functions with precision and timeliness.
Types of Automation Tests
The type of automation test you conduct depends on the application you are developing. Below are several types of automation tests:
- Unit Tests. These are tests that check the code behind an application. Unit tests are essential for examining how the programming language is written. Note that unit tests don’t target the functional aspect of an application.
- Performance Tests. These are non-functional tests that target different testing requirements.
- Regression Tests. The regression test suite is commonly used to test a new module. It will show you whether the addition of a new module has affected other existing modules. You can use regression tests to see if a change in your code affects your web application’s existing features.
- Security Tests. This form of testing is functional and non-functional. It involves testing different applications for faults.
- Integration Tests. This is a process of verification of code from different units that’s essential in exposing the incompatibility of the code’s components. As a testing engineer, you can run this test to establish the flow of the code. You can identify broken connections, integration mistakes, and wrong interfaces.
- Smoke Tests. Smoke tests are designed to expose the vulnerabilities of the application. You can easily establish whether your application is solid or not by running this test.
Learning Automation Testing
Learning automation testing is a relatively simple task. However, selecting the best available resource to help you do it can be quite daunting. This section is dedicated to helping you advance your developer skills by covering the resources you’ll need to begin learning.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Automation Testing?
There is no set duration for people studying automation testing. Different people take different durations to complete the available courses, tutorials, and books.
Programmers with prior knowledge in HTML, CSS, or Javascript will have an easier time learning about automation testing. A novice, on the other hand, may take a bit longer to understand the fundamentals of the subject.
Before selecting any mode of study, check which one suits your time and learning style. For instance, if you don’t enjoy learning in a silo, make sure to select a highly-interactive class. The best resources will make your learning curve smoother and achievable.
How to Learn Automation Testing: Step-by-Step
- Download automation tools. There’s a wide range of automation tools that you can select from to suit your needs and interest. These could be commercial or open-source test automation tells.
- Watch tutorials. There’s no shortage of experts who can handle test scripts and share their knowledge through tutorials. Tutorials can be a great way for you to learn about the best practices and new developments in the industry.
- Attend a class or webinar. Attending a class or a webinar allows you to hit two birds with one stone. First, it’s a great way for you to learn from industry experts. Second, it’s the perfect time for you to build and establish relevant connections.
- Read books. Books are essential to learning the fundamental theories and concepts in automation testing. You will learn the mishaps other developers have experienced as well as the steps they did to rectify their mistakes.
- Practice. As with everything, practice is key. You don’t just become a good developer, business analyst, or test engineer after building connections or reading the theories. Dedicate part of your every day practicing automation testing.
The Best Automation Testing Courses and Training
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Caption: Career Karma makes it easier to find the best automation testing courses.
The growing demand for people who know how to perform automation tests has led to an increased number of platforms offering the course. However, this doesn’t mean that all platforms are reliable and efficient.
This is why you must find a credible source before you start learning automation testing. To help you, we’ve put together a list of courses designed to teach you about automation testing. Read more about each below.
Best Paid In-Person Automation Testing Classes
Learning a skill through an in-person class can be relatively advantageous. These classes provide students time and opportunity to learn directly from the instructor. The students tend to have an easier time understanding concepts and the teachers get to understand their students more. It’s also a great way to interact with people with the same interests and create new connections.
ISTQB Software Testing Foundation
- Provider: Reed
- Cost: $250
- Duration: 3 months
- Prerequisite: N/A
This is an exceptional beginner’s course that equips you with a deep understanding of automation testing. You will learn about the testing process and the different techniques in running test scripts. This is a great course for IT professionals, user acceptance testers, test designers, test analysts, test managers, and test consultants.
Selenium WebDriver Training with Java Basics
- Provider: Udemy
- Cost: $129.99 (subject to change)
- Duration: 125 hours
- Prerequisite: N/A
This course teaches you about the basics of Selenium, Core Java, loops and arrays, prerequisites of configuring Java, and its configurations. You’ll get to interact with industry experts and learn about different API integrations. It’s a great course for beginners since you don’t have to know Java or the basics at all.
Best Paid Online Automation Testing Classes
It’s becoming increasingly common for professionals to study on their downtime, thus giving rise to the creation of more online classes. Through these classes, students are no longer subjected to the routine that a physical class demands. You can easily sign up for a course that allows you to learn at your pace and convenience.
Below is a list of the best available software testing courses online.
Monday Productivity Pointers Course
- Provider: LinkedIn Learning-Lynda
- Cost: $29.99/month (comes with a one-month free trial)
- Duration: 27 hours
- Prerequisite: Knowledge and experience in tech
This course is instrumental in teaching students the techniques necessary for building powerful devices. You will learn about product improvement, computer skills in Mac and Windows, google platforms, and iOS.
Automated Software Testing: Unit Testing, Coverage Criteria and Design for Testability
- Provider: Class Central and edX
- Cost: $99
- Duration: 5 weeks
- Prerequisite: N/A
This is a great course to learn automated software testing principles, tools, and frameworks. The curriculum covers the following:
- Functional testing
- Structural testing and code coverage
- Testing code smells and mock objects
- Unit vs. systems testing
- Design for testability
- Test adequacy
Robot Framework Test Automation – Level 1
- Provider: Udemy
- Cost: $129.99 (subject to change)
- Duration: 6.5 hours
- Prerequisite: Knowledge of software testing fundamentals and creation of manual tests
In this course, you’ll learn about robot framework test automation, command-line and path basics, and Windows 10 installation, among others. It’s a great course to learn how to define the keywords for expressing different tests and create test automation suites.
Best Free Automation Testing Courses
More and more companies have developed courses that teach automation testing for free. Through these, you can improve your developer skills without the added stress of worrying about the cost.
CP-SAT – Certified Professional Selenium Automation Testing
- Provider: Udemy
- Duration: 6 hours
- Prerequisite: N/A
This is a great course to learn about the basics of Java programming. You will learn about the foundations of Selenium, including how to run Selenium tests continuously and automation in Agile projects. This course also features a certificate that is accepted globally, although you’d have to pay out of pocket.
Selenium Automation Testing for Beginners
- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 2 hours
- Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of manual testing
You will learn about the different components of Selenium and run your code on different browsers. You will also get to identify the different web elements on web pages. The course also covers synchronization of applications with Selenium code and performing mouse operations.
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Best Automation Testing Books
Yes, enrolling in courses significantly helps when learning about automation testing. But, why not boost your knowledge by reading automation testing books?
It may be a traditional concept of learning, but it is just as important. The following books were written by industry gurus and expert developers seeking IT solutions.
Complete Guide to Test Automation, Arnon Axelrod
Arnon Axelrod wrote this book to guide you toward building and maintaining successful test automation. Read this to learn more about how you can architect the test project, implement automated tests, and integrate test automation.
Test Automation Best Practices, George Ukkuru
This is an excellent book to learn the basics of automation. Ukkuru explains how test automation helps maintain the life of a software product and protect its features from breaking. This book won TestKit’s Automaton Book Award in 2014.
Learn Selenium, Unmesh Gundecha and Carl Cocchiaro
In this book, Gundecha and Cocchiaro delve into the Selenium grid architecture and teach you how to build your grid. You’ll also learn how to use ExtentReports, an open-source reporting library. By the last chapter, you’ll know Selenium’s full testing potential.
Best Online Automation Testing Resources
There are plenty of materials online to help you learn about automation testing. These resources are instrumental in showing you the best practices as well as the problems you may encounter. You can easily get a holistic view of the process by going through relevant material online, including the following:
The-Internet
Dave Haeffner created an open-source web application to capture prominent functionality. It’s a great tool for writing automated tests while learning web-based automation tools.
Todo-subsecond
This is a great application that features acceptance tests that run in a very short time. You can illustrate essential techniques to achieve in this system.
Restful-Booker
The Restful-Booker is a great tool for you to learn more about API testing and tools. You can check for bugs through this application.
Should You Study Automation Testing?
The short answer is yes. Automation testing is essential not because it replaces human effort but because it makes the task of conducting tests easier and faster. As more companies recognize the relevance of software testing, it’s also become increasingly important to hire analysts with automation skills.
Learning about automation testing will open up more opportunities for you, especially if you’re conversant with the market’s newest tools. Remember, the more experience and skills you have in the IT industry, the more invaluable you become.
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