CT-PT ISTQB Certified Tester - Performance Testing Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

Stress testingis designed to evaluate how a system behavesunder extreme conditions, often exceeding its design limitations. The goal is to identify bottlenecks, memory leaks, and failures that occurbeyond normal operating conditions.

Option A is incorrectbecause it refers toresilience testing, which focuses on recovery rather than stress beyond limits.

Option B is incorrectas it describesload testing, which measures performance under expected loads.

Option C is incorrectsincedetermining the maximum transactionsis a feature ofcapacity testing, not stress testing.

ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)is astandard database protocolthat enables applications toconnect to and interact with databasesregardless of vendor specifications.

Option B (JUNIT)is aunit testing framework, not a database protocol.

Option C (SMP - Symmetric Multiprocessing)relates toCPU architecture, not databases.

Option D (MMS - Multimedia Messaging Service)is related tomobile messaging, not database communication.

Before running the next set of performance tests, it is crucial tounderstand the differences (delta) between the previous test results and the expected improvements. This ensures that:

The changes made by developers are properly validated.

Performance objectives are aligned with measurable improvements.

Option B (Adjust stakeholder expectations)is incorrect, as performance testing should focus on real data rather than adjusting expectations.

Option C and D (Realign objectives for milestones or time-to-market goals)are incorrect becausetest objectives should focus on technical accuracy rather than schedule constraints.

Performance testsprimarily identifyresource bottleneckssuch asCPU saturation, memory leaks, network congestion, and database slowdowns.

Option B (Suitability issues)is afunctional requirement concern, not a performance issue.

Option C (Learnability concerns)relates tousability testing, not performance.

Option D (Accessibility requirements)falls undercompliance and usability testing, not performance testing.

Wait timeis the period a transaction spendswaiting for resources, database responses, or external servicesbefore completing. It is critical for understandingreal-world transaction durations.

Option A (Think time)refers touser delays, not system delays.

Option C (Action time)focuses onexecution time only.

Option D (User time)is not a standard performance metric.

Iftimeouts and excessive wait times occur, butthroughput is high, this suggests thatthe system is unable to process requests fast enough. This points toslow processing speeddue toCPU bottlenecks, memory limitations, or inefficient database queries.

Option A (Network infrastructure investigation)would be relevant if throughput wasloworvariable.

Option C (Impatient virtual users)is irrelevant; virtual users followscripted behaviors.

Option D (New test data)does not address the core issue.

Akey risk in distributed systemsisunreliable remote servers, which can lead tolatency, timeouts, and failuresin performance testing.

Option A (Hard disk de-fragmentation)is not a significant risk in distributed systems.

Option B (Excess memory)is apositive factor, not a risk.

Option D (Bluetooth connectivity)is unrelated todistributed system performance.

To ensure anaccurate operational profile, it is crucial tovalidate and adjust it with key stakeholders before executing tests. This step ensures that the workloadrealistically represents actual user behavior.

Option A (Executing the test first and adjusting later)is incorrect becauseadjustments should be made before executionto avoid misleading results.

Option C (Aggregating profiles into a single generic profile)removesimportant distinctions between different user types, reducing test accuracy.

Option D (Creating separate profiles and using equal proportions)does not match the actualpower purchaserbehavior, which requires arealistic representation of their higher-volume transactions.

Crowd-based load generationrelies on real users from different locations, makingtest conditions highly variable. This makes itdifficult to reproduce the same test scenario multiple timesunder identical conditions.

Option B (Less sensitive to changes)is incorrect becausecrowd-based load is highly sensitive to external conditions(network, device types, etc.).

Option C (Suitable for mainframe applications)is incorrect becausecrowd-based load testing is typically used for web and cloud applications, not mainframes.

Option D (More precise than other methods)is incorrect becausecrowd-based load testing lacks precision due to real-world inconsistencies.

Spike testingis a type of performance testing that evaluates how a systemresponds to sudden, extreme increases or decreases in load. It is designed to simulateunexpected surges in user activity or workload, such as flash sales, viral events, or cyberattacks.

Option A (Gradual load increase testing)describesload testing, not spike testing.

Option B (Handling expected peak load)describesstress testing, which pushes the system to or beyond its limits but does not focus on sudden changes.

Option C (Meeting future efficiency requirements)relates tocapacity planningrather than spike testing.

Spike testing helps toidentify system bottlenecks, resource allocation issues, and performance degradationwhen traffic surges unexpectedly.

When system resources (e.g.,CPU, RAM, I/O) are oversaturated, the system becomes overloaded, leading toincreased response timesandpoor application performance.

Option A (Gradual improvement of response time)is incorrect becauseperformance degrades under heavy load.

Option C (Error logging decreases)is unlikely; in most cases, errorsincreasewhen systems reach their limits.

Option D (Database size decreases)is unrelated to performance saturation.