In the software testing arena, a commonly asked question is whether Exploratory testing is the same as Ad Hoc Testing. They do have some overlap which causes confusion, but in reality, they are quite different. Both provide the freedom to the test engineer to explore the application and the primary focus is to find critical defects in the system. They also help in providing better test coverage, as all scenarios are extremely time-consuming and costly to document as test cases.

Exploratory Testing

Exploratory testing is a formal approach to testing that involves simultaneous learning, test schematizing, and test execution. The testers explore the application and learn about its functionalities by discovery and learning method. They then, use exploratory test charters to direct, record, and keep track of the exploratory test session’s observations. It is a hands-on procedure in which testers perform minimum planning and maximum test exploration.

Webomates has also done extensive research on how to high jump to a high quality using exploratory and detailed analysis can be found in the article written by Aseem Bakshi, Webomates CEO.

Ad Hoc Testing

Ad Hoc Testing is an informal and random style of testing performed by testers who are well aware of the functioning of the software. It is also referred to as Random Testing or Monkey Testing. The tester may refer to existing test cases and pick some randomly to test the application. The testing steps and the scenarios depend on the tester, and defects are found by random checking.

Comparison is inevitable when it comes to exploring different testing types. It is vital to understand and employ the right combination for complete multi-dimensional testing. In this article, we will compare Ad Hoc Testing and Exploratory testing to understand them better. Click to know more about this article: Ad Hoc Testing Vs Exploratory Testing

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