Software Quality Assurance Practice Exam

What aspect of performance testing is measured by subjecting the program to heavy loads of data?

1. Response time

2. End user interaction

3. Throughput requirements

4. Error detection

The correct answer is: Throughput requirements

The correct choice focuses on throughput requirements, which is a crucial aspect of performance testing. Throughput measures the amount of data processed by the system over a specific period. By subjecting the program to heavy loads of data, testers can evaluate how well the system handles high volumes of requests and the efficiency with which it processes them. This helps in determining whether the application can maintain performance levels under stress, which is fundamental for ensuring it meets expected capacity and scalability needs. In contrast, response time is a measure of how quickly the system reacts to a request, which may not always be indicative of the system's overall throughput. End user interaction typically pertains to how users interact with the system from a usability perspective, rather than focusing on data loads. Error detection involves identifying faults or bugs within the program itself, but it does not specifically relate to the measurement of performance under heavy data loads. Thus, throughput requirements provide the most relevant insight when assessing performance during stress testing scenarios.