Manual Testing FAQ 1

Manual Testing FAQS Part-I

Q: How do you introduce a new software QA process ?

A: It depends on the size of the organization and the risks involved. For large organizations with

high -risk projects, a serious management buy -in is required and a formalized QA process is

necessary. For medium size organizations with lower risk projects, management and

organizational buy -in and a slower, step-by-step process is required. Generally speaking, QA

processes should be balanced with productivity, in order to keep any bureaucracy from getting

out of hand. For smaller groups or projects, an ad-hoc process is more appropriate. A lot

depends on team leads and managers, feedback to developers and good communication is

essential among customers, managers, developers, test engineers and testers. Regardless the

size of the company, the greatest value for effort is in managing requirement processes, where

the goal is requirements that are clear, complete and

testable.

Q: What is the role of documentation in QA ?

A: Documentation plays a critical role in QA. QA practices should be documented, so that they

are repeatable. Specifications, designs, business rules, inspection reports, configurations, code

changes, test plans, test cases, bug reports, user manuals should all be documented. Ideally,

there should be a system for easily finding and obtaining of documents and determining what

document will have a particular piece of information. Use documentation change management, if

possible.

Q: What makes a good test engineer?

A: Good test engineers have a "test to break" attitude. We, good test engineers, take the

point of view of the customer; have a strong desire for quality and an attention to detail.

Tact and diplomacy are useful in maintaining a cooperative relationship with developers and

an ability to communicate with both technical and non -technical people. Previous software

development experience is also helpful as it provides a deeper understanding of the software

development process, gives the test engineer an appreciation for the developers' point of

view and reduces the learning curve in automated test tool programming.

Vinod is a good test engineer because he has a "test to break" attitude, takes the point

of view of the customer, has a strong desire for quality, has an attention to detail, He's also

tactful and diplomatic and has good a communication skill, both oral and written. And he has

previous software development experience, too.

Q: What is a test plan?

A: A software project test plan is a document that describes the objectives, scope, approach

and focus of a software testing effort. The process of preparing a test plan is a useful way to

think through the efforts needed to validate the acceptability of a software product. The

completed document will help people outside the test group understand the why and how of

product validation. It should be thorough enough to be useful, but not so thorough that none

outside the test group will be able to read it.

Q: What is a test case?

A: A test case is a document that describes an input, action, or event and its expected result, in

order to determine if a feature of an application is working correctly. A test case should contain

particulars such as a...

Test case identifier;

Test case name;

Objective;

Test conditions/setup;

Input data requirements/steps, and

Expected results.

Please note, the process of developing test cases can help find problems in the requirements

or design of an application, since it requires you to completely think through the operation

of the application. For this reason, it is useful to prepare test cases early in the development

cycle, if possible.

Q: What should be done after a bug is found ?

A: When a bug is found, it needs to be communicated and assigned to developers that can

fix it. After the problem is resolved, fixes should be re -tested. Additionally, determinations

should be made regarding requirements, software, hardware, safety impact, etc., for

regression testing to check the fixes didn't create other problems elsewhere. If a problem-

tracking system is in place, it should encapsulate these determinations. A variety of

commercial, problem-tracking/management software tools are available. These tools, with

the detailed input of software test engineers, will give the team complete information so

developers can understand the bug, get an idea of its severity, reproduce it and fix it.

Q: What is configuration management?

A: Configuration management  (CM) covers the tools and processes used to control,

coordinate and track code, requirements, documentation, problems, change requests,

designs, tools, compilers, libraries, patches, changes made to them and who makes the

changes. Vinod has had experience with a full range of CM tools and concepts, and can

easily adapt to your software tool and process needs.

Q: What if the software is so buggy it can't be tested at all?

A: In this situation the best bet is to have test engineers go through the process of reporting

whatever bugs or problems initially show up, with the focus being on critical bugs.

Since this type of problem can severely affect schedules and indicates deeper problems in the

software development process, such as insufficient unit testing, insufficient integration testing,

poor design, improper build or release procedures, managers should be notified and provided

with some documentation as evidence of the problem.

Q: What if there isn't enough time for thorough testing?

A: Since it's rarely possible to test every possible aspect of an application, every possible

combination of events, every dependency, or everything that could go wrong, risk analysis is

appropriate to most software development projects.

Use risk analysis to determine where testing should be focused. This requires judgment skills,

common sense and experience. The checklist should include answers to the following questions:

Which functionality is most important to the project's intended purpose ?

Which functionality is most visible to the user ?

Which functionality has the largest safety impact ?

Which functionality has the largest financial impact on users ?

Which aspects of the application are most important to the customer?

Which aspects of the application can be tested early in the development cycle?

Which parts of the code are most complex and thus most subject to errors ?

Which parts of the application were developed in rush or panic mode ?

Which aspects of similar/related previous projects caused problems ?

Which aspects of similar/related previous projects had large maintenance expenses?

Which parts of the requirements and design are unclear or poorly thought out ?

What do the developers think are the highest-risk aspects of the application?

What kinds of problems would cause the worst publicity?

What kinds of problems would cause the most customer service complaints?

What kinds of tests could easily cover multiple functionalities?

Which tests will have the best high -risk-coverage to time -required ratio?

Q: What if the project isn't big enough to justify extensive testing?

A: Consider the impact of project errors, not the size of the project. However, if extensive

testing is still not justified, risk analysis is again needed and the considerations listed under

"What if there isn't enough time for thorough testing?" do apply. The test engineer then should

do "ad hoc" testing, or write up a limited test plan based on the risk analysis.

Q: What can be done if requirements are changing continuously?

A: Work with management early on to understand how requirements might change, so that

alternate test plans and strategies can be worked out in advance. It is helpful if the application's

initial design allows for some adaptability, so that later changes do not require redoing the

application from scratch. Additionally, try to...

Ensure the code is well commented and well documented; this makes changes easier for

the developers.

Use rapid prototyping whenever possible; this will help customers feel sure of their

requirements and minimize changes.

In the project's initial schedule, allow for some extra time to commensurate with probable

changes.

Move new requirements to a 'Phase 2' version of an application and use the original

requirements for the 'Phase 1' version.

Negotiate to allow only easily implemented new requirements into the project.

Ensure customers and management understand scheduling impacts, inherent risks and

costs of significant requirements changes. Then let management or the customers decide

if the changes are warranted; after all, that's their job.

Balance the effort put into setting up automated testing with the expected effort required

to redo them to deal with changes.

Design some flexibility into automated test scripts;

Focus initial automated testing on application aspects that are most likely to remain

unchanged;

Devote appropriate effort to risk analysis of changes, in order to minimize regression-

testing needs;

Design some flexibility into test cases; this is not easily done; the best bet is to minimize

the detail in the test cases, or set up only higher-level generic-type test plans;

Focus less on detailed test plans and test cases and more on ad-hoc testing with an

understanding of the added risk this entails.

Q: How do you know when to stop testing?

A: This can be difficult to determine. Many modern software applications are so complex and

run in such an interdependent environment, that complete testing can never be done. Common

factors in deciding when to stop are...

Deadlines, e.g. release deadlines, testing deadlines;

Test cases completed with certain percentage passed;

Test budget has been depleted;

Coverage of code, functionality, or requirements reaches a specified point;

Bug rate falls below a certain level; or

Beta or alpha testing period ends.

Q: What if the application has functionality that wasn't in the requirements ?

A: It may take serious effort to determine if an application has significant unexpected or

hidden functionality, which it would indicate deeper problems in the software development

process. If the functionality isn't necessary to the purpose of the application, it should be

removed, as it may have unknown impacts or dependencies that were not taken into

account by the designer or the customer.

If not removed, design information will be needed to determine added testing needs or

regression testing needs. Management should be made aware of any significant added risks

as a result of the unexpected functionality. If the functionality only affects areas, such as

minor improvements in the user interface, it may not be a significant risk.

Q: How can software QA processes be implemented without stifling productivity ?

A: Implement QA processes slowly over time. Use consensus to reach agreement on

processes and adjust and experiment as an organization grows and matures. Productivity

will be improved instead of stifled. Problem prevention will lessen the need for problem

detection. Panics and burnout will decrease and there will be improved focus and less

wasted effort.

At the same time, attempts should be made to keep processes simple and efficient,

minimize paperwork, promote computer -based processes and automated tracking and

reporting, minimize time required in meetings and promote training as part of the QA

process.

However, no one, especially talented technical types, like bureaucracy and in the short run

things may slow down a bit. A typical scenario would be that more days of planning and

development will be needed, but less time will be required for late -night bug fixing and

calming of irate customers.

Q: What if the organization is growing so fast that fixed QA processes are impossible ?

A: This is a common problem in the software industry, especially in new technology areas.

There is no easy solution in this situation, other than...

Hire good people  (i.e. hire Vinod)

Ruthlessly prioritize quality issues and maintain focus on the customer;

Everyone in the organization should be clear on what quality means to the customer.

Q: Why do you recommend that we test during the design phase ?

A: Because testing during the design phase can prevent defects later on. We recommend

verifying three things...

1. Verify the design is good, efficient, compact, testable and maintainable.

2. Verify the design meets the requirements and is complete (specifies all relationships

between modules, how to pass data, what happens in exceptional circumstances, starting

state of each module and how to guarantee the state of each module).

3. Verify the design incorporates enough memory, I/O devices and quick enough runtime for

the final product.

Q: What is software quality assurance ?

A: Software Quality Assurance, when Vinod does it, is oriented to  *prevention*. It

involves the entire software development process. Prevention is monitoring and improving

the process, making sure any agreed -upon standards and procedures are followed and

ensuring problems are found and dealt with.

Software Testing, when performed by Vinod, is also oriented to  *detection*. Testing

involves the operation of a system or application under controlled conditions and evaluating

the results.

Vinod can provide QA/testing service. This document details some aspects of how he can

provide software testing/QA service.

Organizations vary considerably in how they assign responsibility for QA and testing.

Sometimes they're the combined responsibility of one group or individual.

Also common are project teams, which include a mix of test engineers, testers and

developers, who work closely together, with overall QA processes monitored by project

managers.

Software quality assurance depends on what best fits your organization's size and business

structure.

Q: How is testing affected by object-oriented designs?

A: A well-engineered object -oriented design can make it easier to trace from code to internal design to functional design to requirements. While there will be little affect on black box
testing (where an understanding of the internal design of the application is unnecessary), white -box testing can be oriented to the application's objects. If the application was well
designed this can simplify test design.

Q: What is quality assurance ?

A: Quality Assurance ensures all parties concerned with the project adhere to the process and procedures, standards and templates and test readiness reviews.

Vinod' QA service depends on the customers and projects. A lot will depend on team leads or managers, feedback to developers and communications among customers,
managers, developers' test engineers and testers.

Q: What is black box testing?

A: Black box testing is functional testing, not based on any knowledge of internal software design or code. Black box testing are based on requirements and functionality.

Q: What is white box testing?

A: White box testing is based on knowledge of the internal logic of an application's code. Tests are based on coverage of code statements, branches, paths and conditions.

Q: What is unit testing?

A: Unit testing is the first level of dynamic testing and is first the responsibility of developers and then that of the test engineers.

Unit testing is performed after the expected test results are met or differences are explainable/acceptable.

Q: What is functional testing?

A: Functional testing is black-box type of testing geared to functional requirements of an application. Test engineers *should* perform functional testing.

Q: What is usability testing?

A: Usability testing is testing for 'user-friendliness'. Clearly this is subjective and depends on the targeted end -user or customer. User interviews, surveys, video recording of user
sessions and other techniques can be used. Programmers and developers are usually not appropriate as usability testers.

Q: What is incremental integration testing?

A: Incremental integration testing is continuous testing of an application as new functionality is recommended. This may require that various aspects of an application's functionality are independent enough to work separately, before all parts of the program are completed, or that test drivers are developed as needed.

Incremental testing may be performed by programmers, software engineers, or test engineers.

Q: What is parallel/audit testing?

A: Parallel/audit testing is testing where the user reconciles the output of the new system to the output of the current system to verify the new system performs the operations correctly.

Q : What is integration testing?

A: Upon completion of unit testing, integration testing begins. Integration testing is black

box testing. The purpose of integration testing is to ensure distinct components of the application still work in accordance to customer requirements.

Test cases are developed with the express purpose of exercising the interfaces between the components. This activity is carried out by the test team.

Integration testing is considered complete, when actual results and expected results are either in line or differences are explainable/acceptable based on client input.

Q: What is system testing?

A: System testing is black box testing, performed by the Test Team, and at the start of the system testing the complete system is configured in a controlled environment.

The purpose of system testing is to validate an application's accuracy and completeness in performing the functions as designed.

System testing simulates real life scenarios that occur in a "simulated real life" test
environment and test all functions of the system that are required in real life.

System testing is deemed complete when actual results and expected results are either in line or differences are explainable or acceptable, based on client input.
Upon completion of integration testing, system testing is started. Before system testing, all unit and integration test results are reviewed by Software QA to ensure all problems have been resolved. For a higher level of testing it is important to understand unresolved
problems that originate at unit and integration test levels.

You CAN learn system testing, with little or no outside help. Get CAN get free information. Click on a link!

Q: What is end-to-end testing?

A: Similar to system testing, the  *macro* end of the test scale is testing a complete

application in a situation that mimics real world use, such as interacting with a database,
using network communication, or interacting with other hardware, application, or system.

Q: What is regression testing?

A: The objective of regression testing is to ensure the software remains intact. A baseline set of data and scripts is maintained and executed to verify changes introduced during the release have not "undone" any previous code. Expected results from the baseline are
compared to results of the software under test. All discrepancies are highlighted and
accounted for, before testing proceeds to the next level.

Q: What is sanity testing?

A: Sanity testing is performed whenever cursory testing is sufficient to prove the application
is functioning according to specifications. This level of testing is a subset of regression
testing.

It normally includes a set of core tests of basic GUI functionality to demonstrate connectivity to the database, application servers, printers, etc.

Q: What is performance testing?

A: Although performance testing is described as a part of system testing, it can be regarded as a distinct level of testing. Performance testing verifies loads, volumes and response times, as defined by requirements.

Q: What is load testing?

A: Load testing is testing an application under heavy loads, such as the testing of a web site
under a range of loads to determine at what point the system response time will degrade or

fail.

  

Q: What is installation testing?

A: Installation testing is testing full, partial, upgrade, or install/uninstall processes. The

installation test for a release is conducted with the objective of demonstrating production readiness.

This test includes the inventory of configuration items, performed by the application's System
Administration, the evaluation of data readiness, and dynamic tests focused on basic system
functionality. When necessary, a sanity test is performed, following installation testing.

Q: What is security/penetration testing?

A: Security/penetration testing is testing how well the system is protected against unauthorized internal or external access, or willful damage.

This type of testing usually requires sophisticated testing techniques.

Q: What is recovery/error testing?

A: Recovery/error testing is testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardware failures, or other catastrophic problems.

Q: What is compatibility testing?

A: Compatibility testing is testing how well software performs in a particular hardware, software, operating system, or network

This test includes the inventory of configuration items, performed by the application's System
Administration, the evaluation of data readiness, and dynamic tests focused on basic system
functionality. When necessary, a sanity test is performed, following installation testing.

Q: What is security/penetration testing?

A: Security/penetration testing is testing how well the system is protected against unauthorized internal or external access, or willful damage.

This type of testing usually requires sophisticated testing techniques.

Q: What is recovery/error testing?

A: Recovery/error testing is testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardware failures, or other catastrophic problems.

Q: What is compatibility testing?

A: Compatibility testing is testing how well software performs in a particular hardware, software, operating system, or network

Q: What is comparison testing?

A: Comparison testing is testing that compares software weaknesses and strengths to those of competitors' products.

Q: What is acceptance testing?

A: Acceptance testing is black box testing that gives the client/customer/project manager the opportunity to verify the system functionality and usability prior to the system being
released to production.

The acceptance test is the responsibility of the client/customer or project manager, however, it is conducted with the full support of the project team. The test team also works with the client/customer/project manager to develop the acceptance criteria.

Q: What is alpha testing

A: Alpha testing is testing of an application when development is nearing completion. Minor
design changes can still be made as a result of alpha testing. Alpha testing is typically
performed by a group that is independent of the design team, but still within the company,

e.g. in-house software test engineers, or software QA engineers.

Q: What is beta testing?

A: Beta testing is testing an application when development and testing are essentially

completed and final bugs and problems need to be found before the final release. Beta

testing is typically performed by end -users or others, not programmers, software engineers, or test engineers.

Q: What is a Test/QA Team Lead?

A: The Test/QA Team Lead coordinates the testing activity, communicates testing status to management and manages the test team.

Q: What testing roles are standard on most testing projects?

A: Depending on the organization, the following roles are more or less standard on most testing projects: Testers, Test Engineers, Test/QA Team Lead, Test/QA Manager, System Administrator, Database Administrator, Technical Analyst, Test Build Manager and Test Configuration Manager.

Depending on the project, one person may wear more than one hat. For instance, Test Engineers may also wear the hat of Technical Analyst, Test Build Manager and Test Configuration Manager.

Q: What is a Test Engineer?

A: We, test engineers, are engineers who specialize in testing. We, test engineers, create test
cases, procedures, scripts and generate data. We execute test procedures and scripts, analyze
standards of measurements, evaluate results of system/integration/regression testing. We also...

Speed up the work of the development staff;

Reduce your organization's risk of legal liability;

Give you the evidence that your software is correct and operates properly; Improve problem tracking and reporting;

Maximize the value of your software;

Maximize the value of the devices that use it;

Assure the successful launch of your product by discovering bugs and design flaws, before users get discouraged, before shareholders loose their cool and before employees get
bogged down;

Help the work of your development staff, so the development team can devote its time to build up your product;

Promote continual improvement;

Provide documentation required by FDA, FAA, other regulatory agencies and your customers;

Save money by discovering defects 'early' in the design process, before failures occur in production, or in the field;

Save the reputation of your company by discovering bugs and design flaws; before bugs and design flaws damage the reputation of your company.

Q: What is a Test Build Manager ?

A: Test Build Managers deliver current software versions to the test environment, install the application's software and apply software patches, to both the application and the operating system, set-up, maintain and back up test environment hardware.

Depending on the project, one person may wear more than one hat. For instance, a Test Engineer may also wear the hat of a Test Build Manager.

Q: What is a System Administrator ?

A: Test Build Managers, System Administrators, Database Administrators deliver current

software versions to the test environment, install the application's software and apply

software patches, to both the application and the operating system, set-up, maintain and back up test environment hardware.

Depending on the project, one person may wear more than one hat. For instance, a Test Engineer may also wear the hat of a System Administrator.

Q: What is a Database Administrator ?

A: Test Build Managers, System Administrators and Database Administrators deliver current
software versions to the test environment, install the application's software and apply
software patches, to both the application and the operating system, set-up, maintain and
back up test environment hardware. Depending on the project, one person may wear more
than one hat. For instance, a Test Engineer may also wear the hat of a Database
Administrator.

Q: What is a Technical Analyst?

A: Technical Analysts perform test assessments and validate system/functional test

requirements. Depending on the project, one person may wear more than one hat. For instance, Test Engineers may also wear the hat of a Technical Analyst.

Q: What is a Test Configuration Manager ?

A: Test Configuration Managers maintain test environments, scripts, software and test data. Depending on the project, one person may wear more than one hat. For instance, Test
Engineers may also wear the hat of a Test Configuration Manager.

Q: What is a test schedule?

A: The test schedule is a schedule that identifies all tasks required for a successful testing effort, a schedule of all test activities and resource requirements.

Q: What is software testing methodology?

A: One software testing methodology is the use a three step process of...

1. Creating a test strategy;

2. Creating a test plan/design; and

3. Executing tests.

This methodology can be used and molded to your organization's needs. Vinod believes that using this methodology is important in the development and ongoing maintenance of his clients' applications.

Q: What is the general testing process ?

A: The general testing process is the creation of a test strategy (which sometimes includes the creation of test cases), creation of a test plan/design  (which usually includes test cases and test procedures) and the execution of tests.

Q: How do you create a test plan/design?

A: Test scenarios and/or cases are prepared by reviewing functional requirements of the release and preparing logical groups of functions that can be further broken into test procedures. Test procedures define test conditions, data to be used for testing and expected results, including database updates, file outputs, report results. Generally speaking...

Test cases and scenarios are designed to represent both typical and unusual situations that may occur in the application.

Test engineers define unit test requirements and unit test cases. Test engineers also execute unit test cases.

It is the test team that, with assistance of developers and clients, develops test cases and scenarios for integration and system testing.

Test scenarios are executed through the use of test procedures or scripts.

Test procedures or scripts define a series of steps necessary to perform one or more test scenarios.

Test procedures or scripts include the specific data that will be used for testing the process or transaction.

Test procedures or scripts may cover multiple test scenarios.

Test scripts are mapped back to the requirements and traceability matrices are used to ensure each test is within scope.

Test data is captured and base lined, prior to testing. This data serves as the foundation for unit and system testing and used to exercise system functionality in a controlled
environment.

Some output data is also base-lined for future comparison. Base -lined data is used to support future application maintenance via regression testing.

A pretest meeting is held to assess the readiness of the application and the environment and data to be tested. A test readiness document is created to indicate the status of the entrance criteria of the release.

Inputs for this process:

Approved Test Strategy Document.

Test tools, or automated test tools, if applicable.
Previously developed scripts, if applicable.

Test documentation problems uncovered as a result of testing.

A good understanding of software complexity and module path coverage, derived from

general and detailed design documents, e.g. software design document, source code, and software complexity data.

Outputs for this process:

Approved documents of test scenarios, test cases, test conditions, and test data.
Reports of software design issues, given to software developers for correction.

Q: How do you execute tests?

A: Execution of tests is completed by following the test documents in a methodical manner. As each test procedure is performed, an entry is recorded in a test execution log to note the
execution of the procedure and whether or not the test procedure uncovered any defects.
Checkpoint meetings are held throughout the execution phase. Checkpoint meetings are held daily, if required, to address and discuss testing issues, status and activities.

The output from the execution of test procedures is known as test results. Test results are evaluated by test engineers to determine whether the expected results have been
obtained. All discrepancies/anomalies are logged and discussed with the software team lead, hardware test lead, programmers, software engineers and documented for further investigation and resolution. Every company has a different process for logging and
reporting bugs/defects uncovered during testing.

A pass/fail criteria is used to determine the severity of a problem, and results are

recorded in a test summary report. The severity of a problem, found during system

testing, is defined in accordance to the customer's risk assessment and recorded in their selected tracking tool.

Proposed fixes are delivered to the testing environment, based on the severity of the

problem. Fixes are regression tested and flawless fixes are migrated to a new baseline. Following completion of the test, members of the test team prepare a summary report. The summary report is reviewed by the Project Manager, Software QA Manager and/or Test Team Lead.

After a particular level of testing has been certified, it is the responsibility of the

Configuration Manager to coordinate the migration of the release software components to
the next test level, as documented in the Configuration Management Plan. The software is
only migrated to the production environment after the Project Manager's formal
acceptance.

The test team reviews test document problems identified during testing, and update documents where appropriate.

Inputs for this process:

Approved test documents, e.g. Test Plan, Test Cases, Test Procedures. Test tools, including automated test tools, if applicable.
Developed scripts.

Changes to the design, i.e. Change Request Documents.
Test data.

Availability of the test team and project team.

General and Detailed Design Documents, i.e. Requirements Document, Software Design Document.

A software that has been migrated to the test environment, i.e. unit tested code, via the Configuration/Build Manager.
Test Readiness Document.
Document Updates.

Outputs for this process:

Log and summary of the test results. Usually this is part of the Test Report. This needs to be approved and signed-off with revised testing deliverables.

Changes to the code, also known as test fixes.

Test document problems uncovered as a result of testing. Examples are Requirements document and Design Document problems.

Reports on software design issues, given to software developers for correction. Examples are bug reports on code issues.

Formal record of test incidents, usually part of problem tracking.

Base -lined package, also known as tested source and object code, ready for migration to the next level.

Q: How do you create a test strategy?

A: The test strategy is a formal description of how a software product will be tested. A test strategy is developed for all levels of testing, as required. The test team analyzes the
requirements, writes the test strategy and reviews the plan with the project team. The test plan may include test cases, conditions, the test environment, a list of related tasks,
pass/fail criteria and risk assessment.

Inputs for this process:

A description of the required hardware and software components, including test tools. This information comes from the test environment, including test tool data.
A description of roles and responsibilities of the resources required for the test and
schedule constraints. This information comes from man-hours and schedules.
Testing methodology. This is based on known standards.

Functional and technical requirements of the application. This information comes from requirements, change request, technical and functional design documents.
Requirements that the system can not provide, e.g. system limitations.

Outputs for this process:

An approved and signed off test strategy document, test plan, including test cases. Testing issues requiring resolution. Usually this requires additional negotiation at the project management level.

Q: What is security clearance ?

A: Security clearance is a process of determining your trustworthiness and reliability before granting you access to national security information.