If you are using error guessing to target your testing, which type of testing are you doing?

When using error guessing to target testing, you are engaging in experience-based testing. This approach relies heavily on the tester's previous experience and intuition to identify where defects are likely to occur. It draws from the tester's familiarity with the application, its historical issues, and common types of errors that tend to arise in similar conditions or systems.

This method enables testers to predict potential problem areas and design test cases accordingly, focusing on likely failure points rather than just following a predefined script or specifications. Such an approach is valuable when exploring the application, especially when formal requirements may not cover all potential issues.

In contrast, specification-based testing is primarily driven by documented requirements, while structure-based testing focuses on the internal workings of the software (such as code structure). Reference-based testing typically involves comparing the software against standards or benchmarks. These methods do not leverage the intuition and experience critical to error guessing, thereby highlighting why experience-based testing is the correct characterization in this context.