QA Course

How difficult is it to learn in English?

To learn from a course delivered in English, you don't need to be good at English across all topics. It's enough to know technical English.

Technical English differs from 'regular' English in the following ways:
• Relatively limited vocabulary. The relevant technical English amounts to a few thousand words. By way of comparison, the Oxford English Dictionary contains over 170,000 common words.
• Good communication in technical English does not require mastery of all 12 tenses.

What if my English definitely leaves something to be desired?

First, you need to determine your level of proficiency. If you have never studied English at all, then yes, you will first have to learn it to the B1 (Intermediate) level.

If you have studied English but you are unsure whether your language skills are good enough, sign up to chat with a QA mentor at the bottom of this page. Or you can be tested at our monthly English for Would-Be Testers course.

Who is this course for?

This course is for everyone who is ready to learn a new specialization.
Basic knowledge of programming is not required.
It will help to have a little understanding of how programs, networks, operating systems, etc. fit together, but this is also not a prerequisite. We will teach you everything. We've had accountants, doctors and students in our groups — and they all found work as software testers. The main thing is your interest and motivation to learn.

I have never programmed. What should I do?

No big deal. Our course does not require programming. We teach manual testing and related knowledge. And you can learn how to program later in a course on test automation (if you really desire).

Do I need to have a technical background?

No. What's more, we know plenty of successful highly professional testers whose education is in the humanities, medicine, or art, or even entirely absent. If you're tired of your current job and know that it's not for you, then join us! Maybe we will help you find something you'll love without additional higher education?

Why is the course 4+2 months? I have seen a two-month course and it is much cheaper.

In two months you can learn the profession of a software tester only with a load of 40-50 hours per week. That is, the classes must go every day.
Otherwise, the knowledge gained will not be enough to get a job.

Why is the course 4+2 months? I've seen a year-long course, and it has automation and mobile testing. And I want maximum quality and a great career.

Learning an applied specialty like testing for longer than six months is inefficient. All the knowledge you acquire must be turned into skills in practical work, otherwise it will be forgotten.
If you start studying automation right after learning manual testing, then manual testing will be forgotten.

We recommend that you start learning mobile testing and automation after 6-12 months as a manual tester. In the end, it will be both more efficient and cheaper.

What equipment is required?

A computer or laptop with internet access. Some of the lectures on theory you can listen to on your phone, but there are very few of them. You will usually be required to complete hands-on exercises that the teacher assigns in class. And a webcam won't hurt — interaction during lectures is far more pleasant when you can see the person you're talking to. But if you're shy, you don't have to use a webcam.

How modern does a computer/laptop have to be?

Practically any computer will do. You can watch lectures and do quizzes even from your phone, in the OS/Android application for LMS. Practical classes are held in a cloud sandbox, on a special server.

Do I need any paid programs?

No, everything we use requires no additional payment from students. We'll give you a complete list of programs at the orientation session.

I see that the course is on Linux, but I have a Windows laptop

That is not a problem. The Linux lessons take place in a cloud sandbox, on a special server. You can also use the Linux emulator in your browser.

How hard can it be?

If you have an inquisitive mind, if you like to look into details, if you liked to break toys as a kid to see what's inside them, if you are ready to learn and do your homework on time - it won't be too hard, it will be interesting and fun 🙂

Who will teach me?

All your QA mentors are working professionals who are team leads, area leaders, or QA department heads. They all love and know how to teach. We don't hire people with less than 10 years of QA experience or no teaching experience. We know you want only the best.

How and when will I study?

Your online classes will take place on weekdays. During the orientation session, the group decides the specific time. We don't want you to miss lectures because of a workout, or even worse — to miss your workout because of the lectures. So we try to adjust the schedule to accommodate students.

Can I combine this with work?

Yes, our students are almost always already working. We've even had a doctor who managed to combine his QA studies with his shifts at the clinic.

How does the training take place?

Textbook: Learning the theory
In advance, a few days before the practical online workshop, the student should read the next chapter in the textbook. The textbook chapter contains all the necessary theoretical material on a certain topic, and by studying it, the student gains new knowledge.
In the practical workshop, this knowledge is consolidated through practical exercises. Without this consolidation, the knowledge is quickly forgotten.
Practical skills are also developed in the workshop.

The basic material of one chapter of a textbook usually includes 3 subtopics. All of them are necessary for understanding what is going on in the class and must be read.

Taking an interactive quiz
At least 24 hours before the workshop, the student must take the quiz at the end of the textbook chapter.
This is required so that the mentor can be sure that each student is ready for the workshop.

Practical online workshop
Hands-on workshops take place in Zoom. These are live online classes where students complete hands-on exercises under the guidance of a mentor. This allows them to internalize the knowledge they learned in the textbook and develop practical skills (which employers need).

Some practical exercises are performed by the whole group, and some are divided into subgroups of 3-5 participants. Zoom's breakout rooms feature is used for this purpose. Each subgroup goes to its own virtual breakout room and solves the task given by the mentor. The mentor visits each breakout room to help and guide.

You can (and should) actively participate in the session, ask questions and ask for help if you don't quite understand the explanation. Since the groups are small, it doesn't turn into an unruly "bazaar". Our mentors know how to balance between "answer every question" and "the whole session was just answering questions and nothing new was learned".

The link to connect to the hands-on workshop appears in the corresponding LMS activity, you can connect 20 minutes before the start.
The workshop is automatically recorded. It is better not to miss a class, but we realize that all sorts of things happen. A link to the workshop recording can be found in the same LMS activity immediately after the workshop.

Homework
After the practical workshop, you start doing homework (HW) to consolidate the material. The HW can be found in advance in the LMS. At the end of the workshop, the mentor may give some special comments on how to do it.
After most of the sessions, you should do one HW. After some classes, you should do two: basic and advanced.
The same mentor who led the practical workshop will check your HW.

How difficult is this?

You probably noticed that this question was asked already. Well, well done! You're very observant. Let us repeat: if you have a curious mind, then it will not be difficult. It will be interesting! 🙂

How much time is required for my studies?

Online classes are held twice a week for 2 - 2.5 hours.
Before the class, you must go through the appropriate chapter of the QA-textbook. This usually takes about 2 - 3 hours.
After each class you need about 2 - 3 hours of practical homework (if, of course, you were at the class and listened carefully to the teacher, and even better - asked tricky questions).
Total - in the range of 15 hours per week.

If you keep up the pace, a new life opens up. 🙂

Will I be able to interact with the mentors?

Of course! You will be able to communicate with the QA mentors during the live lectures — using your voice instead of chat. We love questions and are happy to answer them. Additionally, we'll add you to the chat for the course, where you can ask any questions about the lectures or homework. Homework or lectures can also be discussed on LMS, where mentors will respond to you directly.

What should I do if I can't handle the load?

First of all, immediately reach out to the mentors and let them know you're struggling. Together we'll try to figure out the point at which things stopped making sense to you and whether we can help. Additional explanations from the QA mentors are usually enough to catch up with the curriculum. If there is a force majeure and you cannot continue your studies, be sure to contact us too. We will, of course, refund your money for any missed lectures and internship classes.

What is the internship like?

This is your real-world work. You're still a student, but your tasks will be quite real. You'll develop software using an agile methodology, analyze requirements, communicate with your team, run tests, and log bugs. In a word, you'll work. For the first couple of weeks, your QA mentor will be your lead, but later you will be able to become one yourself — to help your peers and check their work. Naturally, the QA mentors will still be around, but you can take on the responsibility and then mention it in your resume.

How is an internship different from a field study?

The ratio of study and work. Typically, an internship is 70% work and 30% study, while a field study is the other way around. But that doesn't mean that our internship will make you listen to lectures again instead of working. It's just that the QA mentors will be nearby while you work.

What does it look like?

Like a tester's normal job. In the morning, you have a stand-up, where the team discusses the plan for the day, asks questions, and reports their problems, if any. Then comes work, communication, clarification of details, analysis of documentation, etc. In the evening, you'll have a session with an QA mentor, get answers to any questions, and review your test cases.

Do I have to relocate somewhere for my internship?

No. We always organize remote internships for our students.
You can find out how our internships go in the video "Three internships of 2022: a Californian startup, finance, a manufacture of windows".

What is the workload like during the internship?

Your workload is up to you, but the more time you dedicate to your work, the faster you will learn and the more effective the internship will be for you. It is better if your workload is between 4 and 8 working hours per day.

But I'm working at my old job and can't devote as much time to internship

Yes, we understand that you can work - like many of our students.
What is the minimum passing grade for an internship? The internship grade is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the quality of work grade and the participation grade. In order to get a minimum passing grade of 60, you need a quality of work grade of 90-100 and a participation grade of 30-49 - to do this, you need to spend at least 12 hours a week on the internship.
So if you do quality work and can find at least 1 hour per weekday and 3 hours each weekend, you won't have any problems as a result.

Is internship compulsory?

No, internship is not mandatory. Moreover - many students with good academic performance find a job even before the internship.
But if you don't do an internship, we can't help you get a job because you won't have an important line on your resume. And we won't be able to issue a certificate of completion.

Why is the internship free?

We are interested in maximizing the quality of the course, not stretching it. That's why in every cohort some students find a job before the internship even begins. The rest of the students get the opportunity to hone their skills and knowledge during internship free of charge - we hire the most experienced internship leader either at our expense or at the expense of the client.

What will I become at the end of the course?

After you graduate, you will be a Pre-Middle Software Tester. The name of the "grade" depends, in fact, on the company where you get the job. Middle at one company may be called Junior at another - although, in essence, the tasks will be about the same level of complexity.

What type of certificate do you award?

We award a certificate of completion for the Manual Testing + Internship course, signed by the mentors and the head of the school.

Will I be able to find a job after graduation?

Most of our graduates find a job within 2-4 months of graduation. To assist your job search, we conduct a mock interview at the end of your studies. We always provide feedback and will help your draw up you resume. In one funny case, one of our students failed our mock interview on his first attempt. He scheduled a retake one week later but found a real job in the meantime. But he showed up for the retake anyway 🙂

Is it possible to start looking for a job not immediately after graduation?

As practice shows, the more time a graduate puts off finding a job, the more he or she forgets and the more his or her confidence in his or her abilities drops.

When should I start looking for a job?

From the first day of training. That's why the first three classes go through the Orange textbook (how to study properly) and the SDL course Route 60 (how to prepare for employment and how to find your first QA job), and from the fourth class you start to learn about software testing.

Do you help with resumes and cover letters?

Yes.

What is a vigorous job mentorship?

The job market is competitive. Not everyone who wants a job will find one, even if they are prepared. Those who are both prepared and active will find jobs. We can give knowledge, we can train, but we can't give activity.

On this basis, each graduate must make a certain number of responses each week. He or she can discuss questionable jobs, test assignments, etc. with the mentor on duty.

If the graduate stops making the required number of responses, the job mentorship ends.

How long does the one-on-one rigorous job mentoring last?

Until you find a job (provided you meet the required number of responses weekly).

What does a video recommendation from the head mentor look like if I get a high score?

This is a personal video listing the graduate's positive qualities, which you can link to on your Linkedin page and on your resume.