QA Course

You deserve the best education

Welcome to the 'Pre-Middle QA: Manual Testing + Internship'

software tester course for beginners


Top QA-mentors with a combined experience of more than 90 years in IT have created a professional QA-course for you - Harvard among other courses

We want you to make the most informed decision possible.

So let's talk about the following in as much detail as possible:

1

Software testing

- is it easy?

Why is the IT industry open to me?
Because software development today needs all kinds of professionals
The software development market is facing a big shortage of qualified specialists.
And there aren't enough QA testers. But their work is very important — the quality of the final program or service depends on them. At the same time, software testers don't need a technical education. Good QA courses are enough.
I've been told that software testing is the easiest entry point into IT.
Is this true?
Not really. It is really easy to become a software tester, "who checks that the buttons are properly displayed and pressed". But it is difficult to find a job for such a specialist.
Becoming a QA-specialist who, for example, understands Linux or debugging of three-level applications, is more difficult.
But his career prospects are much better.
Oh, then it's probably not for me. I'm 35 now, and I've never had any experience with computers.
There is no need to make any hasty decisions.
35 is the average age of our students. For example, in our experience, former teachers and accountants make the best software testers.
How do I know then that testing is really mine?
First, you can watch the video QA mentor says: What signs can help you realize that testing is for you? and other videos on our channel.
Second, we do a free orientation with every applicant. For those who don't qualify for testing, we're honest and say so (and they save their time and money).
For the rest, we help them start a new, exciting and enjoyable stage in life.
But because of the crisis and competition from other courses, finding a job in IT is no longer as easy as it used to be?
Yes, in recent years there have been more graduates of QA courses. But there are very few really qualified ones among them. And companies, as before, find it difficult to find prospective software testers.
That is why we make a course that is unlike the others.
How is it different?
It is built on a professional, not a commercial approach to education. It's not easy to learn, but it's easy to find a job afterwards (not the other way around).
Why are you sure this is the way to do it?
We are QA-mentors with 10 to 25 years of experience in international IT. We've worked in dozens of companies, and many junks have passed through us. And we know how to get it right.

2

What is and is not included in the course

1
English for QA (separate optional course)
Module 1. Communication skills
• Lesson 1. I'm a part of the team
• Lesson 2. I'm in a business environment
• Lesson 3. How can I use my language skills?
• Lesson 4. English-language forums
Module 2. New technologies
• Lesson 1. Living in a digital age
• Lesson 2. The digital sphere as a work space
• Lesson 3. What is IT?
• Lesson 4. Special terms
Module 3. Communication with clients and with teams
• Lesson 1. Business correspondence
• Lesson 2. Test task
• Lesson 3. Communication with colleagues
• Lesson 4. Special terms
Module 4. IT with Mentorpiece mentors
• Lesson 1. Special Terminology. Standup meeting + Emulation game with experienced QA
• Lesson 2. Special Terminology. Defect Advocacy + Emulation game with experienced QA
• Lesson 3. Special Terminology. Retrospective + Emulation game with experienced QA
• Lesson 4. Special Terminology. Task Grooming + Emulation game with experienced QA
Final Exam
2
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROFESSION
• Mission Possible (Who are testers and why do we need them)
• What is the Testing Structure (From UI buttons to the server through the network - and back)
3
GET READY FOR TESTING - WHAT IS LINUX
• Linux in a Tester’s Life (Why testers need Linux?)
• Linux Basics (Command Line as a way to work with error logs)
• Files and Directories (Where error logs live and how to manage them)
• Users and Groups (What permissions for error logs could be)
• Processes, Daemons and Services (What are they doing in Linux)
• Objects Search (Let’s search files in tricky and no so tricky ways)
4
GET READY FOR TESTING - HOW NETWORKS WORK
• Looking for Errors in a Network Environment (Why testers need to know it)
• Networks Basics (How the information is moving)
• Network Layer (What ways to share the information do we have)
• Transport Layer (A bit more about protocols)
• Application Protocols (And how some more cool things about networks: no bug gets through)
5
GET READY FOR TESTING - HOW DATABASE LEVEL WORKS
• Relational Theory Basics (Where and how data lives)
• SQL Basics (SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE - how to extract application info)
• SQL Joins (LEFT, RIGHT, FULL, SEFT - What if info is in several tables)
• SQL Subqueries (And how to mine very complicated data)
• Database Connection (How to set up a connection to DB)
• Database Tools (Database tools practical use)
6

GET READY FOR TESTING - HOW SERVICES LEVEL WORKS

• REST Requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE - let’s climb up and assess the application work)
• REST Services (Header, Body - how requests works)
• Postman (Basic use and collections)
• Development Tools (Practical use for REST services)
7
GET READY FOR TESTING - HOW UI LEVEL WORKS
• UI Objects Basics (DOM Tree - let’s go to the application backstage)
• Development Tools Practical use for UI objects)
• UI Scripts Basic (How to read them)
• UI Object Properties (Mandatory for testing)
8
REQUIREMENTS TESTING
• Requirements Gathering (How do we get them?)
• Requirements Assessment (Is the analyst guilty?)
• UML, ERD (Special for schema and graph lovers)
• Common Practice (Big practice, questions, consultation)
9
TESTING LEVELS AND TYPES
• Testing classification: The Pyramide (Which pill Neo chooses?)
• Testing classification: Types, boxes, regression (What did Pythia say?)
10
TEST DESIGN
• Introduction (How to test all without testing all: who and why does it need)
• Equivalence Classes and Boundaries (How to test all without testing all: first meet with test design)
• Decision Tables (What if we have a lot of parameters to test?)
• Pairwise Testing (What if we have a huge amount of parameters?)
• State-Transitions Testing (How to test objects and their states)
• Using all Methods Together (True tester is not limited with the only one method)
11
TESTING DOCUMENTATION
• Check-Lists (Is that true that they are not needed?)
• Test Cases (How to make them really helpful)
• Test Suites and Test Runs (What makes difference?)
• Test Plans (The same as check-lists or not?)
12
DEFECTS LOCALIZATION AND DESCRIPTION
• UI Level (Press the button - get the result. But the wrong one)
• Backend Level (Server is dead. Vivat server)
• Database Level (What if the DB is guilty?)
• Logs (Remember Linux!)
• Defect Tracking System (What for God’s sake is the difference between Severity and Priority?)
• Defect Description (How to fight a programmer back if everything works for him?)
13
INTRO TO THE AUTOMATION FOR MANUAL TESTERS
• Git (Back to the Future)
• Automation and CI/CD (A Hybrid of Testing and Programming)
• Docker, Kubernetes, Rabbit MQ (Understanding complicated words and programs)
14
DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES AND TEAM
• Development Methodologies: Waterfall, Agile (SCRUM, XP, Kanban), others (Who all that people are and why are they using development methodologies)
• Agile: Business Game (Let’s play a development team)

15
A BONUS FOR A FAST GROUP
• Exploratory Testing and Testing Tours (How to meet application and walk around the city together)
16
INTERNSHIP ON A REAL PROJECT
Duration: 2 months
Real project: Yes
Practice in your CV: Yes
Training of all the skills: Yes
Possibility to be a team lead: Yes
Lecturers consultations: Unlimited
17
JOB INTERVIEW FINAL EXAM
Duration: 1 hour for each student completed the internship
Lecturers: 1-2
Feedback: Yes
18
EMPLOYMENT MENTORING
FOR ALL GRADUATES
Job placement tutorial: Yes
Assistance in preparing resumes: Yes
Cover letter assistance: Yes
Vigorous employment mentoring: Yes
Duration: Until graduate finds a job

FOR GRADUATES WITH A HIGH GRADE
Job placement tutorial: Yes
Assistance in preparing resumes: Yes
Cover letter assistance: Yes
Vigorous employment mentoring: Yes
Duration: Until graduate finds a job
+
Validation on LinkedIn by three mentors: Yes
Video recommendation from the main mentor: Yes
The full program of the course is available [here].

A short informative video is worth a thousand words.
We asked our QA mentor to talk about the curriculum and how each module will benefit you:
What will I be able to work with?
If there are too few tools in the training program, there won't be enough of them to work with. If there are too many, they will be hard to learn, and all of them will be weeded out of your head before the first interview.
Here is the optimal set:
What about automation? I didn't see anything about it in the course curriculum.
The detailed answer to this question is:
What about mobile app testing?
Mobile applications are not included in the program for the same reason as automation.
During 4 months with the load within 15 hours per week it is realistic to study and consolidate in practice only the standard QA-knowledge on the test-design, requirements, documentation, testing levels, databases, three-link architecture, Linux, networks, services, development methodologies, and automation starts. If they are studied qualitatively, it is more than enough to get your first job.
But I've seen a course where in 4 months with several classes a week they go through both the basics of testing, automation, and mobile app testing.
As practice shows, with this approach graduates do not know how to do manual testing properly, nor how to automate, nor how to test mobile applications.

It is like a musician learning to play all instruments at once, and a doctor learning how to treat teeth and perform brain surgery. Such a doctor would not be hired in dentistry or neurosurgery.

We recommend starting to learn mobile testing and automation after 6-12 months as a manual tester. In the long run, it will be both more efficient and cheaper.
Is web application testing, APIs being studied?
Yes. And at the deepest level, including troubleshooting and localization of defects in three-link applications. This is a serious advantage our graduates have over their competitors from other courses.

3

How professional QA education differs from commercial education

The 4 main differences

in professional education:

COMMERCIAL APPROACH
✓ mentors motivation: self-actualization and $
✓ the commercial interests of the school take precedence over the interests of the student
✓ enrollment after successful payment
✓ school KPIs: number of students, ROI
PROFESSIONAL APPROACH
mentors motivation: improving the quality of IT professionals in the marketplace
the interests of the student take precedence over the commercial interests of the school
enrollment after a successful entrance exam
school KPI: number of successful careers of graduates
And a little more from our chief mentor:

In a year, as a professional QA-school, we graduate about 100 QA. Why so few? Because we try to be the Harvard of QA courses and focus on quality, not quantity


4

What will you get from studying on a professional QA course

The top 10 qualities of your studies,
when you study at a professional QA school:
  • 1. Only your full confidence
    entrance tests to evaluate yourself, the complexity of the course, and avoid wasting time/money
  • 2. Only you come first
    lessons in groups of maximum 15 students, where feedback is given to you, not to the flow of 100+ people
  • 3. Only top mentors
    strictly selected mentors - current technical specialists of international IT companies with 10 to 25 years of experience, who are involved in recruiting testers in their companies and know the most current requirements in the QA market
  • 4. Only quality
    live lectures adjusted to the specific group
  • 5. Only direct connection
    homework is checked by a lecturer, not by an inexperienced assistant
  • 6. Only effective learning
    a three-level model of learning "from simple to complex" with an interactive QA-textbook of 500+ pages to help better absorb the material (and prepare for interviews)
  • 7. Only results-based learning
    a lot of practice: quizzes in the textbook, practice in class, challenging homework, internships
  • 8. Only economical and convenient education
    practice takes place in a cloud sandbox - any home computer will do, and you watch lectures and make quizzes in iOS/Android-application of LMS
  • 9. Only a working resume
    a two-month internship by a full QA on a real business project, which will give you the first experience
  • 10. Only like in life
    the final exam is like a real individual interview, and then there's vigorous job mentoring (and job security for excellent students)
What is an interactive QA tutorial?
This is a special textbook we developed to facilitate the learning process of students.
In the three-level model of teaching, all materials are divided into three levels:
1. Easy-to-learn basic material on the topic.
2. Advanced material.
3. A challenging homework assignment at the end.
Now you don't have to be stressed by immediately starting difficult material of which you understand nothing at all, and you can move with a gradual increase in the load.

Within the framework of this model, we have developed the 100-Year QA-Textbook.

100-Year QA-Textbook is an interactive textbook containing 42 modules, 42 online-tests, 500+ pages with basic knowledge (yes, 500 pages is only software testing base) on test design, requirements, documentation, testing levels, databases, three-tier architecture, Linux, networks, services, development methodologies and automation basics.

The textbook is used to prepare students for lectures, to facilitate their understanding of the material, and to prepare them for their first interviews with employers.
In short, it's a course after which you don't have to do any more studying.
It's a course that really opened the door to a new life for many.
I am very unsure whether I will be able to find a job as a software tester as a result of the education.
Our course is difficult. And if you can study it well, then the question of work will disappear, we promise.
You'll have another question:
Your question will be
How awesome will my future job be?
Still, what evidence is there that the course is working?
The quality of any course is measured by two parameters: the number of applicants who successfully reach graduation. And the number of graduates who are successfully employed.
For an ordinary online QA course, how many students who start actually go on to take the final exam?

Some online courses achieve up to 50%. Some courses have a graduation rate less than 30%.

And those who don't reach the finish line face a long and painful procedure to get a partial refund of their tuition. You've probably seen reviews of such QA courses.

At Mentorpiece, more than 90% of students reach and pass the final exam. This notable outcome is the result of all of the above — we have living mentors with more than 10 years of experience in the industry. Each student is in a group of no more than 15 highly motivated fellow students. During an entrance interview with a mentor and entrance exam, each student makes a conscious decision and demonstrates willingness to successfully dive into this new profession.

By the way, entrance testing also helps to avoid unnecessary loss of time and money for those for whom training would be too difficult.
In general, is there an objective indicator of the quality of courses?
Yes. It is about whether the QA school is doing the training for the employees of the IT companies or not.
Students who are just entering the IT field are not always in a position to objectively assess the quality of the course. Even after graduation. It may take a year after they start employment before they can tell whether it was really the best and high-quality.
But it's a good sign that well-known IT companies with their own experienced in-house QA experts take advantage of the course.

5

Mentors and alumni on their journey in IT

QA Mentors
  • Lilia Urmazova
    School Founder, Chief QA Expert (AM)

    22 years of QA experience.

    Has worked at Star Software, Exigen Services, Grid Dynamics, Rostelecom. Taught at Luxoft Training.

    I like QA because it lets me participate in the entire software development process from A to Z and also interact with a lot of people all at once.

    I'm a good instructor because I can explain complex things well using simple examples, pictures, diagrams and tables.

  • Fedor Kulishov
    Linux and Security Expert / Lead Security Expert at Acronis (CH)

    18 years of IT experience.

    Has worked at several startups, Scientific Research Institute Voskhod, and Positive Technologies.

    I like IT, and especially security, because you always have to stay in shape. There is often something interesting to investigate. And you're surrounded by excellent specialists and enthusiasts.

    I'm a good instructor because I like to see excitement in my students' eyes, to notice their progress, and to receive their goodwill in return.

  • Sandi Smith
    Expert mentor, Databases, Agile, Test documentation (US)

    28 years of QA experience.

    Has worked at BMC Software, Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp, General Motors.

    I like being a QA because there is always something new to learn. And, you get to interact with many different teams. I also like knowing that the product will be more functional and reliable because I did my job well.

    I am a good instructor because I have a passion for passing on my decades of knowledge and experience to the next generation. I want to help others be successful.

  • Evgeny Lozovan
    Java Automation Expert / Lead Test Automation Engineer at Grid Dynamics (US)

    17 years of QA experience.

    Has worked at MuranoSoft and Global Logic.

    I like QA because it lets me satisfy my craving for research and science.

    I'm a good instructor because my laziness causes me to teach others in a way that requires as little work as possible for myself. 🙂

  • Andrey Roslyakov
    Expert mentor, Linux, Networks, Infrastructure specialist / Senior DevOpsPostgres Professional

    14 years of IT experience.

    Has worked at Yandex, Ivi.

    I like IT because every day I see how it makes the world better and I like to be a part of this process. And maybe a little more because I grew up sitting at a computer. 🙂

    I'm a good instructor because I have relevant experience that I can share and I know how to do it in a simple form.

They started out just like you...
...and now
they work here

6

Studying for your results

Work for your happy ending

  • Our top QA experts will send you straight to the big leagues
    The best QA courses don't involve learning from people teaching theory or practice with just 4-5 years of experience.

    We only hire QA mentors with 10+ years of IT experience. Mentorpiece does not try to teach everything at once. We specialize exclusively in QA and testing. As a result, your instruction comes from carefully selected mentors who are current technical managers at the largest global IT companies, who are involved in hiring testers at their companies.

  • A live high-quality course with feedback, where the focus is on you, not a crowd of 100 people
    You're not paying for access to year-old webinars made by a teacher who never checks the homework.

    This is a genuine live QA course with living, breathing teachers. They teach the latest theory, adapt the course for each specific group, lead practical exercises, answer questions, guide and support students, check homework, provide grades, and conduct exams.

    Our groups are limited to 15 motivated students, not 30, 40, or even 300 people put into groups on some platforms. That means you won't be working with a host of instructors, supervisors, tutors, assistants, coordinators, and technical support specialists, but rather just a few QA experts. This dedicated team can give you the attention you need along with high-quality feedback.
  • An internship working on a real project that will make you shine in the eyes of your future employer
    Can you become a specialist without working on a real project?

    At Mentorpiece, we believe that software testing courses that don't offer this leave much to be desired.
    That's why our students complete internships on a live project.
    During your training, you will gain experience testing real software as part of a real project. You can add this work to your resume.
More about our internships:
The CEO of a California company was so pleased with the work of Mentorpiece graduates at the internship that he recorded a video review:
If the resume of yesterday's QA-student is not "empty", but demonstrates the acquisition of practical experience in a real business project, then such a graduate has no problem finding a job within 2-3 months of active search.

Online QA Course in numbers

50 / 75 / 100+ hours
theory / practice / internship
4 + 2 months
course + internship
no more than
15 people
in a group
99 years
total experience of lecturers of the QA school in IT:
22+18+17+28+14
Countdown to your first lesson
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Your spot

in a group of 15 future QAs

in the next course

starting in June 2023

is still available

A place is assigned only to an enrolled applicant (status "enrolled, tuition paid"). The remaining places may become available.

After enrollment and payment, you immediately get access to the group chat and LMS-system.

7

40+ frequent questions

I still have so many questions...
We're not going to suggest that you get a call from a sales manager to "consult." 🙂

That's why we have detailed answers to all possible questions:

8

Price & possible discounts

I don't have a lot of money, and I need inexpensive training. But after graduation I want to find a job in IT in two, maximum three months.
Alas, quality cannot be cheap. Many of the trainees on inexpensive courses for a long time can not find a job and are forced to re-train.
At the same time, the cost of a quality course pays for itself in 3 months of QA.
Course Comparison
A commercial course with live lectures and 3+ months of education
Professional course by Mentorpiece
Career Guidance from a QA mentor with 20+ years of experience
Entrance test with an opportunity to assess the complexity of the course
Theoretical block, lectures
Interactive QA-textbook to prepare for lectures and interviews
Mentors with 10 to 25 years of IT-experience
< 20 students per group
Practical exercises
The lecturer checks the homework, not the assistant
Practice can also be done on an old computer
Two-month internship as a full QA on a real business project
Graduation exam - as a real individual interview
Assistance in preparing resumes, cover letters, at casts
For the excellent students: a video recommendation from the chief mentor, proof of knowledge from three mentors & job security
Employment textbook, rigorous mentoring to the point of employment
Price
$4200 to 5500
$3'900

Full course fee (not including internship)


1 seat in a group of 15 people:

$3'900


Two-month internship opportunity for a full QA on a real business project is free.

Discounts?
We never have "hot discounts of 40%. Discounts are usually given on something that is not very high quality and not selling well.
But there is an opportunity to reduce the cost of studying:
  • 10% discount if you prepay in full
  • 10% discount if you make the first payment 2 months before the course begins
    You can pay for the entire course (increasing the previous discount), or you can pay only for the first month but still get a discount on the overall cost of the course.
  • 5% cashback for you and a 5% discount for a friend
    A student who has paid for the course can get a promo code to give to a student who has not yet paid. The promo code grants a 5% discount on the course. The student who gives the promo code will receive cashback amounting to 5% of the course cost once the promo code recipient completes the course. Write to us.
  • The discounts are cumulative
If I want an installment plan, should I go to the bank?
No, we give installments ourselves.
By the way, we always recommend paying attention to whether the course offers its own installments or only through the bank. This is also one of the indicators of its quality.
Why so?
As we said above, many courses drop more than 50% of their students. It is more profitable for such courses to send the student to the bank, to get the full amount of tuition from the bank at once, and if the student withdraws, to delay the refund process as long as possible.
I see. And then what about the case when the installment is from the course?
In this case, if a student decides to stop studying, he simply stops paying and no longer owes anyone anything. That is why this option is only offered by courses that are confident in quality and where the vast majority of students make it to graduation.

5-month installment plan

$780/month


5-month installment plan + 10% discount if you pay first payment for 2 months before the course begins

$699/month


9

How not to waste

time and money

I would like to start studying to become a software tester, but I'm still not sure if this is my profession.
And there are still a number of questions about the profession and the course.

Building your career doesn't start with a sales manager. We want you to make an informed decision, and no one pressures you.


So let's start not with payment, but with a free orientation interview with a top QA-manager with 20+ years of experience, who has grown a lot of middles, leads.

How is it going?
The purpose of the orientation interview is to answer all of your questions and see if the profession is right for you. The interview allows you to find out all the questions, to understand "Is it mine?", "Can I do it?", to weigh all the pros and cons.
To make it easier to find an answer to this question, you need to do a small task beforehand. At the same time it will help you assess the format of the education.
So I should already know something about software testing or IT?
No. You don't need any knowledge of IT, you need a certain mindset to do the task. You can be a humanitarians to pass the test. But a careful humanitarian.
What if I don't pass the orientation with a mentor?
It's impossible not to go through the orientation. 🙂 In the worst case, the mentor will recommend the necessary literature to study or offer to look in the direction of another IT-profession. In this case you will save money and half a year of your life for education and work, which would not make you happy and successful.
We don't want you to start learning rashly and fall off in the middle of the road.
And for you to be really sure that testing is your thing.
Okay, I'm ready!
Then let's do it:

10
If you make a deliberate decision,
you will succeed.

We believe in you!
Useful for future software testers
Professional education

Last modified on June 7th, 2023 at 17:46