Coverage Criteria
Coverage criteria define the rules used to determine which items must be exercised for a desired level of test coverage.
“The criteria to define the coverage items required to reach a test objective.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Coverage Criteria?
Coverage criteria establish measurable objectives for testing, helping testers decide when sufficient coverage has been achieved.
Objective definition: Specifies what must be covered.
Test design guidance: Helps derive additional test cases.
Measurement support: Enables consistent reporting of coverage.
Real World Example
A healthcare scheduling team is building a feature that lets patients book follow-up appointments after a consultation.
Developers, testers, clinicians, and product owners may all believe they understand the request while imagining different rules. Coverage criteria gives the team a shared way to confirm intent.
The tester turns clinical and business expectations into concrete examples, such as eligible appointment windows, unavailable doctors, and messages shown when no slot is open.
The team prevents late rework because Coverage criteria makes expected behavior testable before the feature is treated as finished.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which statement BEST describes Coverage criteria in the context of ISTQB terminology?
Question 2
A tester needs to explain Coverage criteria to a non‑technical stakeholder. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
Test your knowledge with real ISTQB-style questions
You’ve learned Coverage Criteria. Test your understanding with topic-specific questions in our Mock Exams.