Keyword-driven Testing
Keyword-driven testing is a test automation approach in which test steps are represented by reusable keywords rather than programming logic.
“A scripting technique in which test scripts contain high-level keywords and supporting files that contain low-level scripts that implement those keywords.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Keyword-driven Testing?
Keywords represent actions such as "Login," "Click Button," or "Verify Text," allowing non-programmers to create automated tests using predefined actions.
Abstraction: Test logic is separated from implementation details.
Reusability: Keywords can be reused across many automated tests.
Maintainability: Updating a keyword updates all tests that use it.
Real World Example
A regulated product team is preparing a release where Keyword-driven testing appears in reviews, test design conversations, or defect triage rather than as an isolated glossary word.
The risk is that the team treats Keyword-driven testing as interchangeable with nearby ISTQB terms. That makes test scope blurry and can lead to weak evidence for the release decision.
The tester anchors the discussion in the official definition, asks where the concept appears in the product, and designs examples that show the difference between Keyword-driven testing and similar ideas.
The page becomes useful in practice because Keyword-driven testing is connected to a specific testing decision, not memorized as a detached definition.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which statement BEST describes Keyword-driven testing in the context of ISTQB terminology?
Question 2
A tester needs to explain Keyword-driven testing to a non‑technical stakeholder. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
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