Model-based Test Strategy
A model-based test strategy is a testing approach in which system models serve as the primary basis for designing, selecting, and executing test cases.
“A test strategy whereby the test team derives testware from models.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Model-based Test Strategy?
This strategy relies on behavioral or structural models to systematically generate test cases and measure coverage instead of designing tests manually.
Model-driven: Testing activities are guided by system models.
Automation support: Models enable automated test generation.
Consistency: Shared models improve traceability and test coverage.
Real World Example
A regulated product team is preparing a release where Model-based test strategy appears in reviews, test design conversations, or defect triage rather than as an isolated glossary word.
The risk is that the team treats Model-based test strategy 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 Model-based test strategy and similar ideas.
The page becomes useful in practice because Model-based test strategy is connected to a specific testing decision, not memorized as a detached definition.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which statement BEST describes Model-based test strategy in the context of ISTQB terminology?
Question 2
A tester needs to explain Model-based test strategy to a non‑technical stakeholder. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
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