Test Case Template: Try Our Free Sample Today
Test cases are critical pieces of an effective software development and QA strategy, but this value doesn’t come from simply having test cases. They need to be well-thought-out and documented properly, which is where templates and automation come in. Below, we’ll cover how to fill out each test case component and then provide a free, easy-to-use template to download.
Test Case Components
- Test Case ID: Unique identifier assigned to each test case for tracking and reference.
- Test Case Title & Description: Concise name and a brief explanation of what the test case is designed to validate.
- Test Objective: Primary goal of the test case that specifies what functionality or requirement it aims to verify.
- Preconditions: Any necessary setup, configurations, or system states required before executing the test case.
- Input Data: Specific data values or parameters required to execute the test case.
- Test Steps: Sequential list of actions to be performed to execute the test case.
- Expected Outcome: Anticipated result after executing the test steps, defining what the system should do if the test passes.
- Actual Outcome: Actual observed behavior after test execution, used to determine if the test passes or fails.
Additional or optional information you may want to cover in your test case documentation includes:
- Test Case Author: Name of the person responsible for writing the test case.
- Test Case Reviewer: Name of the person who reviews and approves the test case for accuracy and completeness.
- Test Priority Level: Importance of the test case, categorized as high, medium, or low based on business impact.
- Test Type/Method: Whether the test is functional, non-functional, regression, sanity, integration, etc.
- Test Environment: Hardware, software, operating system, and any other dependencies where the test is executed.
- Data Preparation Process: How test data is created, modified, or retrieved before test execution.
- Test Execution Date: When the test was executed to help with tracking and reporting.
- Bug Details: If applicable, information on defects found during execution, including bug ID, description, and severity.
- Postconditions: System state after test execution, including cleanup or reset steps.
- File Attachments: Screenshots, logs, or other files that support test execution or bug reporting.
Test Case Template: Free to Use Sample
The template below covers all of the pieces of information mentioned above, in an easy-to-use format to quickly format. Download the file for use here:
Test Case Example
Using that template, we’ll fill out example information to get a better picture of what a real test case might look like in this format:
- Test Case ID: TC-001
- Test Case Author: John Doe
- Test Case Reviewer: Jane Smith
- Test Case Title: User Login with Valid Credentials
- Test Case Description: Verifies that a user can successfully log in with a registered email and correct password.
- Test Objective: Ensure that users can access their accounts using the correct login credentials.
- Preconditions:
- User must have a registered account.
- The login page must be accessible.
- Input Data:
- Email: testuser@example.com
- Password: Test@1234
- Test Steps:
- Navigate to the login page.
- Enter a valid email and password.
- Click the "Login" button.
- Expected Outcome: The user is redirected to the dashboard with a success message.
- Actual Outcome: The user successfully logged in and was redirected to the dashboard with a "Welcome back, Test User!" message.
- Test Priority Level: High
- Test Type/Method: Functional
- Test Environment: Windows 11, Chrome 120.0
- Data Preparation Process: Ensure that the test user account is active before execution.
- Test Execution Date: 2/25/2025
- Bug Details: No issues encountered.
- Postconditions: User is logged in and session is active.
Test Case vs. Test Scenario
While they might sound similar, these are two distinct documents in the strategic testing process. A test scenario is higher level and describes a certain situation or set of conditions used to evaluate a specific functionality of a system. As we’ve illustrated, a test case is much more precise, including individual steps, preconditions, details about the input data, etc. to explain how to test a feature. You can think of test scenarios as the “what” is being tested, while test cases are the “how.”
Best Practices for Test Case Creation
When writing your test cases from a template like the one we provided above, there are a few considerations and best practices to keep in mind:
- Keep it Clear and Simple: Use concise and understandable language to fill out each field in the template.
- Ensure Uniqueness: Each test case should have a unique ID to avoid duplication and redundancies.
- Clearly Define Pre/Postconditions: Preconditions and postconditions are critical to execution, so these need to be clear for future analysis and reproduction.
- Clearly Define Expected/Actual Outcomes: Similarly, it should be obvious from the template what was anticipated and if/how the actual results differed.
- Use Consistent Naming: Standardized conventions for titles, ID formats, etc. will help traceability and organization of all of your test cases.
- Make Test Steps Reproducible: Steps should each lead to an observable result and be easy to follow and reproduce for future testing.
- Categorize by Priority and Type: Using the testing type and priority fields in our template allows you to group cases for easier management of your testing activities.
- Consider Reusability: We recommend structuring your test cases so that they can be reused for regression testing, such as using variables for dynamic data instead of hardcoded values.
Go Beyond Test Case Creation with SpiraTest
Unfortunately, simply having a test case template to standardize documentation won’t radically transform your testing processes. Not every test case will fit a single template, especially as your projects become more complex or niche. Test case templates are an important piece of a larger set of tools that modern developers use to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
This set of tools includes automation functionality to speed up tedious tasks, built-in requirements management for better end-to-end traceability, AI-driven test management for self-healing tests, and much more.
If you’re ready to upgrade your testing capabilities, SpiraTest and Rapise are a powerful duo that lead the industry in functionality, ease of use, integrations, and customer support. They enable your team to transform legacy practices and frameworks into cutting-edge development and QA operations. Learn more about SpiraTest’s and Rapise’s features, or try a free 30-day demo to see for yourself why they’re invaluable to our partners.