Chapter 4 – Test Analysis & Design
Negative Testing – ISTQB Definition
Last Updated: July 12, 2026 · SoftwareTestPilot QA Team
Official ISTQB Definition
Testing aimed at showing that a component or system does not work; identifying unwanted side effects using invalid inputs or unexpected conditions.
In simple words
Deliberately feeding the system bad or unexpected inputs to prove it fails gracefully instead of crashing.
Exam tip
Negative tests belong in every suite — they catch security and robustness defects positive tests miss.
Related terms
- Invalid PartitionA group of bad inputs the system is supposed to reject with an error — the negative-testing partition.
- Positive TestingTesting the happy path with good inputs to confirm the system does what the spec says.
- Error GuessingDesign tests based on where you (or history) know bugs usually hide — nulls, empty strings, zero, negatives, huge inputs.
Practice this term in the ISTQB Mock Test
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