Advanced Level – Cross-Cutting
Resource Utilization – ISTQB Definition
Last Updated: July 12, 2026 · SoftwareTestPilot QA Team
Official ISTQB Definition
The degree to which a software product uses appropriate amounts and types of resources such as CPU, memory, disk and network when performing its functions.
In simple words
How much CPU, memory, disk and bandwidth the software chews through under load.
Exam tip
Track resource utilization side-by-side with response time — bottlenecks show up as saturated resources.
Related terms
- Efficiency TestingTest whether the system delivers its output using a reasonable amount of resources (CPU, memory, network).
- Performance TestingHow fast, how many users, how stable under load — response time, throughput, resource usage.
- Monitoring ToolNew Relic, Datadog, Prometheus — watch the app in real time.
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