The Fourth IEEE International Contest on Software Testing


Over the past decades, we have built software to improve our efficiency, reliability, and safety in production, business, daily life, etc. These goals, however, cannot be accomplished if the software is not properly tested. Some universities provide classes to teach students the fundamental knowledge and techniques of software testing. These classes often ignore industry practices and can hardly offer real-world testing experiences to students. To address this, we partner with industry sponsors and host a software testing contest along with an appropriate tutorial. Through the contest and tutorial, we bring real-world testing and tool experience to the participants and provide excellent opportunities for them to practice their learned testing techniques to overcome industry testing challenges.

The Fourth IEEE International Contest on Software Testing (ISTC) will be held in conjunction with QRS 2020 (the 20th International Conference on Software Quality, Reliability and Security) on December 11 (Friday) at Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China.

We cordially invite you to participate in the contest and win a CASH prize!

Download 2020 Contest Flyer (374 KB)

Format & Evaluation


All applications have to be submitted before the end of December 5 (CDT). All contestants must bring their own laptops. The contest has two parts:

  • The first part is a 2-hour tutorial (10:00 - 12:00). During this tutorial, we will help contestants properly configure their laptops, and explain how to use Mooctest.net platform. Each contestant is required to have basic knowledge about Java programming and JUnit.
  • The second part is the contest (14:00 - 17:00) where contestants are required to design test cases based on the given specifications to test some Java programs.

The ranking of all the contestants is based on the quality of test cases they generate, which is measured in terms of a combination of the statement and branch coverage, and the mutation score achieved. If test cases from multiple contestants achieve the same coverage, contestants with fewer test cases have a higher ranking than those with more test cases.

Running Environment


All contestants must bring their own laptops with Chrome browser installed. We will help contestants configure their laptops during the Tutorial session.

Awards


The first place receives a cash prize of $300 USD, followed by the 2nd for $200 USD, and five 3rd places each for $100 USD. Every contestant will receive a certificate of completion from the IEEE Reliability Society and the QRS conference.

Contest Venue


The Fourth International Contest on Software Testing will be held at the Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China.