The QA Manual course is designed for those who want to start a career in IT from scratch and master the profession of software tester (Manual QA Engineer). You will learn how software products work, how to find bugs, how to write test documentation, how to analyze requirements, and how to work in a team with developers and managers.

The training is entirely practical — after each topic, you will work on real-life cases, test web and mobile applications, and at the end of the course, you will complete a final project and prepare for interviews.

Training format

  • Online classes and practice with a mentor
  • Theory + practice + teamwork
  • Tools: Jira, TestRail, Postman, Chrome DevTools, SQL, Android Studio
  • Final project: testing a real web application
  • Support: review of test documentation, help with resumes and interview preparation

Course duration

  • 4 months (~120 hours of training)
  • 3 months — learning the basics of testing and tools
  • 1 month — project work and interview preparation
  • Recommended workload — 6–8 hours per week.

Course program

Topic 1. Introduction to testing

Objectives: to understand the role of a tester and the basics of software quality.

We study:

  • What testing is and why it is needed
  • The software development life cycle (SDLC) and software testing life cycle (STLC)
  • Types and levels of testing
  • Testing artifacts: Test Plan, Test Case, Bug Report

Practice:

Creating the first test cases and bug reports in Google Sheets / TestRail.

Topic 2. Fundamentals of test documentation

Objectives: learn how to write clear and understandable test documents.

We will study:

  • Requirements for test documentation
  • Test Plan, Checklist, Test Case
  • Traceability Matrix
  • Test report

Practice:

Preparing a set of test scenarios for a simple web application.

Topic 3. Types of testing

Objectives: learn to distinguish between and apply different types of testing.

We will study:

  • Functional and non-functional testing
  • Smoke, Regression, Acceptance, Exploratory Testing
  • UI/UX testing
  • Cross-browser and cross-platform testing

Practice:

Manual testing of a website: checking the UI, scenarios, and bugs.

Topic 4. Tester’s Tools

Objectives: master the basic tools of a QA specialist.

We will study:

  • Jira / Trello — working with bug tracking systems
  • TestRail — maintaining test documentation
  • Chrome DevTools — working with the console and network requests
  • Postman — testing REST API

Practice:

Registering bugs in Jira, executing requests in Postman.

Topic 5. API testing

Objectives: learn how to verify the correctness of server requests.

We will study:

  • What are APIs and HTTP protocols?
  • Request methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
  • Data formats (JSON, XML)
  • Working with Postman: collections, environments, tests

Practice:

Creating a set of API tests for a public service.

Topic 6. Database and SQL basics

Objectives: understand how a tester interacts with databases.

We study:

  • What are databases and tables?
  • Basic SQL queries: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
  • JOIN, filtering, sorting, aggregates
  • Data verification after testing

Practice:

Executing SQL queries on a test database.

Topic 7. Mobile application testing

Objectives: to master the specifics of testing on Android and iOS.

We study:

  • Differences between mobile and web testing
  • Installing and using Android Studio / emulator
  • Checking the UI and functionality of mobile applications
  • Logging and reporting errors

Practice:

Testing a mobile application (using a demo project as an example).

Topic 8. Automation — introduction

Objectives: to learn the basics of test automation.

We will study:

  • When automation is needed
  • The difference between QA Manual and QA Automation
  • Overview of Selenium, Cypress, and Postman Scripts tools
  • Basics of Python/JavaScript for automated testing

Practical work:

Writing a simple automated test in Postman or Cypress (optional).

Topic 9. Final project

Objectives: apply all knowledge in practice.

Project:

Testing a real web application:

  • Requirements analysis
  • Creating test cases and checklists
  • Conducting testing
  • Compiling bug reports and testing reports

Final stage — career preparation

  • Systematization of knowledge;
  • Preparation for interviews (technical and HR);
  • Writing a resume and creating a LinkedIn profile;
  • Preparing a portfolio of test documentation;
  • Support until receiving the first offer.

Cost and format

  • Total cost: $4,500
  • Installment plan: $750/month × 6 months
  • Format: online, with mentor support
  • First module — free of charge.
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