At a high level, you break down testing into two significant categories: Black Box Testing and White Box Testing. The difference and importance of these two types of testing is something you must know when entering the QA field. It should be common knowledge, and here we'll be going over these.

With so many types of testing, it can be challenging to know where to spend the most effort. Enter the testing pyramid; the pyramid provides a visual representation of test type importance. The Test Pyramid provides a guideline on where to focus your efforts.

The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) describes how software is built from start to finish. It's a systemic process for developing software applications. It describes the activities performed at each stage of the development process and where everyone fits in.

Automated testing, when implemented correctly, is the best way to increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and coverage of your software testing. Automation translates the manual steps taken by a tester and creates repeatable scripts.

What is a test case? In the simplest terms, it's a single executable test aiming to achieve a specific testing objective. They bring a methodical approach to what would otherwise be a haphazard approach.