How to Get Better at Testing: Lessons from My Journey

It so happened that I was speaking with some of my colleagues who were junior to me, and they asked for guidance on how they could get better at testing. That conversation made me realize I should write a blog post on this topic — both to share my experiences for others’ benefit and to have something I can revisit in the future.

Let me start by sharing a bit about my background so that it’s clear why I’ve chosen a particular pathway.

I completed my schooling up to A Levels from Oxford International School. I was always a studious student, consistently ranking among the top three in my class. After my A Levels, I was accepted into The University of Hong Kong’s Engineering department. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, I couldn’t pursue my degree there — something that deeply upset me at the time.

After that setback, I didn’t really care which university I would attend. My mother suggested applying to BRAC University, where I was eventually admitted to the CSE department. Initially, I was a typical student — focused solely on getting good grades and finding every possible strategy to achieve them. Then I discovered competitive programming, and everything changed.

At first, my motivation for getting into competitive programming was simple — it made me feel smart and part of an elite group. But it turned out to be very challenging, especially because it required strong critical thinking — a skill I wasn’t naturally good at. I struggled a lot, but with persistent effort, I improved. Eventually, I won NSU Inter University Girls Programming Contest, became a problem setter at HackerRank, and performed well in various national programming contests.

By the time I joined Therap as a QA Engineer, I had developed solid critical thinking skills, good programming knowledge, and, most importantly, a mindset to learn without needing external motivation.

From these experiences, I’ve identified several key lessons that helped me grow as a tester.

1. Become a Good Critical Thinker

When I first started at Therap, I was tasked with testing modules that had been redesigned — but there was no proper documentation. I had to infer a lot from workflow patterns in other modules.

This is just one example, but over the years, I’ve realized that strong critical thinking allows you to connect the dots. You start noticing how a change in one workflow can impact another — often in ways that aren’t obvious.

If you want to get better at testing, work on sharpening your critical thinking. It will help you uncover issues that others might overlook.

2. Develop a Growth Mindset

I’ve seen people who constantly compare their progress or skills with others. When they find someone more skilled, they become bitter — and that bitterness holds them back.

Being aware of your shortcomings is a strength, but you must also believe that you can improve through consistent, mindful practice. This mindset applies to every field, not just QA.

For example, if you feel you lack programming skills for test automation, remember that this is a skill you can absolutely learn. There are countless free resources online. The key is to believe that not having a skill now doesn’t mean you can’t acquire it in the future.

3. Incorporate Ideas from Other Testers

At Therap, each feature is tested by at least two testers. I make it a habit to review the bugs reported by my peers and try to understand how they think. This practice has broadened my perspective and helped me improve my own testing approach.

Learning from other testers’ insights helps you think from different angles — and that diversity of thought can make your test coverage much stronger.

4. Learn Technical Concepts

At some point in your testing journey, you’ll hit a ceiling — a point where you feel there’s nothing new to explore.

That’s when technical knowledge makes all the difference. Understanding how things work behind the scenes — such as database structures or even algorithms used for features like rate limiting — helps you design better, deeper test cases.

Technical awareness opens new doors that would otherwise stay hidden.

5. Build Friendly Relationships with Developers

There’s a common misconception — often portrayed in memes — that developers and testers are adversaries. Testers are seen as people who “break” developers’ work.

In reality, both are working toward the same goal: building a great product.

Having a friendly, collaborative relationship with developers can help you immensely. They’ll be more willing to share insights, explain technical details, and even point out potential problem areas.

If they don’t fix a particular bug, you can ask why — and that reasoning will deepen your understanding. I can confidently say that I’ve learned a great deal from such collaborations.

6. Don’t Wait for Your Company to Teach You

When I first joined Therap, there wasn’t a dedicated test automation team. A few senior members had started an initiative to introduce automation, but it didn’t continue for long. I was part of that effort, and through it, I got access to the Bitbucket repository, which allowed me to explore the existing automation codebase on my own.

I studied that code along with some public GitHub repositories to teach myself how to design a test automation framework in Java. Later, when Therap needed someone to design a framework and automate test cases for their sister company, Therap Connect, I was the only one qualified for the role—because I had taken the initiative to learn on my own.

Companies will invest in the skills they currently need. But if you continuously invest in yourself, you’ll not only prepare for future opportunities within your organization but also position yourself strongly for external ones.

7. Strive for Excellence, Always

Excellence is built through consistent effort. If you stop practicing it for a while, it’s hard to get it back.

It might feel tempting to do the bare minimum and get by — and maybe that works for a time. But eventually, it catches up to you. You might miss out on that crucial raise or opportunity when you need it most.

So no matter what you do, try to give your best. Excellence becomes a habit only if you nurture it continuously.

Final Thoughts

Testing is much more than finding bugs—it’s about curiosity, analysis, and continuous learning. If you cultivate a critical mind, maintain a growth mindset, learn from other testers, understand technical depth, build collaborative relationships, and take ownership of your learning, you’ll find yourself growing not just as a tester, but as a well-rounded professional.