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The differences between associate testers and quality assurance testers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an associate tester and a quality assurance tester. Additionally, an associate tester has an average salary of $74,863, which is higher than the $74,140 average annual salary of a quality assurance tester.
The top three skills for an associate tester include test results, test data and java. The most important skills for a quality assurance tester are manual test cases, regression, and test scripts.
| Associate Tester | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $74,863 | $74,140 |
| Hourly rate | $35.99 | $35.64 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 35,159 | 82,396 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An associate tester is in charge of performing quality assurance tests on materials, ensuring the quality adheres to the company's standards and regulations. In the information technology industry, it is their duty to develop software test structures, maintain records of all results, gather and analyze data, review documents, troubleshoot issues, and prepare comprehensive reports according to the company's protocols. Furthermore, an associate tester must maintain an active communication line with teams, coordinating for a smooth and efficient workflow.
A quality assurance tester, also known as QA tester, has different responsibilities depending on the line of work or industry involved. In a computer development setting, they are in charge of working and coordinating with technical engineers. They have to conduct regular tests for new software and programs, identify inconsistencies, and find areas for improvement. Furthermore, a quality assurance tester must produce reports from the tests, which can be the basis of progress for further developments.
Associate testers and quality assurance testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Tester | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average salary | $74,863 | $74,140 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $102,000 | Between $55,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an associate tester and a quality assurance tester in terms of educational background:
| Associate Tester | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between associate testers' and quality assurance testers' demographics:
| Associate Tester | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.4% Female, 32.6% | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |