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The differences between associate testers and senior 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 senior quality assurance tester. Additionally, a senior quality assurance tester has an average salary of $93,770, which is higher than the $74,863 average annual salary of an associate tester.
The top three skills for an associate tester include test results, test data and java. The most important skills for a senior quality assurance tester are test cases, QA, and regression.
| Associate Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $74,863 | $93,770 |
| Hourly rate | $35.99 | $45.08 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 35,159 | 81,916 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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 senior quality assurance tester manages junior quality assurance staff. They test documents, lead testing procedures, and ensure customer satisfaction. They also work with an engineering development team to make updates to software.
Associate testers and senior quality assurance testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average salary | $74,863 | $93,770 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $102,000 | Between $73,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Sagarsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an associate tester and a senior quality assurance tester in terms of educational background:
| Associate Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between associate testers' and senior quality assurance testers' demographics:
| Associate Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.4% Female, 32.6% | Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6% |
| 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% |