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The differences between performance testers and senior test engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a performance tester and a senior test engineer. Additionally, a performance tester has an average salary of $88,120, which is higher than the $82,775 average annual salary of a senior test engineer.
The top three skills for a performance tester include test results, java and web services. The most important skills for a senior test engineer are test cases, python, and java.
| Performance Tester | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,120 | $82,775 |
| Hourly rate | $42.37 | $39.80 |
| Growth rate | 11% | - |
| Number of jobs | 35,277 | 245,814 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A performance tester is an industrial worker who identifies the stability, scalability, speed, and responsiveness of non-functional software in a given workload. The performance testers make sure that an application's critical components are performing well. They assess resource usage and other quality attributes, preparing it for production. Among the skills necessary to land this job are analytical, attention to detail, communication, and critical thinking.
A senior test engineer is an individual who is responsible for developing and implementing cost-effective methods of testing and troubleshooting computer systems and equipment. Senior test engineers must assist junior engineers in developing test plans and conducting testing activities on complex systems to meet program requirements. They aid in the areas of predictability, manufacturing processing, and improvement in the equipment and process. Senior test engineers must also develop proposal inputs and reviews documents generated by junior engineers.
Performance testers and senior test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Performance Tester | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,120 | $82,775 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $112,000 | Between $63,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | Populus Group | |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a performance tester and a senior test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Performance Tester | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between performance testers' and senior test engineers' demographics:
| Performance Tester | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.5% Female, 29.5% | Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9% |
| 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% |