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The differences between product quality engineers and 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 product quality engineer and a test engineer. Additionally, a product quality engineer has an average salary of $94,173, which is higher than the $79,832 average annual salary of a test engineer.
The top three skills for a product quality engineer include product quality, continuous improvement and sigma. The most important skills for a test engineer are python, C++, and C #.
| Product Quality Engineer | Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,173 | $79,832 |
| Hourly rate | $45.28 | $38.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 152,621 | 228,974 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A product quality engineer is responsible for conducting quality check procedures for outputs and manufacturing processes to ensure high-quality deliverables according to business requirements and client specifications. Product quality engineers implement quality assessment criteria with strict adherence to internal guidelines and regulatory policies. They inspect the tools and equipment used for the production and solve inconsistencies, recommending and writing process reports to prevent fault reoccurrence that may affect product standards and market quality and cause distribution delays.
Test engineers are professionals who observe and record the quality of products, which includes functionality, durability, speed, and safety. They are responsible for checking the materials and procedures thoroughly throughout the production cycle. It is their duty to run tests on different criteria to identify and fix technical issues. They analyze reactions to determine the causes of malfunctions and recommend potential improvements. Moreover, they test products before they are launched to ensure customers get high-quality and functional products.
Product quality engineers and test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Quality Engineer | Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,173 | $79,832 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $124,000 | Between $60,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a product quality engineer and a test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Quality Engineer | Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between product quality engineers' and test engineers' demographics:
| Product Quality Engineer | Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.1% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 11% |