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The differences between quality assurance assistants 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 a quality assurance assistant and a quality assurance tester. Additionally, a quality assurance tester has an average salary of $74,140, which is higher than the $45,911 average annual salary of a quality assurance assistant.
The top three skills for a quality assurance assistant include data entry, food safety and GMP. The most important skills for a quality assurance tester are manual test cases, regression, and test scripts.
| Quality Assurance Assistant | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $45,911 | $74,140 |
| Hourly rate | $22.07 | $35.64 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 67,706 | 82,396 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A quality assurance assistant works to ensure that products and procedures adhere to an organization's quality standards and regulations. In the manufacturing industry, a quality assurance assistant conducts regular inspections and assessments, reviews documentation, coordinates with staff and managers, and develops comprehensive reports. They may also perform various support tasks such as handling calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, and liaising with clients to answer inquiries and resolve issues. Moreover, as a quality assurance assistant, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with team members for a safe 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.
Quality assurance assistants and quality assurance testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Assistant | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average salary | $45,911 | $74,140 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $85,000 | Between $55,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Citi | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance assistant and a quality assurance tester in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Assistant | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality assurance assistants' and quality assurance testers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Assistant | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | 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% |