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The differences between senior quality assurances and test analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior quality assurance and a test analyst. Additionally, a senior quality assurance has an average salary of $98,182, which is higher than the $70,997 average annual salary of a test analyst.
The top three skills for a senior quality assurance include QA, java and test cases. The most important skills for a test analyst are test scripts, test plan, and regression.
| Senior Quality Assurance | Test Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $98,182 | $70,997 |
| Hourly rate | $47.20 | $34.13 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 79,947 | 91,308 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The senior quality assurance or QA agent is in charge of ensuring all products and services are up to the company's standards and customer expectations. The role is vital as it helps the company fine-tune its products and services, resolve issues, and satisfy customer experience. Through the quality assurance team headed by its senior leaders, a company grows, expands, and improves. A quality assurance agent needs to have an eye for detail, be highly organized, and provide insights and advice for continual improvement.
The duties of a test analyst depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the information technology setting, a test analyst is responsible for testing computer software or hardware to ensure its quality before being released in the market. They participate in the development process to monitor the product specifications, review and analyze documentation, and create test systems, implementing them promptly and efficiently. As a test analyst, it is essential to produce progress reports, prepare presentations, and even give recommendations.
Senior quality assurances and test analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Quality Assurance | Test Analyst | |
| Average salary | $98,182 | $70,997 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $128,000 | Between $56,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | General Motors | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior quality assurance and a test analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Quality Assurance | Test Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior quality assurances' and test analysts' demographics:
| Senior Quality Assurance | Test Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% | Male, 55.2% Female, 44.8% |
| 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% |