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The differences between senior 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 senior tester and a senior test engineer. Additionally, a senior tester has an average salary of $84,660, which is higher than the $82,775 average annual salary of a senior test engineer.
The top three skills for a senior tester include java, test results and linux. The most important skills for a senior test engineer are test cases, python, and java.
| Senior Tester | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,660 | $82,775 |
| Hourly rate | $40.70 | $39.80 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 36,535 | 245,814 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Senior testers are professionals who supervise junior-level testers that conduct testing for computer software for errors or any problems faced by end-users. These testers must attend discussion meetings to review and analyze business requirements and technical specifications with developers and business users. They must work with the quality assurance (QA) team to identify discrepancies and test the new application. Senior testers must also gather test results and document all defects to create the test completion document as per the requirement of end-users.
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.
Senior testers and senior test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Tester | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,660 | $82,775 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $114,000 | Between $63,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior tester and a senior test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Tester | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | 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 senior testers' and senior test engineers' demographics:
| Senior Tester | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% | 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% |