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The differences between software test analysts and quality assurance 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 software test analyst and a quality assurance analyst. Additionally, a software test analyst has an average salary of $78,713, which is higher than the $73,532 average annual salary of a quality assurance analyst.
The top three skills for a software test analyst include test scripts, test results and regression. The most important skills for a quality assurance analyst are QA, regression, and manual test cases.
| Software Test Analyst | Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $78,713 | $73,532 |
| Hourly rate | $37.84 | $35.35 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 94,928 | 108,078 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Software test analysts negotiate testing criteria, conduct tests, and report the data gathered from testing. They collaborate with customers and vendors to clarify use cases for the test products. They use this information to formulate testing protocols and to ensure software meets users' expectations.
Quality Administrators are responsible for managing the quality processes of an organization. Their duties include creating data collection processes, conducting data cleansing, tracks quality milestones, and develop training programs for internal teams. They undertake daily audits, work with the quality coordinator to determine root cause, and assist with feedback and complaints. Quality administrators also write daily reports for purchase orders that are overdue, open service jobs, quotations needing to follow up, unconfirmed hires, and processed sales orders.
Software test analysts and quality assurance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Test Analyst | Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Average salary | $78,713 | $73,532 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $100,000 | Between $57,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | IDEXX | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Retail |
There are a few differences between a software test analyst and a quality assurance analyst in terms of educational background:
| Software Test Analyst | Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software test analysts' and quality assurance analysts' demographics:
| Software Test Analyst | Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% | Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1% |
| 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% |