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The differences between software test analysts and quality assurance 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 software test analyst and a quality assurance engineer. Additionally, a quality assurance engineer has an average salary of $82,215, which is higher than the $78,713 average annual salary of a software test 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 engineer are java, python, and regression.
| Software Test Analyst | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,713 | $82,215 |
| Hourly rate | $37.84 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 94,928 | 243,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| 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.
A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance Engineer must also ensure that the product adheres to the government regulations and market guidelines.
Software test analysts and quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Test Analyst | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,713 | $82,215 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $100,000 | Between $61,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | IDEXX | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software test analyst and a quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Test Analyst | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between software test analysts' and quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Software Test Analyst | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| 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% |