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The differences between test analysts and senior applications analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a test analyst, becoming a senior applications analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior applications analyst has an average salary of $104,319, which is higher than the $70,997 average annual salary of a test analyst.
The top three skills for a test analyst include test scripts, test plan and regression. The most important skills for a senior applications analyst are healthcare, project management, and home health.
| Test Analyst | Senior Applications Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $70,997 | $104,319 |
| Hourly rate | $34.13 | $50.15 |
| Growth rate | - | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 91,308 | 121,062 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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 Application Analysts are information technology (IT) professionals. They are responsible for addressing requests and concerns related to software applications. They may specialize in specific software or may be assigned to address concerns on a wide array of applications. They create reports related to software concerns. They take note of troubleshooting logs and how they were able to fix problems. Senior Application Analysts are in charge of understanding why such problems arise. They analyze the concerns and identify patterns to help mitigate any future problems.
Test analysts and senior applications analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Test Analyst | Senior Applications Analyst | |
| Average salary | $70,997 | $104,319 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $88,000 | Between $78,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | California |
| Best paying company | General Motors | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a test analyst and a senior applications analyst in terms of educational background:
| Test Analyst | Senior Applications Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between test analysts' and senior applications analysts' demographics:
| Test Analyst | Senior Applications Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.2% Female, 44.8% | Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.2% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |