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The differences between test engineers 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 test engineer and a quality assurance analyst. Additionally, a test engineer has an average salary of $79,832, which is higher than the $73,532 average annual salary of a quality assurance analyst.
The top three skills for a test engineer include python, C++ and C #. The most important skills for a quality assurance analyst are QA, regression, and manual test cases.
| Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $79,832 | $73,532 |
| Hourly rate | $38.38 | $35.35 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 228,974 | 108,078 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Test engineers are professionals who observe and record the quality of products, which includes functionality, durability, speed, and safety. They are responsible for checking the materials and procedures thoroughly throughout the production cycle. It is their duty to run tests on different criteria to identify and fix technical issues. They analyze reactions to determine the causes of malfunctions and recommend potential improvements. Moreover, they test products before they are launched to ensure customers get high-quality and functional products.
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.
Test engineers and quality assurance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Average salary | $79,832 | $73,532 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $104,000 | Between $57,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Retail |
There are a few differences between a test engineer and a quality assurance analyst in terms of educational background:
| Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between test engineers' and quality assurance analysts' demographics:
| Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% | 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% |