Test specialist vs quality assurance specialist

The differences between test specialists and quality assurance specialists 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 specialist and a quality assurance specialist. Additionally, a test specialist has an average salary of $76,761, which is higher than the $63,443 average annual salary of a quality assurance specialist.

The top three skills for a test specialist include test results, test cases and java. The most important skills for a quality assurance specialist are GMP, patients, and FDA.

Test specialist vs quality assurance specialist overview

	Test Specialist	Quality Assurance Specialist
Yearly salary	$76,761	$63,443
Hourly rate	$36.90	$30.50
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	58,423	83,505
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a test specialist do?

A test specialist is responsible for evaluating and running diagnostic tests for system networks and applications to ensure stability and efficiency according to the quality standards. Test specialists analyze the system's features and write findings reports for improvement and technical resolutions. They also help system engineers in developing infrastructures and designing servers to support business operations and maximize productivity. A test specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in identifying malfunctions and inconsistencies before the actual launch of deliverables.

What does a quality assurance specialist do?

A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.

Test specialist vs quality assurance specialist salary

Test specialists and quality assurance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Test Specialist	Quality Assurance Specialist
Average salary	$76,761	$63,443
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $96,000	Between $41,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	Columbia, MD	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Sony Interactive Entertainment America	Apple
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between test specialist and quality assurance specialist education

There are a few differences between a test specialist and a quality assurance specialist in terms of educational background:

	Test Specialist	Quality Assurance Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Test specialist vs quality assurance specialist demographics

Here are the differences between test specialists' and quality assurance specialists' demographics:

	Test Specialist	Quality Assurance Specialist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9%	Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2%
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%

Differences between test specialist and quality assurance specialist duties and responsibilities

Test specialist example responsibilities.

Create weekly drive routes and work with RF engineers to achieve desire coverage.
Manage defects and finalize testing documents to meet standards of IBM's QA process.
Validate the UI and backend of web base applications that are used to manage medical information.
Lead UAT testing for the local project, as well as maintained test activity logs, reporting status to management.
Deal with clients or their representatives during the entire SDLC, UAT and post releases.
Defect reporting and tracking using ALM.

Quality assurance specialist example responsibilities.

Manage all NDT relate gauges to ensure calibrations requirements are meet.
Provide employee training and manage all NDT certification records per ASNT SNT-TC-1A.
Lead the HACCP team to ensure full compliance with regulatory and industrial food safety standards.
Manage product and environmental sampling for chemical and microbial analysis to meet HACCP requirements.
Lead cross functional project team to build user-friendly windows base customer support applications which interface with the OmniPlan/OmniPlus mainframe application.
Execute quality processes in tissue banking and medical device, FDA requirements 21 CFR 1271 and 21 CFR 820.

Test specialist vs quality assurance specialist skills

Common test specialist skills

Test Results, 7%
Test Cases, 7%
Java, 6%
Test Data, 4%
Test Scripts, 4%
Regression, 4%

Common quality assurance specialist skills

GMP, 6%
Patients, 5%
FDA, 5%
CAPA, 4%
Corrective Action, 4%
CFR, 4%

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Test Specialist vs Quality Assurance Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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