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🔍 QA Engineer

90-Day English Deep Dive for QA Engineers

A comprehensive 3-month programme that takes you from solid testing vocabulary to full professional fluency in QA English. Over 13 weeks you will master testing fundamentals and bug lifecycle language; develop automation, API, and performance testing vocabulary; build confident documentation and reporting skills; and reach advanced fluency for QA leadership, metrics communication, and cross-team quality advocacy.

Advanced 90 days · 13 weeks · 3 phases · 1–2 hrs/week · Full role guide →
Start Week 1 →
1
Foundations
Weeks 1–4
Testing fundamentals vocabulary, bug lifecycle, test plan language, bug reporting
2
Intermediate
Weeks 5–8
Automation vocabulary, API testing, performance testing language, documentation
3
Advanced
Weeks 9–13
QA leadership language, metrics reporting, cross-team communication, interviews

Phase 1 (Weeks 1–4): Foundations

Phase 2 (Weeks 5–8): Intermediate

Phase 3 (Weeks 9–13): Advanced

Advanced phrases you will master in 90 days

flaky test
"This test is flaky — it passes 80% of the time but fails non-deterministically. Investigating the race condition."
escape rate
"Our escape rate last sprint was 3 defects — we need to improve our edge case coverage in regression."
smoke test
"Run the smoke test suite before handing the build to QA — it catches the obvious blockers in 5 minutes."
happy path
"Happy path tests pass, but we haven't tested the boundary conditions or error states yet."
regression
"This change introduced a regression in the checkout flow — the discount coupon validation broke."
test harness
"The test harness mocks the payment gateway so we can run integration tests without hitting production APIs."
shift left
"Shift-left testing means involving QA in sprint planning, not just at the end of development."
acceptance criteria
"The acceptance criteria are ambiguous — I've asked the PM to clarify what 'fast' means for this feature."
defect triage
"In defect triage, we'll reprioritise the P2 issues — two of them block the release candidate."
test coverage
"We have 78% line coverage, but coverage alone doesn't tell us if we're testing the right scenarios."
QA Engineer — 30 Days
The 30-day foundation path — complete this before or alongside the 90-day programme
Backend Developer — 90 Days
Build the API and architecture vocabulary that complements your QA skills
QA Engineer Guide
Comprehensive reference guide for all areas of QA English — use alongside this path

Frequently asked questions

Who is the 90-day QA English deep dive designed for?

This programme is designed for QA engineers at all levels who work in English-speaking teams or communicate with international developers, product managers, and stakeholders. It covers the specific vocabulary of testing, defect management, automation, performance testing, and QA leadership.

What English level is required for the 90-day QA path?

You should be at B2 level or above. The path builds from testing fundamentals vocabulary in Phase 1 to advanced QA leadership and cross-team communication in Phase 3. If you can write bug reports in English but struggle with stakeholder meetings, this path will close that gap.

How much time per week does the 90-day path require?

Each week has 4 resources, each taking approximately 20–30 minutes. Total weekly commitment is 1.5–2 hours, spread across 4 evenings. This is sustainable alongside a full-time QA role.

What bug lifecycle language is covered in this path?

Week 2 covers the complete bug lifecycle vocabulary: defect severity and priority language, reproduction steps phrasing, expected vs actual results language, regression testing terminology, and the diplomatic vocabulary for discussing bugs with developers without creating friction.

Does the path include automation testing vocabulary?

Yes. Week 5 focuses on automation vocabulary: test framework terminology, selector language, flaky test vocabulary, test coverage phrasing, CI integration terms, and the vocabulary for discussing automation strategy and ROI with technical and non-technical audiences.

What API testing language is covered?

Week 6 covers API testing language: endpoint vocabulary, HTTP status code language, request/response phrasing, contract testing terms, mock and stub vocabulary, and the specific language used when writing and reviewing API test plans.

Is performance testing language included?

Yes. Week 7 covers performance testing vocabulary: load testing language, stress test terminology, throughput and latency vocabulary, bottleneck identification phrases, and the reporting language for communicating performance test results to engineering and business stakeholders.

Does this path cover QA leadership English?

Yes. Phase 3 includes dedicated weeks on QA leadership language (week 11) and cross-team communication and quality advocacy (week 12). These weeks cover the English for influencing without authority, presenting quality metrics to leadership, and building a quality culture in an international team.

What metrics reporting language is covered?

Week 10 covers QA metrics reporting: test coverage language, defect density vocabulary, escape rate terminology, test execution reporting phrases, and the language for presenting quality dashboards and trend analysis to different audiences including engineering teams and senior management.

What should I do after completing the 90-day QA path?

After completing this path, explore the QA Engineer guide at /guides/qa-engineer/ for comprehensive reference material. Consider also completing relevant weeks from the Backend Developer or DevOps path to build the vocabulary for the engineering context you work closest to.

Ready for the deep dive?

Begin Week 1 and commit to 90 days of structured English mastery.

Start Week 1 → 30-day path first All learning paths