Mutation Testing

Mutation testing (or Mutation analysis or Program mutation) evaluates the quality of software tests. Mutation testing involves modifying a program's source code or byte code in small ways. A test suite that does not detect and reject the mutated code is considered defective. These so-called mutations, are based on well-defined mutation operators that either mimic typical programming errors (such as using the wrong operator or variable name) or force the creation of valuable tests (such as driving each expression to zero). The purpose is to help the tester develop effective tests or locate weaknesses in the test data used for the program or in sections of the code that are seldom or never accessed during execution.