test-quality

name	test-quality
description	Test quality assessment criteria for reviewing tests. Apply when evaluating tests for substantive coverage, organization, maintainability, and realistic test data variety.
user-invocable	false
layers	{"rules":"rules.md","examples":"examples.md"}

Test Quality Assessment

Evaluate whether tests verify true functionality rather than rubber-stamping code with superficial assertions.

Layers:

• rules.md - Quick reference and severity guidance
• examples.md - Detailed code examples

Quick Reference

Factor	Question	Severity if problematic
Substantive assertions	Does the test prove anything meaningful?	Critical
True functionality	Is observable behavior tested, not implementation?	Critical
Test organization	Are tests in the right module and cohesive?	Improvement
Edge case coverage	Are error paths and boundaries tested?	Critical/Improvement
Test data variety	Is data varied or repetitive?	Improvement
Fixture usage	Are fixtures reducing duplication without tight coupling?	Improvement
Mock discipline	Are mocks used only when necessary?	Improvement/Critical
Tests run	Do tests actually pass without errors?	Critical

Quick Heuristic

A test is valuable if:

• Failure reveals bugs: The test would fail if the implementation was wrong
• Survives refactoring: The test wouldn't break if implementation details changed
• Documents intent: Reading the test explains what the code should do
• Runs independently: The test passes regardless of execution order

For rules: see rules.md For examples: see examples.md