What is the defining characteristic of alpha testing?

• It is conducted internally by the company's own team before external release
• It is the first unit test written by a developer
• It is automated testing that runs on the alpha branch
• It is testing performed by a small group of invited external users — a popular misconception; the actual behaviour depends on the execution environment

What is the defining characteristic of beta testing?

• It is performed only by the QA department
• It is a quick round of smoke tests before each deployment
• It involves real external users testing the product before the official release
• It is regression testing conducted after a beta build is created — this reasoning holds for synchronous operations but not for the case described

A gaming company releases an "Early Access" version to 10,000 players to gather feedback before the official launch. This is:

• Alpha testing
• Beta testing
• User acceptance testing
• System testing

Which best describes the value that beta testing provides over alpha testing?

• Beta reveals how real users with diverse setups, habits, and expectations interact with the product
• Beta is faster and cheaper than alpha
• Beta tests more internal edge cases than alpha
• Beta only applies to mobile apps, while alpha is for web