exactly the same manner, which can be an advantage if it is important to find new errors; or a disadvantage if it is more important to repeat specific details of the earlier tests. This can be controlled with specific instruction to the tester, or by preparing automated tests where feasible, appropriate, and necessary, and ideally as close to the unit level as possible. Scientific studies Replicated experiment has shown that while scripted and exploratory testing result in similar defect detection effectiveness (the total number of defects found) exploratory results in higher efficiency (the number of defects per time unit) as no effort is spent on pre-designing the test cases. Observational study on exploratory testers proposed that the use of knowledge about the domain, the system under test, and customers is an important factor explaining the effectiveness of exploratory testing. A case-study of three companies found that ability to provide rapid feedback was a benefit of Exploratory Testing while managing test coverage was pointed as a short-coming. A survey found that Exploratory Testing is also used in critical domains and that Exploratory Testing approach places high demands on the person performing the testing. Usage Exploratory testing is particularly suitable if requirements and specifications are incomplete, or if there is lack of time. The approach can also be used to verify that previous testing has found the most important defects. See also Ad hoc testing Spike testing References External links James Bach, Exploratory Testing Explained Cem Kaner, James Bach, The Nature of Exploratory Testing , 2004 Cem Kaner, James Bach, The Seven Basic Principles of the Context-Driven School Jonathan Kohl, Exploratory Testing: Finding the Music of Software Investigation, Kohl Concepts Inc., 2007 Software testing