User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Final testing by business users or clients to confirm the software meets their needs before it goes live.

Example

The finance team tries the new invoice screen in UAT and signs off before the release.

Why User Acceptance Testing (UAT) matters for IT interns

UAT can bring last-minute feedback. It is the users’ check, not the developers’.

Where you will hear it

You will hear this term in testing and quality discussions, from test planning to bug reports. If someone uses it and you are not sure what they mean in your project, it is completely fine to ask; every team uses terms a little differently.

Related terms

  • Smoke Testing: A quick set of basic checks on a new build to confirm the most important functions work before deeper testing…
  • Software Testing: Checking whether software works as expected by using it and comparing the actual results with the expected…
  • Test Case: A specific, written check: the steps to follow, the input to use and the result you expect.
  • Test Data: The input data used for testing, such as sample users, products or orders.
  • Test Plan: A document describing what will be tested, how, by whom, in which environment and on what schedule.
  • Test Scenario: A higher-level description of something to test, which usually contains several test cases.

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Related guides

Frequently asked questions

What is User Acceptance Testing (UAT)?

Final testing by business users or clients to confirm the software meets their needs before it goes live.

What is an example of User Acceptance Testing (UAT)?

The finance team tries the new invoice screen in UAT and signs off before the release.

Why does User Acceptance Testing (UAT) matter for IT interns?

UAT can bring last-minute feedback. It is the users’ check, not the developers’.

Explore more internship terms

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Dhaivat Ajwaliya

About the author

Dhaivat Ajwaliya

Dhaivat has 16+ years of experience in the IT industry, working on AI and cloud technologies, project delivery, and engineering leadership. He has interviewed and mentored many interns, wrote The Lost Intern, and runs the non-commercial Career Impact Initiative, mentoring students for free.