Test Generation for Mutation Testing by Symbolic Execution

Rui Su, Zhiyi Zhang, Yuqian Zhou, Yongming Yao

Abstract: Mutation testing is a crucial technique to assess the effectiveness of test suites, but it can be computationally expensive. Symbolic execution is a formal technique that generates high-coverage test cases, but its scalability is limited. In this paper, we present a novel approach to mutation testing that utilizes symbolic execution, which explores only program regions impacted by mutations, prioritizes paths containing mutant branches, and generates test cases aimed at mutations. We implemented our approach in MutSym and evaluated it on real-world programs, demonstrating its effectiveness and efficiency. Our approach enhances the quality and reliability of software systems by detecting and eliminating faults early in the development process.