Stress testing (sometimes called torture testing) is a form of deliberately intense or thorough testing used to determine the stability of a given system or entity. It involves testing beyond normal operational capacity, often to a breaking point, in order to observe the results. Reasons can include:

• to determine breaking points or safe usage limits
• to confirm mathematical model is accurate enough in predicting breaking points or safe usage limits
• to confirm intended specifications are being met
• to determine modes of failure (how exactly a system fails)
• to test stable operation of a part or system outside standard usage