Automated test-case generation by cloning

Test cases are often similar. A preliminary study of eight open-source projects found that on average at least 8% of all test cases are clones; the maximum found was 42 %. The clones are not identical with their originals - identifiers of classes, methods, attributes and sometimes even order of statements and assertions differ. But the test cases reuse testing logic and are needed for testing. They serve a purpose and cannot be eliminated.