When Mining on Testnet do I need to Sync again?

Question

I have fully synced Mist and have now switched to Test-Net and it appears the Sync process has begun again.

1. Is this now syncing the Test environment? if so then follow no:2
2. Can I only begin mining once the sync completes and -
3. Can I switch back to the main network without losing what has already synced in the Test-Net?

Thanks

Answer 1

If you are solo-mining, then yes you need to download the blockchain (it's separate testnet vs mainnet).

Yes solo-mining requires that you have the blockchain already up to date.

Yes you can switch back and forth without losing current status.