In finite state machine (FSM) conformance testing, there are two widely used test generation techniques which are based on structure coverage and state identification respectively. Under the condition of scarce test resources, we often face the problem of weighing selection of different test methods. To the best of our knowledge, there is no comprehensive comparative study of these two test techniques so far. This paper presents the necessity of experimental evaluation of the two test methods, and conducts experiments based on 10 FSM empirical cases. The performance is evaluated in terms of test cost and fault coverage capability, so as to provide empirical suggestions for the selection and application of these two techniques in FSM conformance testing.