The software development life cycle, in contrast, comprises many onerous steps that guarantee the final product is functional, reliable, and friendly to the user.
One of these is Quality Assurance testing. QA testing guarantees each part of the software to run without fault and to meet the particular requirements.
Be it a QA engineer, a developer, or a project manager, preparation for QA interviews is a task dreaded by many. In this post, we try to make things a little simpler by providing insight into the top 20 QA interview questions both for manual and automation testing.
Top 20 QA Interview Questions : In-depth Discussion
Manual Testing Interview Questions
Manual testing is, therefore, a backbone to the software testing lifecycle. Automation testing, as opposed to manual testing, uses human intervention to execute test cases, but no tools are used in its undertaking.
This type of testing is found to be fundamental since it enables testers to detect problems wherein automated tests may sometimes fail to detect, for example, glitches in the user interface and other usability failures.
What is Manual Testing and Why is it Important?
Manual testing is a process of testing software by a human manually to detect defects. A tester acts like an end user and validates if all the features of an application are working as it is expected to do.
Such type of testing is somewhat crucial for exploratory testing, usability testing, and ad-hoc testing. Manual testing will give more detailed information about the software that automated tests may miss.
Top 10 Manual Testing Interview Questions
What is Manual Testing?
Manual testing is a process of test case execution performed completely manually, without the help of automation. It involves reviewing the software for defects and ensuring it meets all specified requirements.
Can you explain the different types of manual testing?
Some of the usual types of manual testing are Black-box testing, white-box testing, unit testing, system testing, acceptance testing, integration testing, etc.
What are the main challenges faced in manual testing?
Challenges include repetitive tasks, human error, time consumption, and difficulty in performing load testing and performance testing manually.
How do you write a test case?
A test case should have a test case ID, description, preconditions, test steps, expected and actual results.
What is a test plan, and what does it include?
Test case is a high-level document describing the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of intended testing activities. Content shall include but is not limited to objectives, test items, features to be tested, tasks, and deliverables.
Can you explain what a defect life cycle is?
Defect Life Cycle/Bug Life Cycle: Stages the defect goes through starting from its identification and until it gets closed. These include New, Assigned, Open, Fixed, Retest, Verified, and Closed.
What is exploratory testing?
In exploratory testing, testers have to explore the software themselves to discover the defects without test cases. It's more about learning and discovering through experience.
What is usability testing, and why is it important?
Usability testing is product testing to ensure ease with which users can work with a product. It is extremely important to ensure good user experiences.
How do you prioritize test cases in manual testing?
Prioritization depends on the factors of critical functionalities, user impacts, failure risks, and business needs.
What tools are commonly used in manual testing?
In manual testing, though much work involves human intervention, some other ways to manage test cases and track defects can include JIRA, Bugzilla, and TestLink.
Automation Testing Interview Questions: Comprehensive Analysis
Automation testing has changed the face of error checking in software. This type of testing, by deploying automated tools and scripts, makes the process efficient and effective, thereby making it a very significant part of today's software development.
The Role of Automation Testing
Automation testing involves a specialized tool that executes automatically test cases, compares actual outcomes with predicted outcomes, and generates detailed test reports.
That would be of great help, especially in regression testing and performance testing and also for big test cases, which are very time-consuming if executed manually.
Top 10 Automation Testing Interview Questions
What is Automation Testing?
Automation testing uses only software tools to execute pre-scripted tests on a software application before its delivery. It aims to reduce human intervention and, as such, increase efficiency.
What are the benefits of Automation Testing?
Benefits include faster execution of tests, increased test coverage, ability to perform regression testing efficiently, and consistency in test execution.
What are some popular automation testing tools?
Some popular ones are Selenium, QTP/UFT, LoadRunner, TestComplete, and JMeter.
How do you decide which test cases to automate?
Automation is appropriate for repetitive tests, regression tests, data-driven tests, and high-risk test cases. Tests needing only a little human intervention are also good candidates.
What is Selenium, and how is it used in automation testing?
Selenium is an open-source tool that can be used in automating web browsers. It works most of the time with a wide variety of programming languages, be it functional testing, regression testing, or load testing.
Can you explain what a test automation framework is?
Test automation framework can be defined as a guiding structure of rules and norms concerning best practices, along with tools to support the automation tester in their job in a more efficient and effective manner. Examples include Data-Driven, Keyword-Driven, and Hybrid frameworks.
What is the difference between Selenium WebDriver and Selenium RC?
It is a Web application automation-testing tool that automated Web-based applications directly through the browser. The server would need to understand and interact with the browser using Selenium RC.
What are the challenges faced in Automation Testing?
The most common challenges are high initial costs, maintenance of test scripts, spaces for exploratory testing being limited, and complex test cases being difficult to automate.
How do you handle dynamic elements in Selenium?
Dynamic elements can be handled by some of the below strategies: Xpath, CSS selectors, and dynamic waits (Implicit and Explicit Waits).
What is Continuous Integration (CI), and how does it relate to Automation Testing?
It is a development practice under which developers are supposed to frequently change the codebase; in fact, the code changes are tested and integrated into the code line automatically.
Automation testing is important for Continuous Integration in that it involves assurance that changes in the code are not causing the failure of other functionalities.
Implications and Insights
Common Themes and Skills Assessed
Common themes tested and skills assessed include problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and technical knowledge. Such core competencies are examined using both manual and automation testing questions.
Candidates must be well conversant with testing methodologies, tools, and best practices.
Tips for Effective QA Interview Preparation
Preparation plays a great role in attaining success during QA interviews. Some guidelines are as follows:
- Study the Basics: Be strong in the concepts of both manual and automation testing.
- Practice Coding: In case you've applied for an automation position, write some code and debugging.
- Mock Interviews: Conduct peer mock interviews to boost your confidence and improve communication.
- Stay Updated: Keep abreast of the current trends and tools that may relate to the QA field.
The Significance for Interviewers and Interviewees
These questions will be of prime importance to interviewers as far as the candidate's expertise and suitability for a particular position is concerned.
Knowledge of these questions and their responses could significantly enhance one's chances of success as an interviewee. Being well prepared shows professionalism and seriousness about the position.
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Conclusion
Quality assurance in software development is very crucial as it ensures the final product will be to the right standard and that the user experience will be smooth.
This blog covered the top 20 QA interview questions for manual and automation testing, giving a critical analysis of some and the ideal response to bring out the best.
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Also Read - The Dark Side of QA Metrics: How Over-Reliance Can Lead to Poor Software Quality
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