Software Testing Interview Questions

17 Common Software Testing Interview Questions and Answers

If you’re preparing for a software testing interview, mastering common questions is essential. Here is a comprehensive guide to commonly asked questions with clear answers, covering areas like automation testing, API testing, and handling browser-specific scenarios.

1. Write a program to find duplicate elements in a string array.

import java.util.HashSet;

public class DuplicateElements {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String[] arr = {"apple", "banana", "apple", "mango", "banana"};
        HashSet<String> set = new HashSet<>();
        System.out.println("Duplicate elements:");
        
        for (String element : arr) {
            if (!set.add(element)) {
                System.out.println(element);
            }
        }
    }
}

Output: Duplicate elements: apple, banana.

2. How would you introduce yourself briefly and effectively?

“I am Archana Nale, an Automation Test Engineer with 2 years of experience in automation testing using Selenium WebDriver, Java, and various frameworks like TestNG and BDD. I have expertise in API testing, CI/CD tools, and resolving challenging testing scenarios efficiently.”

3. Explain the framework you have worked with in your automation testing process.

I have worked primarily with a Hybrid Framework, which includes:

Page Object Model (POM) for easy maintenance of locators.
TestNG for test execution and reporting.
Maven for project management.
Extent Reports for generating reports.
Selenium WebDriver for UI automation.
Git for version control and collaboration.
Jenkins for CI/CD integration.

4. How do you handle closing the second window of a browser in automation testing?

Set<String> windows = driver.getWindowHandles();
Iterator<String> iterator = windows.iterator();
String mainWindow = iterator.next();
String secondWindow = iterator.next();

driver.switchTo().window(secondWindow);
driver.close();
driver.switchTo().window(mainWindow);

5. Differentiate between XPath and CSS selectors.

Criteria	XPath	CSS Selector
Syntax	More complex	Simpler and faster
Performance	Slower compared to CSS	Faster
Direction	Supports traversal both ways	Supports traversal downwards only
Attributes	Supports complex queries	Limited in attributes

6. What is the syntax for a LinkText XPath locator?

//a[text()='LinkText']

7. What changes or setups do you perform before starting execution in your framework?

Update dependencies in Maven (pom.xml).
Check configurations for TestNG.xml.
Clear browser cache.
Validate environment URLs and test data.
Integrate reports and update CI pipelines if necessary.

8. How do you handle change requests in your application? Describe the steps you follow.

Analyze the impact of the change.
Update test cases or scripts as per requirements.
Perform regression testing.
Ensure proper documentation of changes.
Verify the changes in the staging environment.

9. How often do you trigger regression test scripts? How do you manage them in your repository?

Regression scripts are triggered after every major build or release.
Version control tools like Git are used to manage them.
Use tags and branches to segregate code for each release cycle.

10. What challenges have you encountered in automation testing, and how did you overcome them?

Dynamic elements: Used dynamic XPath or explicit waits.
Test data issues: Implemented data-driven testing with Excel or JSON.
Cross-browser compatibility: Integrated Selenium Grid.
Flaky tests: Added retry mechanisms to stabilize test scripts.

11. Explain the differences between GET and POST methods in API testing.

Method	GET	POST
Purpose	Retrieve data from the server	Send data to the server
Data Type	URL parameters	Request body
Security	Less secure	More secure

12. What are the essential components of the GET and POST methods?

GET: Endpoint, headers, query parameters.
POST: Endpoint, headers, request body (JSON/XML), query parameters.

13. Discuss HTTP status codes like 401 and 503.

401 Unauthorized: The request requires user authentication.
503 Service Unavailable: The server is temporarily overloaded or down for maintenance.

14. How do you validate the response code in API testing?

Response response = RestAssured.get(url);
int statusCode = response.getStatusCode();
Assert.assertEquals(statusCode, 200);

15. What format do you use for assertions in your tests?

Use Assert in TestNG for functional testing.
Use Hamcrest or JSON Path assertions in API testing.

16. Explain the difference between 200 and 201 HTTP status codes.

200 OK: The request was successful, and the server returned the desired response.
201 Created: The request was successful, and a new resource was created.

17. Provide the syntax for query parameters in API requests.

https://example.com/api/resource?param1=value1&param2=value2

Conclusion

These 17 questions and answers provide a complete roadmap for excelling in your software testing interviews, covering automation, API testing, and real-world testing challenges. Practice these concepts, and you’ll be ready to handle any question confidently.

Make sure to bookmark this article for quick revision before your interview!