Software Testing Interview and Answer

🧪 Manual Testing Interview Questions and Answers (1–50)

✅ Section A: Basics of Software Testing (Q1–Q25)

What is Software Testing?

It’s a process to evaluate the functionality of a software application with the intent to find whether it meets the specified requirements and to identify bugs.

Why is Software Testing important?

To ensure quality, reliability, security, and performance of the application, and to find defects before delivery.

What is the difference between Manual Testing and Automation Testing?

Manual testing is done by a human without tools. Automation testing uses scripts and tools to execute tests.

What is SDLC?

Software Development Life Cycle – A process followed for software development including stages like requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

What is STLC?

Software Testing Life Cycle – It includes stages like requirement analysis, test planning, test case design, environment setup, test execution, and test closure.

What is the difference between SDLC and STLC?

SDLC is for the complete software development process. STLC is a subset focusing only on testing.

What are the different levels of testing?

Unit Testing

Integration Testing

System Testing

Acceptance Testing

What is Unit Testing?

Testing individual modules or components of a system, typically done by developers.

What is Integration Testing?

Testing the interaction between integrated units/modules.

What is System Testing?

Testing the complete system as a whole.

What is Acceptance Testing?

Done to verify if the system meets the business requirements and is ready for production.

What is Functional Testing?

Testing based on the functional requirements of the application.

What is Non-Functional Testing?

Testing the non-functional aspects like performance, usability, scalability, etc.

What is Regression Testing?

Testing the application to verify that new code changes haven’t affected the existing functionality.

What is Smoke Testing?

A quick test to check the basic functionality of the application.

What is Sanity Testing?

A subset of regression testing to verify specific functionality after changes.

What is Exploratory Testing?

Informal testing where testers explore the application without predefined test cases.

What is Ad-hoc Testing?

Informal testing without planning and documentation.

What is Static Testing?

Testing done without executing the code (e.g., code reviews, inspections).

What is Dynamic Testing?

Testing done by executing the code.

What is Black Box Testing?

Testing without knowledge of internal code structure.

What is White Box Testing?

Testing with full knowledge of internal code.

What is Grey Box Testing?

A mix of black box and white box testing.

What is the role of a QA Tester?

To ensure the quality of software through testing activities.

What is UAT?

User Acceptance Testing – Done by end-users to ensure the software meets requirements.

🧠 Section B: Test Case Design Techniques (Q26–Q50)

What is a Test Case?

A set of actions executed to verify a particular feature or functionality.

What is a Test Scenario?

A high-level description of what to test.

What is a Test Script?

A set of instructions for automated execution.

What is a Test Plan?

A document describing the scope, approach, resources, and schedule for testing.

What is a Traceability Matrix?

A document to ensure all requirements are covered by test cases.

What are the techniques for writing test cases?

Equivalence Partitioning

Boundary Value Analysis

Decision Table

State Transition

Use Case Testing

What is Equivalence Partitioning?

Dividing input data into valid and invalid partitions and testing one value from each.

What is Boundary Value Analysis?

Testing at the boundaries between partitions.

What is Decision Table Testing?

A tabular representation of inputs and their corresponding actions.

What is State Transition Testing?

Testing application behavior for various input conditions in different states.

What is Use Case Testing?

Testing based on real-world business scenarios.

What is a Defect?

A flaw in the software that causes incorrect or unexpected results.

What is the difference between Severity and Priority?

Severity: Impact of the defect

Priority: Urgency to fix the defect

What are the common fields in a bug report?

Bug ID, Title, Description, Steps to Reproduce, Expected/Actual Result, Severity, Priority, Status

What is the defect life cycle?

New → Assigned → Open → Fixed → Retest → Verified → Closed (or Reopened)

What is a Test Environment?

The setup of software and hardware for testing.

What are Entry and Exit Criteria in testing?

Conditions that must be met before testing starts/ends.

What is Risk-Based Testing?

Testing based on the risk of failure.

What is Compatibility Testing?

Testing across different browsers, OS, devices.

What is Usability Testing?

Testing the user-friendliness of the application.

What is Performance Testing?

Testing speed, responsiveness, and stability.

What is Load Testing?

Testing under expected user loads.

What is Stress Testing?

Testing under extreme conditions.

What is End-to-End Testing?

Testing the complete flow of the application from start to end.

What are some common testing tools?

Manual: JIRA, TestRail

Automation: Selenium, QTP, TestNG

🟢 Next: Q51–Q100 — Test Documentation, Defect Life Cycle, Advanced Testing Concepts

🧪 Manual Testing Interview Questions and Answers (51–100)

📄 Section C: Test Documentation & Metrics (Q51–Q75)

What is a Test Strategy?

A high-level document defining the test approach, resources, and timelines.

Difference between Test Plan and Test Strategy?

Test Strategy: Organization-level approach.

Test Plan: Project-specific document created by the QA team.

What are the components of a Test Plan?

Scope, objectives, test items, features to be tested, test deliverables, schedule, risks.

What is a Test Summary Report?

A final document summarizing testing activities, results, and defect statistics.

What is a Test Closure Report?

It states that testing is complete and goals were met. Includes metrics, test results, open defects, etc.

What are Testing Metrics?

Quantitative measures used to estimate progress, productivity, and quality (e.g., test case execution rate, defect density).

What is Defect Density?

Total number of defects per size of the code (e.g., per KLOC - 1000 lines of code).

What is Test Coverage?

A measure of how much testing is done. Higher coverage means more of the application is tested.

How do you ensure test coverage?

Using requirement traceability matrix, code coverage tools, and test case reviews.

What is Code Coverage?

A metric showing which lines or blocks of code were executed during testing.

What is a Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)?

A document mapping requirements to test cases.

Why is RTM important?

To ensure every requirement has at least one test case and for impact analysis.

What is a Test Data?

Data created to verify the functionality of a system.

How do you manage test data?

By creating, reusing, and masking sensitive data; using databases or CSV/XML files.

What is Configuration Management in testing?

Managing changes in the test environment, test documents, and builds using tools like Git, SVN.

What is Change Request?

A request to modify a requirement, document, or component.

What is Impact Analysis in testing?

Analyzing the effect of a change on existing system components and tests.

What is Test Scheduling?

Planning when and how tests will be executed.

What is a Walkthrough?

A review process where the author explains the document or code.

What is an Inspection?

A formal peer review with roles (author, reviewer, moderator).

What is a Test Harness?

A collection of software and test data used to test a module.

What is a Test Bed?

A configured hardware/software environment for testing.

What is Baseline in Testing?

A formally reviewed and agreed-upon document/version used as the starting point.

What is Benchmark Testing?

Testing against industry-standard benchmarks for comparison.

What is Certification Testing?

Testing a product for compliance with standards (e.g., ISO, PCI-DSS).

🐞 Section D: Defect Life Cycle & Bug Reporting (Q76–Q100)

What is a Bug?

An error in software that produces incorrect results.

What is the Defect/Bug Life Cycle?

New → Assigned → Open → Fixed → Retest → Verified → Closed or Reopened.

What is the difference between Bug, Error, and Defect?

Error: Mistake by a developer.

Defect: Found during testing.

Bug: Defect accepted by developers.

What is a Showstopper Bug?

A critical bug that blocks further testing or usage of the application.

What is a Bug Report?

A documented description of a bug with steps to reproduce, screenshots, expected vs actual result.

What are key fields in a bug report?

Bug ID, Summary, Description, Steps, Severity, Priority, Assigned To, Status.

What is Severity in defects?

Impact of the defect on the application.

What is Priority in defects?

Urgency with which a bug should be fixed.

Who decides Severity and Priority?

Severity: Usually decided by tester.

Priority: Usually decided by project manager/client.

What are the types of severity levels?

Critical

Major

Moderate

Minor

What is the difference between Open and Reopened bug?

Open: Bug is being worked on.

Reopened: Bug is reported again after being marked Fixed/Closed.

What is Deferred Bug?

A bug not fixed in the current release but planned for future.

What is Duplicate Bug?

A bug already reported.

What is Invalid Bug?

A reported issue that is not actually a defect.

What is a Root Cause Analysis?

Investigating the underlying cause of a defect.

How do you track bugs?

Using tools like JIRA, Bugzilla, Mantis, Redmine.

What is JIRA?

An issue-tracking tool used for project management and bug tracking.

What is the difference between JIRA and Bugzilla?

JIRA: Agile-friendly, customizable.

Bugzilla: Simpler, open-source.

What is a Bug Triage Meeting?

A meeting to review, prioritize, and assign new defects.

How to write a good bug report?

Include clear summary, reproducible steps, screenshots, logs, and expected vs actual results.

What is Defect Leakage?

Defects missed during testing and found in later stages or production.

What is Defect Removal Efficiency (DRE)?

(Defects removed during development/testing) ÷ (Total defects)

What is False Positive and False Negative in testing?

False Positive: Test fails, but no bug exists.

False Negative: Test passes, but bug exists.

What is the cost of quality (CoQ)?

Total cost of ensuring quality – prevention, appraisal, and failure costs.

Why do defects reoccur even after fixing?

Improper fix, side effects, environment mismatch, poor testing.

✅ Let me know if I should continue with Q101–Q150, which will cover Functional vs Non-Functional Testing and Scenario-based Q&A.

🧪 Manual Testing Interview Questions and Answers (101–150)

🔍 Section E: Functional vs Non-Functional Testing (Q101–Q125)

What is Functional Testing?

It verifies that each function of the software operates in conformance with requirements.

Give examples of Functional Testing.

Login, Signup, Search functionality, form validation.

What is Non-Functional Testing?

Testing non-functional aspects like performance, usability, reliability.

Give examples of Non-Functional Testing.

Load testing, stress testing, scalability, security, accessibility.

What is Security Testing?

Testing how secure the software is from unauthorized access and vulnerabilities.

What is Usability Testing?

Evaluating the application’s user interface and user experience.

What is Accessibility Testing?

Verifying the software is usable by people with disabilities.

What is Reliability Testing?

Ensuring the system performs consistently under specific conditions.

What is Maintainability Testing?

Testing how easy it is to maintain the software over time.

What is Scalability Testing?

Testing the system’s capability to scale up with increasing users or data.

What is Volume Testing?

Testing with a large volume of data.

What is Localization Testing?

Testing the application for a specific locale (language, currency, etc.)

What is Internationalization Testing?

Testing to ensure the app can support different languages and regions.

What is Configuration Testing?

Testing the application on different software/hardware configurations.

What is Installation Testing?

Testing the install/uninstall procedures.

What is Recovery Testing?

Testing how well the system recovers from crashes or hardware failure.

What is Failover Testing?

Testing system behavior under server failure conditions.

What is Concurrency Testing?

Testing how the application handles multiple simultaneous users.

What is GUI Testing?

Verifying the graphical elements of the application.

What is Monkey Testing?

Random testing with no specific strategy.

What is Soak Testing?

Running the system for a long time to identify memory leaks and stability issues.

What is Spike Testing?

Testing the system with sudden spikes in user load.

What is Compliance Testing?

Ensuring the application meets regulatory and legal standards.

What is Portability Testing?

Verifying the software works on different platforms/environments.

How is Non-Functional Testing usually performed?

Using tools for performance, security, and accessibility (e.g., JMeter, Burp Suite, Axe).

💡 Section F: Common Scenarios & Real-Time Q&A (Q126–Q150)

What will you do if you find a defect in the last minute of testing?

Immediately report the defect and inform the lead/manager. Document it properly.

You find a bug, but the developer is not accepting it. What will you do?

Provide clear reproduction steps and evidence (screenshots/logs), escalate if needed.

What if the requirement is unclear?

Communicate with the business analyst or product owner for clarification.

What if you have too little time for testing?

Prioritize test cases based on risk, perform smoke/sanity testing, document what was not tested.

How do you handle frequently changing requirements?

Use agile methodologies, maintain flexible test cases, keep good communication with the team.

What’s your approach to testing a login screen?

Positive and negative scenarios: correct login, wrong password, empty fields, SQL injection, UI checks.

How do you test an e-commerce checkout flow?

Cart, address input, payment gateway, validation, order confirmation, cancel/refund.

How do you handle testing if there is no documentation?

Perform exploratory testing, interview stakeholders, analyze existing features, and create your own documentation.

Have you written test cases from wireframes or UI designs?

Yes, by understanding the design elements, expected behavior, and mapping them to user stories.

How do you test mobile apps?

Check for responsiveness, cross-device compatibility, gestures, performance, offline mode, installation, and usability.

What’s the difference between Smoke and Sanity Testing?

Smoke: Basic end-to-end functionality

Sanity: Detailed testing of specific components

What is a Test Stub?

A dummy module used when a called module is not available.

What is a Test Driver?

A dummy module that calls a component being tested.

What is Big Bang Testing?

All modules are integrated and tested at once.

What is Incremental Testing?

Modules are integrated and tested one by one.

What is Top-Down Integration Testing?

Testing from top modules to lower modules using stubs.

What is Bottom-Up Integration Testing?

Testing from bottom modules to top modules using drivers.

What is Alpha Testing?

In-house testing performed by internal staff before release.

What is Beta Testing?

Testing done by a limited number of real users before full release.

What is Mutation Testing?

Introducing small changes in code to check if test cases detect errors.

What is Parallel Testing?

Running old and new versions simultaneously to compare results.

What is A/B Testing?

Comparing two versions of a product to determine which performs better.

What is a Test Charter in Exploratory Testing?

A brief document outlining what to test and how.

What is Pair Testing?

Two testers work together on the same functionality.

What is a QA Sign-Off?

Official approval that testing is complete and the product is ready for release.

✅ Ready for the next section?

Part 2: Automation Testing using Selenium with Java (Q151–Q200) — It covers Selenium basics, WebDriver architecture, writing Java automation scripts, and more.

🤖 Automation Testing Interview Questions with Selenium and Java (Q151–Q200)

🚀 Section G: Selenium Basics & Architecture (Q151–Q175)

What is Selenium?

Selenium is an open-source automation tool used to automate web-based applications.

What are the components of Selenium?

Selenium IDE

Selenium WebDriver

Selenium Grid

What is Selenium WebDriver?

A tool that provides APIs to automate browser actions programmatically.

Which programming languages are supported by Selenium WebDriver?

Java, Python, C#, Ruby, JavaScript, Kotlin.

Which browsers are supported by Selenium?

Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Internet Explorer.

What is the difference between Selenium IDE and WebDriver?

IDE is record & playback tool.

WebDriver supports advanced scripting and multiple browsers.

What is the difference between Selenium 3 and Selenium 4?

Selenium 4 includes W3C WebDriver standard, improved documentation, relative locators, and DevTools support.

What are the limitations of Selenium?

Supports only web applications

No built-in report generation

No support for captcha, OTP handling

What is the architecture of Selenium WebDriver?

Language Binding → JSON Wire Protocol → Browser Driver → Browser

What is JSON Wire Protocol?

It facilitates communication between client libraries and browser drivers.

What are browser drivers?

They act as a bridge between Selenium commands and browsers (e.g., ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver).

What is GeckoDriver?

The driver for Mozilla Firefox browser.

What is ChromeDriver?

It is a standalone server to launch Google Chrome browser.

How to launch a browser using WebDriver in Java?

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

driver.get("https://example.com");

How do you set the path of the driver executable?

System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path_to_chromedriver");

What is the use of driver.get() method?

It opens a given URL in the browser.

What is the use of driver.quit() and driver.close()?

close() closes current tab

quit() closes all browser windows

What are locators in Selenium?

A mechanism to locate elements (ID, Name, ClassName, XPath, CSS, LinkText, TagName).

What is XPath?

A language to navigate through elements and attributes in XML/HTML.

What is the difference between Absolute and Relative XPath?

Absolute: Full path from root (starts with /)

Relative: Starts from any node (starts with //)

What is CSS Selector?

A locator that identifies elements using CSS attributes (e.g., div#id, input.class).

Which is faster: XPath or CSS Selector?

CSS Selector is generally faster and more readable.

What is findElement() vs findElements()?

findElement() returns a single WebElement

findElements() returns a list of WebElements

How do you handle dynamic elements in Selenium?

Use dynamic XPath, CSS selectors, contains(), starts-with().

What is the use of WebDriverManager in Selenium?

It automates the management of browser drivers without setting system property manually.

💻 Section H: Writing Selenium Tests with Java (Q176–Q200)

How do you locate elements by ID in Selenium Java?

driver.findElement(By.id("elementID"));

How do you perform click in Selenium?

driver.findElement(By.id("submit")).click();

How to type text into a textbox?

driver.findElement(By.name("username")).sendKeys("admin");

How to clear a textbox?

driver.findElement(By.name("username")).clear();

How to select value from dropdown?

Select dropdown = new Select(driver.findElement(By.id("dropdown")));

dropdown.selectByVisibleText("Option 1");

How do you handle checkboxes in Selenium?

WebElement chk = driver.findElement(By.id("checkbox"));

if (!chk.isSelected()) {

    chk.click();

}

How to perform mouse hover in Selenium?

Actions action = new Actions(driver);

action.moveToElement(element).perform();

How to handle alerts in Selenium?

Alert alert = driver.switchTo().alert();

alert.accept(); // or alert.dismiss();

How to handle browser window popups?

Switch between window handles using:

Set<String> handles = driver.getWindowHandles();

for (String handle : handles) {

    driver.switchTo().window(handle);

}

How to handle file upload in Selenium?

driver.findElement(By.id("upload")).sendKeys("C:\\path\\file.txt");

How to wait for an element in Selenium?

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("element")));

What is Implicit Wait in Selenium?

It sets a global wait time:

driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10));

What is Explicit Wait in Selenium?

Waits for specific condition using WebDriverWait.

What is Fluent Wait?

A type of explicit wait with polling frequency and exception ignoring.

What is the difference between Implicit and Explicit Wait?

Implicit: Global for all elements

Explicit: Applied to specific elements only

How do you verify text on a web page?

String actual = driver.findElement(By.id("msg")).getText();

Assert.assertEquals(actual, "Expected Message");

How do you capture screenshots in Selenium?

File src = ((TakesScreenshot)driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);

FileUtils.File(src, new File("path\\screenshot.png"));

How to scroll in Selenium using JavaScriptExecutor?

JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor)driver;

js.executeScript("window.scrollBy(0,500)");

How to run Selenium tests in headless mode?

ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();

options.addArguments("--headless");

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);

What is Page Object Model (POM)?

A design pattern that creates separate Java classes for each web page.

What are the benefits of POM?

Code reusability, readability, maintainability.

How do you handle frames in Selenium?

driver.switchTo().frame("frameName");

driver.switchTo().defaultContent();

How to execute JavaScript in Selenium?

JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor)driver;

js.executeScript("alert('Hello!')");

How do you validate title of the page?

Assert.assertEquals(driver.getTitle(), "Expected Title");

How do you close the browser after test execution?

driver.quit();