Quality Assurance interview Questions and Answers for QA Engineers

What are the different artifacts you refer to when you write the test cases?

Functional requirement specification Requirement understanding document Use Cases Wireframes User Stories Acceptance criteria Many a time UAT test cases

What is CRUD testing and how to test CRUD?

CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update and Delete. CRUD testing can be done using SQL statements.

Test case

a set of inputs, execution condition, and pass/fail criterion

Test Suite

a set of test cases

Test or test execution

the activity of execution test cases and evaluating their results

What are the phases involove in software testing life cycle?

1. Requirement Analysis 2. Test planning 3. Test Case Development 4. Test Environment setup 5. Test Execution 6. Test Cycle Closure

What is a cause effect graph?

A cause effect graph is a graphical representation of inputs and the associated outputs effects that can be used to design test cases.

What is the difference between positive and negative tests?

A positive test is happy path- were application works as it expected. If an error is encountered during the positive test then the test fails. Negative tests ensure the application is gracefully handled invalid input or unexpected user behavior.

Explain what is traceability matrix?

A test matrix is used to map test scripts to requirements.

What is thread testing?

A thread testing is a top-down testing, where the progressive integration of components follows the implementation of subsets of the requirements, as opposed to the integration of components by successively lower levels.

What is Agile testing and what is the importance of Agile testing?

Agile testing is software testing, is testing using Agile Methodology. The importance of this testing is that, unlike normal testing process, this testing does not wait for the development team to complete the coding first and then doing testing. The coding and testing both goes simultaneously. It requires continuous customer interaction.

what is AUT?

Application under test, when the application is finished with code phase and is ready for testing, the application/build .

What is bug leakage and bug release?

Bug release is when software or an application is handed over to the testing team knowing that the defect is present in a release. During this the priority and severity of bug is low, as bug can be removed before the final handover. Bug leakage is something, when the bug is discovered by the end users or customer, and not detected by the testing team while testing the software.

What is the difference between build and release?

Build: It is a number given to Installable software that is given to the testing team by the development team. Release: It is a number given to Installable software that is handed over to the customer by the tester or developer.

What is data driven testing?

Data driven testing is an automation testing framework, which tests the different input values on the AUT. These values are read directly from the data files. The data files may include csv files, excel files, data pools and many more.

Explain what is Bug triage?

Ensure bug report completeness Assign and analyze the bug Assigning bug to proper bug owner Adjust bug severity properly Set appropriate bug priority

What would you do if you have a large suite to execute in very less time?

In case we have less time and have to execute the larger volume of test cases, we should prioritize the test case and execute the high priority test cases first and then move on to the lower priority ones. This way we can make sure that the important aspects of the software are tested.

What is configuration management?

It is a process to control and document any changes made during the life of a project. Release control, Change control and Revision control are the important aspects of configuration management.

What is Ad Hoc testing?

It is a testing phase where the tester tries to break the system by randomly trying the system's functionality. It can include negative testing as well.

non-functional testing

It is designed to test the readiness of a system as per nonfunctional parameters which are never addressed by functional testing.

Do you think QA's can also participate to resolve production issues?

It would be a good learning curve for QA's to participate in resolving production issues. Many time production issues could be resolved by clearing the logs or making some registry settings or by restarting the services.

Explain stress testing, load testing and volume testing?

Load Testing: Testing an application under heavy but expected load is known as Load Testing. Here, the load refers to the large volume of users, messages, requests, data, etc. Stress Testing: When the load placed on the system is raised or accelerated beyond the normal range then it is known as Stress Testing. Volume Testing: The process of checking the system, whether the system can handle the required amounts of data, user requests, etc. is known as Volume Testing.

xplain what is MR and what information does MR consists of?

MR stands for Modification Request also referred as Defect report. It is written for reporting errors/problems/suggestions in the software.

When should you opt for manual testing over autmation testing

Manual test when, Short Time projects When performing ad-hoc testing When performing usability testing

What are the automation challenges that SQA(Software Quality Assurance) team faces while testing?

Mastering the automation tool Reusability of Automation script Adaptability of test case for automation Automating complex test cases.

Explain the steps for Bug Cycle?

Once the bug is identified by the tester, it is assigned to the development manager in open status If the bug is a valid defect the development team will fix it. If it is not a valid defect, the defect will be ignored and marked as rejected The next step will be to check whether it is in scope. If the bug is not the part of the current release then the defects are postponed If the defect or bug is raised earlier then the tester will assign a DUPLICATE status When bug is assigned to developer to fix, it will be given a IN-PROGRESS status Once the defect is repaired, the status will change to FIXED at the end the tester will give CLOSED status if it passes the final test.

Defect Cascading

One defect is triggering other defects in quality.

Functional Testing

Program behavior versus requirement specification. The system works correctly and it falls into black box testing.

Explain what should your QA documents include?

QA testing document should include List the number of defects detected as per severity level Explain each requirement or business function in detail Inspection reports Configurations Test plans and test cases Bug reports User manuals Prepare separate reports for managers and users

How would you ensure that your testing is complete and has good coverage?

Requirement traceability matrix will help us to determine that the test conditions are enough so that all the requirements are covered. Coverage matrices will help us to determine that the test cases are enough to satisfy all the identified test conditions in RTM.

Explain what is the difference between Regression testing and Retesting?

Retesting is carried out to check the defects fixes, while regression testing is performed to check whether the defect fix have any impact on other functionality.

What are the tools used by a tester while testing?

Selenium Firebug OpenSTA WinSCP YSlow for FireBug Web Developer toolbar for firebox

what are types of functional testing?

Smoke testing, make sure most of the important functionality of the application is working. Sanity testing can be logical according to customer expectations. Regression testing adding new code to the old code and retesting. Usability testing refers to evaluating a product or service by testing it with representative users.

List out the software quality practices through the software development cycle?

Software quality practices includes Review the requirements before starting the development phase Code Review Write comprehensive test cases Session based testing Risk based testing Prioritize bug based on usage Form a dedicated security and performance testing team Run a regression cycle Perform sanity tests on production Simulate customer accounts on production Include software QA Test Reports

Black box testing

Specified-based testing the functionality of a software/application without knowing much about the internal structure. Techniques are Equivalence participating, boundary value analysis, decision table-based techniques, cause and effect graphing, user case testing.

How do you define a format of writing a good test case?

Test case ID Test case description Severity Priority Environment Build version Steps to execute Expected results Actual results

What is test case?

Test case is a specific condition to check against the Application Under Test. It has information of test steps, prerequisites, test environment, and outputs.

What is test closure? Explain

Test closure is documentation that gives a summary of all given details of the bugs removal and errors found.

What is the difference between the top-down and bottom-up approaches?

Testing happens from top to bottom. This is high-level modules are tested first and after that low-level modules. The bottom-up approach is based from level to high level. The lowest modules are tested first and afterward high-level state modules.

What are the contents of test plans and test cases?

Testing objectives Testing scope Testing the frame The environment Reason for testing The criteria for entrance and exit Deliverables Risk factors

What is Testware?

Testware is test artifacts like test cases, test data, test plans needed to design and execute a test.

Suppose you find a bug in production, how would you make sure that the same bug does not get introduced?

The best way is to immediately write a test case for the production defect and include it in the regression suite. This way we ensure that the bug does not get introduced again.

What is a 'USE' case and what does it include?

The document that describes, the user action and system response, for a particular functionality is known as USE case. It includes revision history, table of contents, flow of events, cover page, special requirements, pre-conditions and post-conditions.

What is the difference between the QA and software testing?

The role of QA (Quality Assurance) is to monitor the quality of the "process" used to produce the software. While the software testing, is the process of ensuring the functionality of final product meets the user's requirement.

What is the strategy for Automation Test Plan?

The strategy for Automation Test Plan Preparation of Automation Test Plan Recording the scenario Error handler incorporation Script enhancement by inserting check points and looping constructs Debugging the script and fixing the issues Rerunning the script Reporting the result

What is quality audit?

The systematic and independent examination for determining the effectiveness of quality control procedures is known as the quality audit.

Test plan

The test plan is created by a QA Manager or a QA lead who describes how to test, when to test, who will test, what to test.

What does the test strategy include?

The test strategy includes an introduction, resource, scope and schedule for test activities, test tools, test priorities, test planning and the types of test that has to be performed. The project manger carries out the test strategy. It tells you which type of technique to follow and which moduel to test.

What is branch testing and what is boundary testing?

The testing of all the branches of the code, which is tested once, is known as branch testing. While the testing, that is focused on the limit conditions of the software is known as boundary testing.

Mention what are the types of documents in SQA?

The types of documents in SQA are Requirement Document Test Metrics Test cases and Test plan Task distribution flow chart Transaction Mix User profiles Test log Test incident report Test summary report

List out various tools required to support testing during development of the application?

To support testing during development of application following tools can be used Test Management Tools: JIRA, Quality Center etc. Defect Management Tools: Test Director, Bugzilla Project Management Tools: Sharepoint Automation Tools: RFT, QTP, and WinRunner

Mention the different types of software testing?

Unit testing Integration testing and regression testing Shakeout testing Smoke testing Functional testing Performance testing White box and Black box testing Alpha and Beta testing Load testing and stress testing System testing

List out the roles of Software Quality Assurance engineer?

Writing source code Software design Control of source code Reviewing code Change management Configuration management Integration of software Program testing Release management process

Have you ever managed writing the test cases without having any documents?

Yes, there are cases when we have a situation where we have to write test cases without having any concrete documents. In that case, the best way is to: Collaborate with the BA and development team. Dig into mails which have some information. Dig into older test cases/regression suite If the feature is new, try to read the wiki pages or help of the application to have an idea Sit with the developer and try to understand the changes being made. Based on your understanding, identify the test condition and send it to BA or stakeholders to review them.

What is the difference between bug, a defect and an error

a defect is simply defined as a variance between expected and actual results. A bug is the result of a coding error, which is found in a development phase, and an error is found as a mistake, misunderstanding on part of the developer.

Test obligation

a partial test case specification, requirement some property deemed important to thorough testing

adequacy criterion

a prediction that is true (satisfied) or false (not satisfied) of a problem, test suite pair.

Test case specification:

a requirement to be satisfied by one or more test case.

Defect

be simply defined as a variance between expected and actual results.

Validation

dynamic mechanism of testing and validating if the software product actually meets the exact needs of the customer or not.

another name for black box testing?

glass-box testing

Explain what is the rule of a "Test Driven Development"?

he rule of a Test Driven Development is to prepare test cases before writing the actual code. Which means you are actually be writing code for the tests before you write code for the application.

Approximating adequency

instead of measuring adequacy directly, we measure how ell we have covered some aspect of the program structure, program input, requirements. This measurement provide a way to determine (lack of thoroughness of the test suite.)

What is a Test Metric in software testing and what information does it contains?

n software testing, Test Metric is referred to the standard of test measurement. They are the statistics narrating the structure or content of a testing. It contains information like Total test Test run Test passed Test failed Tests deferred Test passed the first time

Verification

process of checking documents, design, code, and program in order to check if the software has been built according to the requirements or not. The main goal of the verification process is to ensure the quality of software application, design, architecture

Quality Control

process of finding defects and providing suggestions to improve the quality of the software. The methods used by Quality Control are usually established by quality assurance. It is the primary responsibility of the testing team to implement quality control.

Testing

process of finding defects/bugs. It validates whether the software built by the development team meets the requirements set by the user and the standards set by the organization.

What is the regression testing? When to apply it?

small changes in the functionality does not break another functionality in the system? Test sofware > Feature updates> Regression testing plan> Development Software

white box testing

structure based testing, it requires a profound knowledge of the code as it includes testing of some structural part of the application. Statement coverage, decision coverage, condition coverage, multiple condition coverage.

Negative Testing

technique that validates that the system behaves gracefully in case of any invalid inputs. For example, in case the user enters any invalid data in a text box, the system should display a proper message instead of the technical message which the user does not understand.

Quality Assurance

the process of planning and defining the way of monitoring and implementing the quality(test) processes within a team and organization. This method defines and sets the quality standards of the projects.

what is the difference between system testing and integration testing?

to test if the software matches up with the user requirements. Involves functional and non functional testing testing the interface between modules of the software application.

load testing

validate the system behavior under the expected load. The load can be of concurrent user or resources accessing the system at the same time.

Postive Testing

validates that our system works as expected and compares the test results with the expected results.

Stress Testing

which validates the behavior of the system when it executes under stress. To explain, we reduce the resources and check the behavior of the system. We first understand the upper limit of the system and gradually reduce the resources and check the system behavior.