Software Testing interview questions for IBM
Software Testing Interview Questions 2024
Manual + Automation Testing
What is Software Testing?
Software testing is the process of evaluating a software application to determine whether it meets specified requirements and functions correctly. It aims to identify defects, ensure quality, and enhance user satisfaction by verifying that the software behaves as expected under various conditions. Testing can involve both manual and automated techniques and is crucial throughout the software development lifecycle to ensure reliable and high-quality products.
Difference Between Manual and Automated Testing
| Aspect | Manual Testing | Automated Testing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Testing performed by human testers without automation tools. | Testing using automated tools to execute test cases. |
| Execution Speed | Slower, as tests are executed manually. | Faster, as tests can be run quickly and repeatedly. |
| Flexibility | Highly flexible; testers can adapt tests on the fly. | Less flexible; scripts need to be modified for changes. |
| Cost | Lower initial costs but higher over time due to manual labor. | Higher initial costs but lower in the long run due to efficiency. |
| Human Insight | Provides human insight, useful for usability testing. | Lacks human insight; relies on pre-defined scripts. |
| Error Prone | Prone to human errors. | Consistent results; less prone to errors if scripts are correct. |
| Use Cases | Best for exploratory, usability, and ad-hoc testing. | Best for regression, performance, and load testing. |
Table of Contents
Manual Testing Interview Questions for IBM
What is manual testing?
Answer: Manual testing is the process of manually executing test cases without automation tools. It involves testers interacting with the application to ensure it meets specified requirements and identifying any defects.
What is a test case?
Answer: A test case is a document that outlines specific conditions, steps, expected results, and actual results for testing a particular functionality within the software.
What is the purpose of a test plan?
Answer: A test plan is a comprehensive document that defines the testing strategy, objectives, scope, resources, schedule, and methodologies to be followed during the testing process.
What is the difference between verification and validation?
Answer: Verification ensures that the product meets specified requirements at various stages of development, while validation checks if the final product meets user needs and expectations.
Explain the difference between functional and non-functional testing.
Answer: Functional testing verifies that the software performs its intended functions (e.g., user login), while non-functional testing assesses attributes like performance, security, and usability (e.g., load testing).
What is exploratory testing?
Answer: Exploratory testing is an informal testing approach where testers explore the application without predefined test cases, using their knowledge and intuition to discover issues.
What is a defect life cycle?
Answer: The defect life cycle includes stages such as New, Assigned, Open, Fixed, Retested, Closed, and Reopened, tracking the status of a defect from discovery to resolution.
What is boundary value analysis?
Answer: Boundary value analysis is a testing technique that focuses on testing the edges of input ranges. It involves testing values at the lower boundary, upper boundary, and just outside these limits.
How do you prioritize test cases?
Answer: Test cases are prioritized based on factors such as risk of failure, business impact, complexity, and frequency of use, ensuring that critical areas are tested first.
What are some common types of manual testing?
Answer: Common types include functional testing, regression testing, integration testing, smoke testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
How do you document test results?
Answer: Test results are documented in a test management tool or spreadsheet, detailing the test case ID, test execution status (pass/fail), defects found, and any comments or observations.
What is sanity testing?
Answer: Sanity testing is a quick, focused check to verify that a particular function or bug fix works as intended after changes have been made, ensuring the application is stable.
What is a test scenario?
Answer: A test scenario is a high-level description of what to test, outlining a specific feature or functionality and focusing on user journeys rather than detailed steps.
What is a test environment?
Answer: A test environment is a setup of hardware, software, and network configurations used to execute test cases and validate application functionality.
What is regression testing?
Answer: Regression testing involves re-running previously executed test cases to ensure that existing functionality still works correctly after changes or enhancements have been made to the software.
What is user acceptance testing (UAT)?
Answer: UAT is the final phase of testing where actual users validate the software against their requirements, ensuring it meets business needs before deployment.
What is GUI testing?
Answer: GUI testing evaluates the graphical user interface of an application to ensure it meets design specifications and provides a positive user experience.
How do you ensure adequate test coverage?
Answer: Adequate test coverage is ensured by mapping test cases to requirements, using traceability matrices, and conducting risk assessments to identify critical areas that require testing.
What is the role of a test lead?
Answer: A test lead coordinates the testing efforts, manages the testing team, defines the testing strategy, ensures adherence to testing processes, and communicates with stakeholders.
How do you handle defects during testing?
Answer: Defects are logged in a bug tracking system with detailed information, prioritized based on severity, and communicated to the development team for resolution. Follow-up testing is conducted to verify fixes.
Automation Testing Interview Questions for IBM
What is automation testing?
Answer: Automation testing uses software tools to execute tests on a software application, allowing for faster and more efficient testing compared to manual testing.
What are the benefits of automation testing?
Answer: Benefits include increased test coverage, faster execution of tests, improved accuracy, reduced manual effort, and the ability to run tests repeatedly and consistently.
What types of testing can be automated?
Answer: Common types include regression testing, smoke testing, performance testing, load testing, and functional testing.
What is a test automation framework?
Answer: A test automation framework is a set of guidelines, tools, and best practices that facilitate the automation process, ensuring consistency and efficiency in test case execution.
Can you name some popular automation testing tools?
Answer: Popular tools include Selenium, QTP/UFT, TestComplete, Appium, and JUnit.
What is Selenium?
Answer: Selenium is an open-source automation testing tool primarily used for web applications, providing a suite of tools for different browser automation.
What programming languages are commonly used in automation testing?
Answer: Common languages include Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript.
What is the difference between Selenium WebDriver and Selenium IDE?
Answer: Selenium WebDriver is a tool for automating web application testing, allowing for more control and flexibility. Selenium IDE is a record-and-playback tool for quick test creation without programming knowledge.
How do you handle dynamic elements in Selenium?
Answer: Dynamic elements can be handled using explicit waits, XPath locators, or CSS selectors to ensure that the elements are present and interactable before actions are performed.
What is continuous integration (CI) and how does it relate to automation testing?
Answer: CI is a practice where code changes are automatically tested and integrated into a shared repository. Automation testing is essential in CI to quickly validate new code changes.
What are some challenges you face in automation testing?
Answer: Challenges include maintaining test scripts, handling dynamic elements, dealing with changes in the application, and ensuring test reliability.
What is the role of version control in automation testing?
Answer: Version control helps manage changes to test scripts, facilitates collaboration among team members, and allows for easy rollback to previous versions if needed.
What is a page object model (POM) in Selenium?
Answer: POM is a design pattern that creates an object repository for web UI elements, promoting code reusability and reducing duplication in test scripts.
How do you ensure test data management in automation testing?
Answer: Test data can be managed through data-driven testing, using external data sources (like Excel or databases) to supply test data to the scripts.
What is API testing and how can it be automated?
Answer: API testing involves testing the APIs for functionality, reliability, and performance. It can be automated using tools like Postman, SoapUI, or REST Assured.
What are the different types of automation testing frameworks?
Answer: Common frameworks include keyword-driven, data-driven, behavior-driven (BDD), and hybrid frameworks.
What is BDD, and how does it differ from traditional testing?
Answer: BDD (Behavior-Driven Development) focuses on collaboration between developers, testers, and non-technical stakeholders, emphasizing scenarios written in natural language, while traditional testing may not prioritize this collaboration.
How do you handle exceptions in automation testing?
Answer: Exceptions can be handled using try-catch blocks, logging errors, and implementing recovery scenarios to ensure that test execution can continue or report issues effectively.
What is a test suite?
Answer: A test suite is a collection of test cases that are grouped together to run as a single unit, allowing for organized execution and reporting.
How do you measure the effectiveness of your automation testing?
Answer: Effectiveness can be measured through metrics like test coverage, pass/fail rates, the time taken to execute tests, and the number of defects identified in automated tests.