Software Testing Interview Questions for Microsoft
Table of Contents
Manual Testing Interview Questions for Microsoft
1. What is the difference between verification and validation?
Answer:
- Verification: Ensures the product is built according to specifications (e.g., reviews and inspections).
- Validation: Ensures the product meets user needs and requirements (e.g., user acceptance testing).
2. Can you explain the software testing life cycle (STLC)?
Answer:
Software Testing life Cycle (STLC) consists of several phases:
- Requirement Analysis
- Test Planning
- Test Case Design
- Test Environment Setup
- Test Execution
- Test Closure
3. What are the different types of testing?
Answer:
Some common types include:
- Functional Testing
- Non-Functional Testing
- Unit Testing
- Integration Testing
- System Testing
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
- Regression Testing
- Smoke Testing
4. What is a test case? Can you provide an example?
Answer:
A test case is a set of conditions for determining whether an application or system is functioning correctly.
Example:
- Test Case ID: TC001
- Test Case Name: Login Functionality
- Steps: Navigate to login page, enter username, enter password, click login.
- Expected Result: User is redirected to the dashboard.
5. What is the purpose of a test plan?
Answer:
A test plan outlines the testing strategy, objectives, resources, schedule, and activities required for testing. It helps ensure that testing is organized and comprehensive.
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6. How do you prioritize test cases?
Answer:
Test cases can be prioritized based on:
- Business impact
- Critical functionality
- Complexity
- Frequency of use
- Risk assessment
7. What is the difference between regression testing and retesting?
Answer:
- Regression Testing: Verifies that new changes haven’t introduced defects into existing functionality.
- Retesting: Confirms that specific bugs have been fixed after they have been reported.
8. How do you handle a situation where you find a bug?
Answer:
Report the bug with detailed steps to reproduce, environment information, and any relevant screenshots. Communicate the issue to the development team and follow up to ensure it gets addressed.
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9. What is exploratory testing? How is it different from scripted testing?
Answer:
Exploratory Testing: An informal approach where testers explore the application without predefined test cases, relying on their intuition.
Scripted Testing: Involves following predefined test cases to ensure thorough testing.
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10. Can you explain the concept of boundary value analysis?
Answer:
Boundary Value Analysis focuses on testing at the edges of input ranges, as errors are often found at these boundaries. It typically involves testing just below, at, and just above the boundaries.
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11. What are equivalence partitions?
Answer:
Equivalence Partitioning divides input data into groups (partitions) where test cases can be derived. Each group should yield similar results, reducing the total number of test cases while maintaining coverage.
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12. What is user acceptance testing (UAT)?
Answer:
UAT is the final phase of testing, conducted by actual users to verify that the software meets their requirements and is ready for deployment.
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13. How do you report a bug? What information do you include?
Answer:
Include:
- Bug ID
- Summary
- Steps to reproduce
- Expected result
- Actual result
- Severity and priority
- Environment details
- Screenshots or logs if applicable
14. What is the importance of traceability in testing?
Answer:
Traceability ensures that all requirements are covered by test cases, helping to identify any gaps and ensuring all features are validated.
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15. How do you test a mobile application?
Answer:
Testing a mobile application involves:
- Functional Testing
- Usability Testing
- Compatibility Testing (across devices and OS versions)
- Performance Testing
- Security Testing
16. What is smoke testing and when is it performed?
Answer:
Smoke Testing is a preliminary test to check the basic functionality of the application. It is performed after receiving a new build to ensure that major features work before further testing.
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17. What is the difference between alpha and beta testing?
Answer:
- Alpha Testing: Conducted by internal teams before release to find bugs in a controlled environment.
- Beta Testing: Conducted by actual users in a real-world environment to gather feedback and identify issues before the final release.
18. How do you ensure your tests are effective?
Answer:
Ensure tests are based on requirements, maintain clear documentation, perform regular reviews, and incorporate feedback from stakeholders.
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19. What tools have you used for manual testing?
Answer:
Tools may include:
- JIRA (for bug tracking)
- TestRail or Zephyr (for test case management)
- Postman (for API testing)
20. What is the role of a QA in Agile development?
Answer:
In Agile, QA is involved throughout the development process, participating in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and reviews to ensure quality is integrated from the start. QA helps define acceptance criteria and conducts testing in iterative cycles.
Automation Testing Interview Questions
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1. What is automation testing?
Automation testing is the use of specialized tools and scripts to perform tests on software applications automatically, without human intervention.
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2. What are the benefits of automation testing?
- Increases testing speed and efficiency
- Reduces human error
- Enhances test coverage
- Facilitates regression testing
- Saves time and costs in the long run
3. What types of tests can be automated?
- Regression Testing
- Smoke Testing
- Load Testing
- Performance Testing
- Functional Testing
- Data-driven Testing
4. What is a test automation framework?
A test automation framework is a set of guidelines, rules, and best practices used to create and maintain test scripts efficiently.
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5. Can you explain the different types of automation testing frameworks?
- Linear Scripting Framework: Simple, easy to implement but less maintainable.
- Modular Testing Framework: Breaks the application into smaller modules for easier management.
- Data-driven Framework: Separates test scripts from data, allowing for multiple inputs.
- Keyword-driven Framework: Uses keywords to represent actions, improving readability.
- Behavior-driven Development (BDD): Focuses on behavior from the user’s perspective, often using Gherkin syntax.
6. What tools have you used for automation testing?
Common tools include Selenium, TestNG, JUnit, QTP/UFT, Appium, and Cucumber.
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7. How do you choose what to automate?
Consider factors like:
- Test case frequency
- Stability of the application
- Complexity of the test case
- Business impact
8. What is Selenium?
Selenium is an open-source automation testing tool primarily used for web applications. It supports multiple programming languages and browsers.
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9. Can you explain the Page Object Model (POM)?
POM is a design pattern that enhances test maintenance and reduces code duplication by representing each page of the application as a class with methods for interacting with UI elements.
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10. What is the difference between Selenium WebDriver and Selenium IDE?
- Selenium WebDriver: A more powerful and flexible tool for creating robust test scripts in various programming languages.
- Selenium IDE: A record-and-playback tool for creating simple tests without programming knowledge.
11. How do you handle dynamic web elements in Selenium?
Dynamic web elements can be handled using strategies like XPath with dynamic attributes, CSS selectors, or by waiting for elements to become visible or interactable using explicit waits.
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12. What is a test suite?
A test suite is a collection of test cases grouped together to test a specific feature or functionality of an application.
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13. What are some common challenges in automation testing?
- Flaky tests
- High initial setup costs
- Maintenance of test scripts
- Difficulty in testing certain applications (e.g., mobile apps)
14. How do you maintain your test scripts?
Regularly review and update test scripts based on application changes, use version control systems, and follow coding standards to enhance readability and maintainability.
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15. What is continuous integration (CI) in relation to automation testing?
CI is a development practice where developers frequently integrate code changes into a shared repository. Automated tests are run to validate each change, ensuring that new code doesn’t break existing functionality.
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16. Can you explain what a test runner is?
A test runner is a tool that executes the test scripts and provides the results, often integrating with CI/CD pipelines. Examples include JUnit, TestNG, and NUnit.
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17. What is the role of assertions in automation testing?
Assertions are conditions that must be true for the test to pass. They help verify that the application behaves as expected during testing.
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18. How do you handle exceptions in automation scripts?
Use try-catch blocks to handle exceptions, allowing the script to continue running or log errors for analysis without stopping the entire test suite.
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19. What is behavior-driven development (BDD)?
BDD is an agile development practice that encourages collaboration between developers, testers, and business stakeholders. Tests are written in a natural language format (e.g., Gherkin) to describe application behavior.
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20. What is Cucumber?
Cucumber is a BDD testing tool that allows writing tests in a human-readable format. It integrates with various programming languages and frameworks, facilitating collaboration between technical and non-technical team members.
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21. How do you manage test data in automated tests?
Use data-driven testing to separate test data from scripts, allowing for easy updates. Store data in external files (CSV, Excel, or databases) and fetch it during test execution.
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22. What are some common reporting tools for test automation?
Common reporting tools include Allure, ExtentReports, and built-in reporting features of testing frameworks like TestNG and JUnit.
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23. Can you explain the concept of parallel test execution?
Parallel test execution involves running multiple tests simultaneously across different environments or browsers to speed up the testing process and improve efficiency.
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24. How do you perform API testing?
API testing can be done using tools like Postman or REST Assured, focusing on verifying that APIs function as expected, returning correct data and status codes.
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25. What is performance testing, and which tools are commonly used?
Performance testing evaluates the speed, scalability, and stability of an application under various conditions. Common tools include JMeter, LoadRunner, and Gatling.
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26. How do you ensure the reliability of your automated tests?
- Regularly review and update test cases
- Implement proper error handling
- Use assertions effectively
- Run tests in a stable environment
27. What is the significance of the “wait” function in Selenium?
The “wait” function is used to synchronize the test execution with the web application. It helps handle timing issues where elements may not be immediately available for interaction.
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28. How do you integrate automated tests with CI/CD pipelines?
Automated tests can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or Travis CI, enabling tests to run automatically with each code change.
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29. What is the difference between unit testing and integration testing?
- Unit Testing: Focuses on testing individual components or functions in isolation.
- Integration Testing: Tests the interaction between integrated components to ensure they work together correctly.
30. Can you explain the concept of code coverage?
Code coverage measures the percentage of source code executed during testing, helping identify untested parts of the code and improving overall test effectiveness.