Software testing is a vital part of the software development life cycle. The ultimate goal of software testing is to verify that the software operates smoothly and complies with the requirements.
When interviewing for positions as a software tester or QA, you must answer questions to show your technical skills and abilities related to software quality control. Interviewers want to ensure you can handle tasks effectively. Practicing questions for software testing interviews can help you feel well-prepared in front of experienced people.
This series of articles by VNEXT Global provides the frequently asked software testing interview questions for positions as a QA, an automation tester or a manual tester.
45 Common Questions For Software Testing Interview (Part 1)
1. Differentiate quality control, quality assurance and testing?
Example answer:
- Quality control involves multiple activities, including testing, that support the achievement of appropriate levels of quality.
- Quality assurance is typically focused on adherence to proper processes, in order to provide confidence that the appropriate levels of quality will be achieved.
- Testing includes finding issues, bugs or errors. The testing process ensures that the software meets standards and user requirements.
2. Give a brief description of the software testing life cycle?
Example answer:
The software testing life cycle is a testing process including certain steps to complete one by one. This process ensures that the development team constructed proper functions and satisfied client requirements.
3. What are the different methods of testing?
Example answer:
There are three methods of software testing:
- Black-box testing: It is based on requirements and specifications. It does not require knowledge of internal paths, structures, or implementation of the software.
- White-box testing: It is based on internal paths, code structures, and implementation of the software. This technique requires testers to have programming skills.
- Gray-box testing: It is the optimal strategy in which the tester has limited knowledge of the internal details of the software.
4. Can you name levels of testing?
Example answer:
There are four main testing levels:
- Unit Testing
- Integration Testing
- System Testing
- User Acceptance Testing
5. Differentiate Verification and Validation in Software Testing?
Example answer:
- Verification is a static technique of analysis. Testing is performed without executing the code. Examples consist of reviews, inspection, and walkthrough.
- Validation is a dynamic technique of analysis. Testing is performed by executing the code. Examples consist of functional and non-functional testing.
6. Name major differences between non-functional and functional testing?
Example answer:
- Functional testing answers the question “what should the system do?”.
- Non-functional testing answers the question “how well does the system behave?”.
- The thoroughness of functional testing can be measured through functional coverage, which is the extent to which some functionality has been exercised by tests, and is expressed as a percentage of the types of element being covered.
The thoroughness of non-functional testing can be measured through non-functional coverage, which is the extent to which some type of non-functional element has been exercised by tests, and is expressed as a percentage of the types of element being covered.
7. Differentiate negative and positive testing?
Example answer:
- Negative testing validates how the system works when a user inputs invalid commands
- Positive testing validates how the system works when a user inputs valid commands.
8. What is regression testing?
Example answer:
When new features are added to the existing code, new changes may negatively impact a working feature.
Regression testing helps ensure that the new changes do not break the system operation, and verify that the new code interacts well with the existing code.
9. Give a brief about a test environment?
Example answer:
A test environment is an interface for software testing execution. This includes the server required to power test infrastructure, hardware and software configurations to match specific projects and use cases. Devices, browsers, operating systems, automation frameworks, network configuration, data, etc. should be consisted of.
10. What is unit testing?
Example answer:
Unit testing is the testing process of a single code unit in an isolated manner. The unit of code might include a method, a class, or a module. Unit testing aims to focus on the smallest blocks of code to well combine them later to produce fully functioning software.
11. What are approaches you can use when choosing test execution tools?
Example answer:
There are 3 approaches I can choose to apply to my project:
- Capturing test approach: It allows a manual tester to capture tests by recording the actions. A captured script is a linear representation consisting of specific data and actions.
- Data-driven test approach: It separates out the test inputs and expected results, usually into a spreadsheet, and uses generic test scripts that can read the input data and execute the same test script with different data.
- Keyword-driven test approach: A generic script processes keywords describing the actions to be taken (also called action words), then keyword scripts are utilized to process the associated test data.
12. How is regression different from confirmation testing?
Example answer:
- Regression testing aims to confirm that the latest changes in code have not adversely affected existing features and functions.
- Confirmation testing can be called Re-testing. A defect causing fails in a test is reported. Then a new version of the software is submitted to fix the defect.
13. What are black-box testing, white-box testing, and gray-box testing?
Example answer:
- Black-box testing: In black-box testing, the system is tested in terms of its external behavior only. Internal structures or workings are not included.
- White-box testing: It derives tests based on internal structure or implementation of the system. Internal structure includes code, architecture, work flows, and data flows.
- Gray-box testing: This technique allows testers to test a software product or application with just a partial understanding of its internal structure. It aims at searching and identifying the defects caused by improper code structure or improper use of applications.
14. Give a short description about test scenarios, test scripts, and test cases.
Example answer:
- Test Case: Test cases are a series of actions within software development to verify a particular feature or function. A test case consists of test steps, test data, pre-conditions, and post-conditions designed to verify specific requirements.
- Test Scenario: A test scenario is a set of test cases covering the end-to-end functionality of a software product. A test scenario provides a high-level overview of what needs to be modified.
- Test Scripts: A test script refers to the set of instructions that testers must follow to verify that the system under test performs as expected. It outlines each step in detail and the expected results.
15. List some categories of defects in software testing
Example answer:
There are 3 main types of defects as below:
- Wrong: It implies that developers did not follow requirements accurately.
- Missing: It implies that a specification was not implemented, or a requirement was not analyzed properly
- Extra: It implies that a redundant requirement was incorporated into the software product.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, these questions for software testing interview suggested by VNEXT Global will help you to have better preparation and increase confidence. Follow this series for more interesting, insightful software testing interview questions with sample answers from experienced testers.
If you feel this article insightful and interesting, read others in this series:
- 45 Software Testing Interview Questions With Sample Answers (Part 2)
- 45 Interview Questions On Software Testing With Sample Answers (Part 3)
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