Software Testing Interview Questions for Experienced

35. Explain the role of testing in software development.

Testing plays a vital role in software development. The techniques used for software testing differ from one company to another. Below are some of the important roles played by testing in software development-

• Examine the code for discovering problems and errors early in the system.
• Testing evaluates the capabilities of the program over the entire product.
• Testing helps in reviewing requirements and design as well as executing the code.
• Testing is important in measuring the system functionality and quality of the product.
• Testing plays a vital role in lowering the maintenance cost of the software product.
• It helps in providing interaction between developers and users.

36. What is a bug report?

During testing, the tester records all the observations, and other information useful for the developers or the management. This test record is known as a bug report. The bug report helps the team members in the following aspects-

• Understand the problem.
• Steps to reproduce the problem.
• The environment under which the defect or bug happens.
• The resolution is when the developer fixes the bug.

The few bits of information the bug report should contain are-

1. Defect/  Bug Name- A short headline describing the defect. It should be specific and accurate.
2. Defect/ Bug ID- Unique identification number for the defect.
3. Defect Description- Detailed description of the bug including the information of the module in which it was detected. It contains a detailed summary including the severity, priority, expected results vs actual output, etc.
4. Severity- This describes the impact of the defect on the application under test.
5. Priority- This is related to how urgent it is to fix the defect. Priority can be High/ Medium/ Low based on the impact urgency at which the defect should be fixed.
6. Reported By- Name/ ID of the tester who reported the bug.
7. Reported On- Date when the defect is raised.
8. Steps- These include detailed steps along with screenshots with which the developer can reproduce the same defect.
9. Status- New/ Open/ Active
10. Fixed By- Name/ ID of the developer who fixed the defect.
11. Data Closed- Date when the defect is closed.

37. What is the purpose of risk-based testing?

Risk-based testing involves accessing the risk based on the software complexity, frequency of use, and many other factors.  It prioritizes testing of the functionality and features of the system which are more impactful and are likely to have defects. The purpose of risk-based testing is to

• Identify risks to system quality.
• Use the knowledge of risk to guide testing planning, specification, preparation, and execution.
• It involves both mitigation and contingency. Mitigation here means to test the reduce the

38. What are the different types of testing metrics?

The different Types of Testing Metrics are-

1. Process Metrics- These metrics are essential for the improvement and maintenance of the process in SDLC. These are used to improve the process efficiency of the SDLC.
2. Product Metrics- These define the size, performance, quality, and complexity of the product. It deals with the quality of the software product and thus can help developers to enhance the software product quality.
3. Project Metrics- These define the overall quality of the project. These can be used to measure the efficiency of the project team or any testing tools being used by the team members.

39. What do you mean by Defect Cascading?

Defect Cascading is when one defect leads to the discovery of another defect by software testers. There are several reasons behind defect cascading but one of the main reasons is it occurs because the original defect was not fixed properly.

40. What is Test-Driven Development?

Test-driven development is the software development approach in which test cases are created for each functionality and tested first and if the test fails then a new code is written to pass the test, thus making the code bug-free. It is an iterative approach that involves combining the two processes, the creation of test cases, and refactoring. Some of the benefits of test-driven development are-

• Cleaner and better design code- TDD helps in better design decisions as it helps to understand how the code will work and how it will interact with other modules. It allows the writing of more maintainable and smaller codes.
• Early bug detection- Through test cases, developers can test the functionality and if the test fails then a new code can be written. Thus, bug-free code can be achieved since bugs are detected early.
• Good for developers- Although developers have to spend extra time in writing the test cases eventually it will take a lot less time for debugging and developing the new features.
• Confidence to Refractor- In the case of code refractors, there are chances of breaks in the code. With the help of a set of automated test cases, a proper warning can be given and breaks can be fixed before release.
• Extensible code- TDD can result in an extensible code with fewer bugs that can be updated with minimal risks.

41. What is the difference between verification and validation in Testing?

Difference Between Verification and Validation are as Follow:

42. What is the difference between Bug, Defect, Error, Fault, and Failure?

1. Bug– It is a flaw in the software which means that the software is not working as per the requirement. When there is a coding error, it leads to a program breakdown, which is known as a bug.
2. Defect– It occurs when an application is not working as per the requirements. It is the deviation or the difference between the expected output and the actual output.
3. Error- It is a mistake made in the code due to which the code cannot be executed.
4. Fault- It can be termed as a condition that causes the software to fail to perform its required function according to the specification.
5. Failure- It is the inability of the software or system to perform the required function due to the accumulation of several defects that ultimately results in the loss of information in critical modules and thus make the system unresponsive.

43. What do you verify in white-box testing?

The main aim of white-box testing is to verify the following areas in the software-

• Security loopholes in the source code.
• Conditions of all the loops and overall functionality of the software.
• Expected output.
• Poorly structured paths in the coding processes.
• Line-by-line verification of the code.
• The flow of the software structure is mentioned in the software requirement document.

44. What is the Difference Between Functional and Non-functional testing?

Functional and Non-functional Testing are Follow:

45. What is the Difference Between Data-Driven Testing and Re-testing?

Data-Driven Testing and Re-testing are as Follow:

46. Why should developers not test the software that they build?

Some of the reasons why developers should not test their own software are-

• Unconscious bias- Someone testing a product that they created may raise unintentional bias in the testing process. Software developers lack the objectivity to be able to test their own work. A dedicated tester is a neutral party that can see things in an impartial way and avoids unintentional bias.
• Regression confusion- The requirements are being considered by a developer as only functionalities and if any of the requirements are misunderstood by the user then there will be a failure in the application. tester on the other hand views requirements from the business point of view so they can accomplish what is required.
• Weak end-to-end perspective- Developers tend to focus on a single task or functionality that is chosen for the day and they work with a single focus but testers, on the other hand, think broadly about the functionality along with the full perspective of the application. This helps to complete the application earlier.
• Less experience- The software tester has vast experience in testing various applications and they are aware of the common bugs and tough application logic. Due to a rich knowledge base, the tester is able to find bugs easily and test them whereas the developers have a skill set only for fixing the broken application but not for breaking an application and finding bugs.
• Less time- For testing, it requires hard work, focus, and most of all dedicated time. If the developer is responsible for testing also, then apart from writing the code which is also a time-consuming process, they have to create strategies and plans, write project documentation, and carry out unit tests. It’s not realistic to assume that they will do their job with so many roles and responsibilities with 100% capacity. For maximum efficiency, and to assure that no quality is lost, coding and testing are two different roles for two different skillset persons.
• Slows down release time- If the developer is responsible for both writing code and conducting testing, then both jobs cannot be done simultaneously. Coding has to stop for testing to begin and vice versa. This will end up slowing productivity and will eventually affect the release time of the software.
• QA testers are specially trained- It may be possible that the developer has a skill set required for QA testing the product but this doesn’t mean that they are the best person for this job. QA testers have experience, background, and technical perspectives that are diverse and different from developers.

47. What Qualities should a Software Developer Possess?

The top seven Qualities of the Software Developer are-

• Technical expertise- A developer must have strong technical expertise so that he/she knows how to achieve an optimal solution for a particular task. Their code will not be clear and understandable but also follow the coding standards.
• Maintains an end-user focus- An exceptional developer will want to first fully understand the business case for the major projects they undertake. This is to ensure that their actions will not only affect the end-users but ultimately the organization.
• Ability to learn, grow, and adapt- Continuous improvement is a good practice for both the software and the engineer.
• Time management- A software developer must be a master at managing their time in order to cram so much action into every single working day.
• Interpersonal skills- Some of the key interpersonal skills that a software engineer needs are Collaboration skills, Communication skills, Empathy skills, Critical thinking skills, and Leadership skills.
• Communication skills- A good developer must know how to communicate, clarify, explain, and persuade.
• Curiosity- Good developers are inquisitive. They tend to ask themselves and their peer a lot of questions while they work.
• Good team player- A good developer shares their knowledge and believes in upscaling their team. They offer teammates help when they face problems that they cannot solve. 

48. What are the Benefits of Acceptance Testing?

Acceptance testing is based on user requirements and function processing. It is also known as User Acceptance Testing (UAT). It is a process that verifies if a solution is conforming to specified requirements and user requirements or not. It is done by the customer before accepting the final product. Some of the benefits of user acceptance testing are-

• It increases the satisfaction of the customer as they test the application itself.
• Reduces the risk of defects being identified in the production.
• This will help end-users to gain skills and confidence while using the new system prior to going live.
• It improves the requirement definition document as the client tests the requirement definition according to his needs.
• The information gathered through acceptance testing is used by the stakeholders to better understand the requirements of the targeted audience.

49. Explain the Bug Life Cycle.

The Bug Life Cycle in software testing is the specific set of states that a bug goes through in its entire life. The purpose here is to easily communicate the current status of defects and make the bug-fixing process easy and efficient. Below lifecycle diagram covers all possible states of the bug lifecycle-

• New- When a new defect is detected and posted for the first time then it is assigned a status as “New”.
• Assigned- Once the bug is posted by the tester, it is approved by the lead of the tester, and the bug is assigned to the developer team. The status is changed to “Assigned”.
• Open- The developer starts analyzing the bug and works on fixing the bug. The status is changed to “Open”.
• Fixed- When the developer makes changes in the code to fix the bug and verifies the changes, he or she can make the status of the bug “Fixed”.
• Pending Retest- Once the defect is fixed, the developer gives the particular code to the tester to retest the code.
• Retest- The tester retests the code to check whether the defect is fixed or not and changes the status to “Retest”.
• Reopen- The tester changes the status to “Reopen” if the bug persists even after the developer fixed the bug.
• Verified- The tester retests the bug after it is fixed by the developer. If there is no bug in the software then the status is changed to “Verified”.
• Closed- If the bug no longer exists, then the tester assigns the status “Closed”.
• Rejected- If the developer feels that the defect is not a genuine defect then it changes the defect state to “Rejected”.
• Deferred- The status of the defect is changed to “Deferred” if the present bug is not of prime priority and if it is expected to get fixed in the next release.
• Duplicate- If the bug is repeated twice, the status is changed to “Duplicate”.
• Not a defect- If the detected bug or defect does not affect the functionality of the application then the status is changed to “Not a defect”.
• Can’t be fixed- If it is not possible to fix the bug due to one of the following reasons technology not supporting, the cost of fixing is more, then the status is changed to “Can’t be Fixed”.
• Need more information- If the developer is unable to reproduce the defect as per the steps provided then the status is changed to “Need More Information”. In this case, the tester needs to add detailed steps to reproduce the bug and assign the bug back to the development team for fixing it.
• Not reproducible- If it is not possible for the developer to reproduce the bug due to one of the following reasons platform mismatch, improper defect document, data mismatch, build mismatch, or inconsistent defect. Then the status is changed to “Not reproducible”.

50. What is the Role of Usability Testing?

Usability testing means determining the ease with which an end-user can easily access the application with or without programming language knowledge. It is also known as User Experience testing which is recommended during the initial design phase of SDLC. It is done to serve the following purpose-

• To identify the usability errors in the system early in the development cycle.
• It can help to save products from failure.
• It minimizes the risk of product failure.
• Usability testing increases the likelihood of usage and repeat usage.

Software testing is a process used to evaluate and verify that a software application or system meets specified requirements and works as expected. The primary goal of software testing is to identify defects or bugs in the software and ensure that it is of high quality, reliable, and performs as intended under various conditions. It is a field that demands attention to detail, analytical thinking, and a thorough understanding of testing methodologies and tools. Software testing is a critical skill set used by top companies such as Uber, Airbnb, Google, Netflix, Instagram, Spotify, Amazon, and many more to maintain their software products’ high standards and performance.

In this article, we will provide the Top 50 Software Testing Interview Questions tailored for both freshers and experienced professionals with 3, 5, and 8 years of experience. Here, we cover questions on everything, including fundamental software testing concepts, manual testing, automation testing, performance testing, testing tools, test management, and more, to help you succeed in your software testing interviews.

This article is written under the guidance of the masters of Software testing and by getting ideas through the experience of students’ recent Software testing interviews. It has a comprehensive list of important interview questions frequently asked by the interviewer for the Software Tester or Quality Assurance (QA) position. These Software Testing interview questions and their answers are designed in the increasing order of difficulty and experience level for Freshers, Intermediate, and Experienced candidates.

Let’s begin with beginner-level software testing interview questions for freshers.