30+ QA Automation Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

I am using the Selenium WebDriver framework for automation testing.

• Selenium WebDriver is a popular open-source framework for automating web applications.

• It supports multiple programming languages such as Java, Python, C#, etc.

• It provides a rich set of APIs for interacting with web elements and performing actions.

• It also supports parallel execution and integration with other tools like TestNG and Maven.

• I have used it to automate testing for various web applications such as e-c...read more

Questions related to Selenium, locators, constructors, exception handling, and bug reporting.

• Selenium is a tool used for automating web browsers.

• Locators are used to identify web elements on a web page.

• XPath is the fastest locator as it directly navigates to the element.

• Constructors are used to initialize objects in a class.

• An example of a constructor in real life is a car factory assembling a car.

• Selenium also has a way to send messages using JavaScriptExecutor.

• A class can h...read more

The @BeforeMethod and @AfterMethod annotations are used for opening and closing the browser.

• The @BeforeMethod annotation is used to open the browser before each test method.

• The @AfterMethod annotation is used to close the browser after each test method.

• These annotations are part of the TestNG framework.

• Example: @BeforeMethod public void setUp() { //code to open browser } @AfterMethod public void tearDown() { //code to close browser }

Code to return non-duplicate values from an array.

• Create an empty array to store non-duplicate values.

• Loop through the original array and check if the value already exists in the new array.

• If it doesn't exist, add it to the new array.

• Return the new array with non-duplicate values.

We use multiple environments including development, testing, staging, and production.

• Development environment for coding and testing new features

• Testing environment for automated and manual testing

• Staging environment for final testing before deployment

• Production environment for live usage

• Each environment is isolated and has its own database and configurations

• We also use virtual environments for testing different operating systems and browsers

Answering questions related to QA Automation Engineer interview

• To handle username and password popup, use sendKeys() method to enter the credentials

• To handle frames, use switchTo().frame() method

• To switch to another tab, use switchTo().window() method

• Relative xpath starts with '//' and searches for elements based on their relationship with other elements

• Absolute xpath starts with '/' and searches for elements based on their exact location in the HTML tree

• TestNG is a testing f...read more

API testing involves verifying the functionality, reliability, performance, and security of APIs.

• Identify the API endpoints and their expected behavior

• Create test cases to cover all possible scenarios

• Use tools like Postman, SoapUI, or JMeter to send requests and validate responses

• Verify the response status codes, headers, and payload

• Test for security vulnerabilities like SQL injection or cross-site scripting

• Automate API tests using frameworks like Selenium or RestAssured

Code to reverse a string without using inbuilt functions.

• Create an empty string to store the reversed string

• Loop through the original string from the end to the beginning

• Append each character to the empty string

• Return the reversed string

Yes, but it may not always be the most efficient or reliable method.

• Xpath can be used to locate elements on any website, but it may require some trial and error to find the correct path.

• Other methods such as CSS selectors or ID attributes may be more efficient in some cases.

• Xpath can also be affected by changes to the website's structure or layout.

• Using browser developer tools can help in identifying the correct xpath for an element.

Reversing an integer without using string in Python

• Convert the integer to a list of digits

• Reverse the list

• Convert the list back to an integer

To initialise a browser using Selenium, we need to create an instance of the WebDriver interface.

• Import the necessary packages for Selenium and WebDriver

• Create an instance of the desired browser driver

• Use the driver instance to open a new browser window

Testing is the process of evaluating a system or its component(s) with the intent to find whether it satisfies the specified requirements or not.

• Types of testing include functional testing, performance testing, security testing, usability testing, etc.

• Levels of testing include unit testing, integration testing, system testing, acceptance testing, etc.

• STLC stands for Software Testing Life Cycle and includes phases like requirement analysis, test planning, test design, test exe...read more

SDLC is the process of developing software while STLC is the process of testing software.

• SDLC includes planning, designing, coding, testing, and maintenance stages while STLC includes test planning, test case development, test execution, and test closure stages.

• SDLC focuses on the development of software while STLC focuses on the testing of software.

• SDLC is a broader term that includes STLC as a part of it.

• SDLC is a continuous process while STLC is a sequential process.

• Exampl...read more

Annotations are used in Java to provide additional information about classes, methods, and fields.

• Annotations are declared using the @ symbol followed by the annotation name.

• Annotations can have attributes that can be set using key-value pairs.

• Annotations can be applied to classes, methods, fields, parameters, and local variables.

• Annotations can be inherited from superclasses or interfaces.

• Annotations can be used for documentation, code analysis, and runtime processing.

• Some c...read more

To start writing code from scratch, first define the problem, plan the solution, choose a language and IDE, and start coding.

• Define the problem and understand the requirements

• Plan the solution and break it down into smaller tasks

• Choose a programming language and an IDE

• Start coding by writing small functions and testing them

• Refactor and optimize the code as needed

• Use version control to keep track of changes

• Document the code and write unit tests

• Collaborate with team members and...read more

Selenium waits are used to synchronize the test script execution with the web application's response time.

• Selenium waits are used to handle synchronization issues in test automation.

• There are three types of waits in Selenium: Implicit, Explicit, and Fluent waits.

• Implicit waits wait for a certain amount of time before throwing an exception if the element is not found.

• Explicit waits wait for a certain condition to occur before proceeding with the next step.

• Fluent waits wait for...read more

Selenium uses browser-specific drivers to communicate with the browser and automate user actions.

• Selenium sends commands to the browser driver, which translates them into browser-specific actions.

• The driver then sends the results back to Selenium.

• Selenium can interact with the browser using various methods such as find elements, click, type, etc.

• Selenium supports multiple browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and more.

A program to check if two strings are palindromes.

• Create a function that takes two strings as input.

• Reverse the second string and compare it with the first string.

• If they are the same, return true. Otherwise, return false.

Postman tool allows different parameters to be used for API testing.

• Query Parameters: Used to filter and sort data in the API response.

• Path Parameters: Used to identify a specific resource in the API.

• Header Parameters: Used to provide additional information about the request.

• Body Parameters: Used to send data in the request body.

• Form Data Parameters: Used to send data in the form of key-value pairs.

• Environment Variables: Used to store and reuse values across requests.

I improved QA processes by implementing automated testing for backend systems.

• Introduced automated testing tools like Selenium for backend testing

• Developed test scripts to cover critical backend functionalities

• Integrated automated tests into CI/CD pipeline for faster feedback

• Collaborated with developers to ensure test coverage for backend changes

Set is an unordered collection of unique elements while list is an ordered collection of elements. Throw is used to throw an exception while throws is used to declare an exception.

• Set does not allow duplicate elements while list can have duplicates.

• Set does not maintain the order of elements while list maintains the order.

• Throw is used to explicitly throw an exception in a method while throws is used to declare the exception that can be thrown by a method.

• Example: Set set = n...read more

Scenario Outline is a feature in Cucumber that allows for parameterization of scenarios.

• It allows for the same scenario to be executed with different sets of data

• Data is provided in a tabular format using Examples keyword

• Variables are defined using angle brackets <> in the scenario outline

• Example: Scenario Outline: Login with valid credentials

Challenges in Test Automation include dynamic UI elements, maintenance of scripts, data management, and flakiness.

• Dynamic UI elements can cause scripts to fail if not handled properly

• Maintenance of scripts can be time-consuming as applications evolve

• Data management is crucial for test data setup and cleanup

• Flakiness of tests can lead to false positives or negatives

Authorization in Postman tool is used to authenticate and authorize requests sent to APIs.

• Authorization can be set in the Headers tab of a request in Postman

• Common authorization methods include Basic Auth, OAuth 2.0, and API keys

• Authorization can also be set globally for all requests in a collection

• Postman also supports automatic token refresh for OAuth 2.0 authorization

Soft assertions allow test execution to continue after a failure, while hard assertions stop the test execution immediately.

• Soft assertions are used when you want to check multiple conditions in a test case without stopping the execution on the first failure.

• Hard assertions are used when you want to stop the test execution immediately after a failure.

• Soft assertions are typically used in scenarios where you want to collect all the failures in a single test run.

• Hard assertions...read more

Test cases to test ATM machine

• Verify if the ATM machine is dispensing the correct amount of cash

• Check if the ATM machine is accepting valid debit/credit cards

• Ensure that the ATM machine is providing proper instructions to the user

• Test if the ATM machine is properly handling errors and exceptions

• Validate if the ATM machine is maintaining transaction records accurately

A program to reverse the characters of a given string.

• Iterate through the string from the end and append each character to a new string.

• Use built-in functions like reverse() or StringBuilder in Java.

• Convert the string to an array, reverse the array, and convert it back to a string.

PUT is used to update an existing resource, PATCH is used to partially update an existing resource, and POST is used to create a new resource.

• PUT replaces the entire resource with the new one, while PATCH only updates the specified fields

• PUT and PATCH are idempotent, meaning multiple identical requests will have the same effect as a single request

• POST is not idempotent and creates a new resource

• PUT and PATCH require the resource identifier in the URL, while POST does not

Annotations in Selenium are used to provide additional information about the elements on a web page.

• Annotations are added to the code using the @ symbol followed by the annotation name.

• Annotations can be used to specify the type of element, its location, and other attributes.

• Examples of annotations in Selenium include @FindBy, @BeforeTest, and @AfterTest.

To navigate the browser, use methods like get(), navigate().to(), navigate().back(), navigate().forward(), and navigate().refresh().

• Use driver.get("url") to open a specific URL

• Use driver.navigate().to("url") to navigate to a specific URL

• Use driver.navigate().back() to navigate back to the previous page

• Use driver.navigate().forward() to navigate forward to the next page

• Use driver.navigate().refresh() to refresh the current page

SQL CASE statement is used to add conditional logic to SQL queries.

• It allows for conditional execution of SQL statements.

• It can be used in SELECT, WHERE, and ORDER BY clauses.

• It can be used with multiple conditions and ELSE statements.

• Example: SELECT name, CASE WHEN age < 18 THEN 'Minor' ELSE 'Adult' END AS age_group FROM users;

• Example: SELECT name, CASE WHEN score >= 90 THEN 'A' WHEN score >= 80 THEN 'B' ELSE 'C' END AS grade FROM students;

Non equi join is a type of join in SQL where the condition used is not an equality operator.

• Non equi join is used to join tables based on conditions other than equality.

• It is used when the join condition involves operators like >, <, >=, <=, etc.

• Non equi join can result in a Cartesian product if not used carefully.

• Example: SELECT * FROM table1 JOIN table2 ON table1.column1 > table2.column2;

A program to reverse the string

• Create a function that takes a string as input

• Convert the string to an array of characters

• Reverse the array

• Convert the reversed array back to a string

• Return the reversed string

Debugging a simple coding test on Cypress

• Check for syntax errors in the code

• Verify that all necessary dependencies are installed

• Use console.log() statements to track the flow of the code

• Check for any typos or incorrect variable names

• Review the Cypress test runner output for any error messages

OOPS (Object-Oriented Programming) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects, which can contain data and code.

• OOPS focuses on creating objects that interact with each other to solve a problem

• Key principles include encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction

• Encapsulation: bundling data and methods that operate on the data into a single unit

• Inheritance: allows a class to inherit properties and behavior from another class

• Polymorphism: ability for ob...read more

OOPS (Object-Oriented Programming) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects, which can contain data and code.

• OOPS focuses on creating objects that interact with each other to solve a problem

• It involves concepts like classes, objects, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation

• Classes are blueprints for creating objects, while objects are instances of classes

• Inheritance allows a class to inherit properties and behavior from another class

• Polymorphism allows ob...read more