80+ Senior Automation Test Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

A technical interview question for Senior Automation Test Engineer involving list comprehension, power of two, fibonacci series, missing numbers, and character count.

• Use range() function to generate a list from 1 to 10 in list comprehension

• Check if the given integer is a power of two by using bitwise AND operator

• Use recursion to create a fibonacci series of 100

• Find missing numbers from a list by comparing it with a range of numbers

• Use a dictionary to count the occurrence of e...read more

Python has several built-in datatypes including numeric, sequence, and mapping types.

• Numeric types include integers, floating-point numbers, and complex numbers.

• Sequence types include lists, tuples, and range objects.

• Mapping types include dictionaries.

• Other datatypes include boolean, bytes, and sets.

Yes, it is possible to concatenate a string and integer using type conversion.

• Convert the integer to a string using str() function and then concatenate with the string.

• Use format() method to insert the integer value into the string.

• Use f-strings to directly insert the integer value into the string.

XPath is a language used to locate elements in an XML or HTML document. Absolute and relative XPaths differ in their starting point.

• XPath is used to navigate through elements and attributes in an XML or HTML document

• Elements can be located using absolute or relative XPaths

• Absolute XPaths start from the root node and are more specific but less flexible

• Relative XPaths start from the current node and are more flexible but less specific

Python interview questions covering recursion, data types, exception handling, memory management, and more.

• Recursion is a function that calls itself. Example: factorial function.

• Python data types include integers, floats, strings, lists, tuples, and dictionaries.

• Negative indexing allows you to access elements from the end of a list or string. Example: my_list[-1] returns the last element.

• Exceptions are handled using try-except blocks. Example: try: some_code except SomeExcept...read more

Synchronization is the process of coordinating the execution of multiple threads to ensure proper order of execution.

• Synchronization can be achieved using techniques like locks, semaphores, and monitors.

• Locks are used to ensure that only one thread can access a shared resource at a time.

• Semaphores are used to control access to a shared resource by limiting the number of threads that can access it at once.

• Monitors are used to ensure that only one thread can execute a critical ...read more

A generator is a function that returns an iterator object. It generates a sequence of values on the fly.

• Generators are used to create iterators for lazy evaluation of a sequence of values.

• They are memory efficient as they generate values on the fly instead of storing them in memory.

• Generators are used in Python for creating infinite sequences, reading large files, and processing data in chunks.

• Example: def my_generator(): yield 1; yield 2; yield 3; for i in my_generator(): pr...read more

To open a file and read repeating words, use file handling and string manipulation techniques.

• Open the file using file handling techniques in the programming language of your choice.

• Read the contents of the file and store it in a string variable.

• Split the string into an array of words using a delimiter such as space or comma.

• Loop through the array and use a dictionary or hash table to count the frequency of each word.

• Print out the repeating words along with their frequency.

• Cl...read more

To run a test suite using robotframework command line, use the 'robot' command followed by the path to the test suite file.

• Open the command prompt or terminal

• Navigate to the directory containing the test suite file

• Enter the command 'robot' followed by the name of the test suite file

• Add any additional options or arguments as needed

• Press enter to execute the command

• Example: robot my_test_suite.robot

• Example with options: robot --variable ENV:prod --outputdir results my_test_suit...read more

Print odd index elements from list1 and even index elements from list2 and combine them into a third list.

• Loop through both lists and use conditional statements to append the elements to the third list.

• Use the modulo operator to check for odd/even index.

• Final list should contain [6, 4, 12, 12, 18, 20].

To select a value from dropdown in Selenium, use the Select class and its methods.

• Locate the dropdown element using any of the locators like ID, name, class name, etc.

• Create an object of the Select class and pass the dropdown element as a parameter.

• Use the Select class methods like selectByVisibleText(), selectByValue(), or selectByIndex() to select the desired option.

• Finally, use the assert statement to verify if the selected option is correct.

Python provides random module to generate random data and numbers.

• Import random module

• Use random.randint() to generate random integer within a range

• Use random.choice() to select a random element from a list

• Use random.random() to generate a random float between 0 and 1

• Use random.uniform() to generate a random float within a range

Yes, I have experience in mobile automation and have worked with various mobile automation tools.

• I have worked with Appium, a popular mobile automation tool, to automate testing on both Android and iOS platforms.

• I have developed and executed test scripts using Appium's WebDriver API to interact with mobile applications.

• I have experience in setting up mobile test environments, including configuring emulators and real devices for testing.

• I have used mobile automation frameworks...read more

Break, continue and pass are control statements used in loops. Break terminates the loop, continue skips an iteration and pass does nothing.

• Break is used to terminate a loop when a certain condition is met

• Continue is used to skip an iteration of a loop when a certain condition is met

• Pass is used as a placeholder when a statement is required syntactically but no action is needed

findelement returns the first matching element while findelements returns a list of all matching elements.

• findelement is used to locate the first matching element on a web page

• findelements is used to locate all matching elements on a web page

• findelement throws NoSuchElementException if no matching element is found

• findelements returns an empty list if no matching element is found

Answers to technical questions for Senior Automation Test Engineer position.

• chmod 644 example.txt permission means the owner has read and write access, while others have only read access.

• XPath is a language used to locate elements in an XML document or HTML page.

• To find an element by XPath in Selenium, use the findElement() method with the By.xpath() locator. For example: driver.findElement(By.xpath("//input[@id='username']"));

• To find an element by CSS in Selenium, use the fi...read more

Pull request is a feature in git that allows developers to review and merge code changes.

• A pull request is created when a developer wants to merge their changes into the main branch

• Other developers can review the changes and leave comments or suggestions

• Once the changes are approved, the pull request can be merged into the main branch

• To commit code, use the 'git commit' command with a message describing the changes made

• To resolve merge conflicts, use 'git merge' and manually ...read more

SQL query to find names of employees starting with 'A'

• Use the SELECT statement to retrieve data from the employee table

• Use the LIKE operator to match the names starting with 'A'

• Use the % wildcard to match any number of characters after 'A'

Mailing reports can be established by integrating email APIs with automation framework.

• Integrate email APIs like SMTP or SendGrid with automation framework

• Create functions to generate and send reports via email

• Configure email settings like recipient list, subject, body, etc.

• Implement error handling and logging for email sending failures

A lambda function is a small anonymous function that can take any number of arguments and return a single value.

• Lambda functions are also known as anonymous functions or closures.

• They are often used as arguments for higher-order functions, such as map, filter, and reduce.

• Example: lambda x: x**2 defines a lambda function that takes one argument and returns its square.

Selenium supports various locators such as ID, Name, Class Name, Tag Name, Link Text, Partial Link Text, CSS Selector and XPath.

• ID locator is the most efficient and reliable locator

• Name locator is used for locating elements by their name attribute

• Class Name locator is used for locating elements by their class attribute

• Tag Name locator is used for locating elements by their tag name

• Link Text locator is used for locating elements by their link text

• Partial Link Text locator is u...read more

Arrays are fixed in size, while lists can grow or shrink dynamically.

• Arrays are a collection of elements of the same data type, while lists can contain elements of different data types.

• Arrays are accessed using an index, while lists are accessed using an iterator.

• Arrays are faster for accessing elements, while lists are faster for inserting or deleting elements.

• Examples of arrays include int[] and char[], while examples of lists include ArrayList and LinkedList.

Python program to print repetitive characters in a list excluding integers

• Use a dictionary to store the count of each character

• Iterate through the list and check if the character is a string and not an integer

• Print the characters with count greater than 1

Answers to questions related to automation testing using Selenium

• Overloading is when a method has the same name but different parameters in the same class, while overriding is when a subclass provides its own implementation of a method already defined in its superclass

• Locators in Selenium are used to identify web elements on a web page

• The syntax of xpath locator is //tagname[@attribute='value']

• Methods to write test cases include boundary value analysis, equivalence partitioni...read more

To fetch unique elements from a column, use the DISTINCT keyword in SQL.

• Use the SELECT statement with the DISTINCT keyword.

• Specify the column name from which you want to fetch unique elements.

• Example: SELECT DISTINCT column_name FROM table_name;

• You can also use GROUP BY clause to group the unique elements based on another column.

• Example: SELECT column_name, COUNT(*) FROM table_name GROUP BY column_name;

I prefer not to disclose my current CTC. As for my expected CTC, I am looking for a competitive salary based on my experience and skills.

• I am open to negotiation based on the job responsibilities and company's budget

• I have researched the market rates for similar positions and have a realistic expectation

• I am looking for a salary that reflects my experience and skills

• I am also interested in other benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off

To copy a table in MySQL, use the CREATE TABLE statement with the SELECT statement.

• Use the CREATE TABLE statement with the SELECT statement to copy a table.

• Specify the new table name after the CREATE TABLE statement.

• Specify the original table name after the SELECT statement.

• Add any additional conditions or clauses as needed.

• Example: CREATE TABLE new_table SELECT * FROM original_table WHERE condition;

To fetch 1st 5 records in SQL, use the LIMIT clause.

• Use the SELECT statement to specify the columns to retrieve.

• Use the FROM clause to specify the table to retrieve data from.

• Use the LIMIT clause to specify the number of records to retrieve.

• The syntax is: SELECT column1, column2, ... FROM table_name LIMIT 5;

• The first 5 records will be returned.

Exceptions in Selenium are errors that occur during test execution.

• Some common exceptions in Selenium are NoSuchElementException, TimeoutException, StaleElementReferenceException, and ElementNotVisibleException.

• NoSuchElementException occurs when an element cannot be found on the page.

• TimeoutException occurs when a command takes too long to execute.

• StaleElementReferenceException occurs when an element is no longer attached to the DOM.

• ElementNotVisibleException occurs when an e...read more

Types of Authentication and authorization in API testing

• Basic Authentication

• OAuth

• API Keys

• JWT (JSON Web Tokens)

• Digest Authentication

Query to find second highest salary in SQL

• Use the ORDER BY clause to sort the salaries in descending order

• Use the LIMIT clause to select the second highest salary

• Use a subquery to exclude the highest salary from the results

Selenium grid is used to run test suites in parallel across multiple machines.

• Selenium grid allows for distributed testing across multiple machines

• Tests are divided into smaller suites and run in parallel on different nodes

• Parallel execution reduces test execution time and increases efficiency

• Example: Running smoke tests on one node and regression tests on another node simultaneously

Cypress is a JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework for web applications.

• Cypress allows for easy and fast testing of web applications

• It has a simple and intuitive API for writing tests

• Cypress provides automatic waiting and retrying for elements and network requests

• It also has a built-in dashboard for recording and analyzing test results

Testing Pyramid is a testing strategy that suggests the right balance of different types of automated tests.

• The Testing Pyramid consists of three layers: Unit Tests, Service Tests, and UI Tests.

• Unit Tests are at the bottom of the pyramid and focus on testing individual components or functions in isolation.

• Service Tests are in the middle layer and focus on testing the interactions between different components or services.

• UI Tests are at the top of the pyramid and focus on test...read more

Answering questions related to testing and automation using Selenium and Java

• Different kinds of testing include unit testing, integration testing, system testing, acceptance testing, and regression testing

• Important components of Agile include continuous integration, continuous delivery, and frequent feedback loops

• Re-testing is testing the same functionality again after fixing defects, while regression testing is testing the unchanged functionality to ensure it still works

• Diff...read more

Use SQL queries to fetch records based on conditions

• Use SELECT statement to fetch records

• Add WHERE clause to specify conditions

• Use operators like =, >, <, etc. to define conditions

• Consider using JOIN for fetching records from multiple tables

Spark is a fast and general-purpose cluster computing system. Legacy defect refers to a known issue in older versions of software. XPath is a way to navigate XML documents. TestNG allows running test cases multiple times. Approach to completing a task in less time involves prioritizing and optimizing.

• Spark is a cluster computing system for big data processing.

• Legacy defect is a known issue in older versions of software that has not been fixed.

• XPath is a language used to navig...read more

Smoke testing is a quick test to check if the build is stable, sanity testing is a subset of regression testing focusing on specific areas, and regression testing is a comprehensive test to ensure no new bugs are introduced.

• Smoke testing is a preliminary test to check if the critical functionalities work without major issues after a build is deployed.

• Sanity testing is a subset of regression testing that focuses on specific areas or functionalities to ensure they still work af...read more

To run tests on iOS or Android devices using Appium, specify the platformName capability in desired capabilities.

• Specify platformName capability as 'iOS' for iOS devices and 'Android' for Android devices

• Include other necessary desired capabilities like deviceName, platformVersion, appPackage, appActivity, etc.

• Example: capabilities.setCapability('platformName', 'iOS');

Mobile testing is important for ensuring the functionality and usability of applications on various devices. Techniques like scrolling and touch actions are essential for testing mobile apps.

• Mobile testing ensures that applications work correctly on different devices and screen sizes.

• Scrolling on a phone can be done using methods like swipe or scroll actions in automation tools like Appium.

• The Touch Actions class in Selenium allows for performing complex touch gestures like t...read more

Windows and frames can be handled in Selenium using switchTo() method.

• Use driver.switchTo().window() to switch between windows.

• Use driver.switchTo().frame() to switch between frames.

• To switch back to the default content, use driver.switchTo().defaultContent().

Custom commands in Cypress are user-defined functions that can be reused across multiple tests.

• Custom commands can be defined in the 'commands.js' file in the Cypress support folder.

• They can be used to encapsulate complex logic or to simplify repetitive tasks.

• Custom commands can be chained with Cypress commands to create more complex test scenarios.

• Examples of custom commands include logging in a user, navigating to a specific page, or interacting with a custom UI component.

Full join is a type of SQL join that returns all the rows from both tables, matching rows from both tables and nulls where there is no match.

• Full join is also known as a full outer join.

• It is used to combine data from two tables where some of the data may not match.

• The result set includes all the rows from both tables, with nulls where there is no match.

• Full join is represented by the keyword 'FULL OUTER JOIN' in SQL.

• Example: SELECT * FROM table1 FULL OUTER JOIN table2 ON tab...read more

Status codes in API testing indicate the outcome of the request made to the API.

• 200 - OK: Request was successful

• 201 - Created: Request resulted in a new resource being created

• 400 - Bad Request: Request was invalid

• 401 - Unauthorized: Request requires authentication

• 404 - Not Found: Resource not found

• 500 - Internal Server Error: Server encountered an error

I have used the Selenium WebDriver framework for test automation.

• 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 various testing frameworks such as TestNG, JUnit, etc.

• I have used Page Object Model (POM) design pattern for better code organization and maintenance.

Java code to reverse a string with exception handling and waits in Selenium

• Use StringBuilder to reverse the string

• Use try-catch block for exception handling

• Use implicit or explicit waits in Selenium for synchronization

• Example: String originalString = "hello"; StringBuilder reversedString = new StringBuilder(originalString).reverse();

• Example: try { // code that may throw exception } catch (Exception e) { // handle exception }

Convert string to array and extract vowels into a new array

• Iterate through each character in the string

• Check if the character is a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)

• Add the vowel to a new array of strings