50+ Senior Test Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Test prioritization is the process of determining the order in which tests should be executed based on their importance and risk.

• Tests are prioritized based on their impact on the system and the likelihood of failure.

• Prioritization helps to ensure that critical defects are identified and fixed early in the testing process.

• Factors such as business requirements, user expectations, and regulatory compliance are considered when prioritizing tests.

• Test cases with high priority are...read more

Method overloading is creating multiple methods with the same name but different parameters. Method overriding is creating a new implementation of an existing method in a subclass.

• Method overloading is used to provide different ways to call the same method with different parameters.

• Method overriding is used to provide a new implementation of an existing method in a subclass.

• Explicit wait is a type of wait in Selenium WebDriver where the code waits for a specific condition to ...read more

Explanation of String Builder and String Buffer and how to reverse a string without them.

• String Builder and String Buffer are classes in Java used for manipulating strings efficiently.

• String Builder is not thread-safe while String Buffer is thread-safe.

• To reverse a string without String Builder or String Buffer, we can use a loop to iterate through the string and append each character to a new string in reverse order.

• Example: String str = "hello"; String reversedStr = ""; for...read more

STLC stands for Software Testing Life Cycle. It is a process followed to test software applications.

• STLC is a systematic approach to testing software applications.

• It consists of various phases such as requirement analysis, test planning, test design, test execution, and test closure.

• Each phase has specific activities and deliverables.

• The goal of STLC is to ensure high-quality software by identifying defects and verifying that the software meets the specified requirements.

• SDLC...read more

Comparator is an interface used to sort objects, while Comparable is an interface used to define natural ordering of objects.

• Comparator is used to define custom sorting logic for objects, while Comparable is used to define natural ordering based on a class's implementation of compareTo() method.

• Comparator can be used to sort objects of different classes, while Comparable is used to sort objects of the same class.

• Example: Sorting a list of Employee objects based on their salar...read more

Smoke testing is a preliminary test to check if the software build is stable for further testing, while sanity testing is a subset of regression testing to verify specific functionality after changes.

• Smoke testing is done to ensure the stability of the build before further testing, while sanity testing is done to verify specific functionality after changes.

• Smoke testing is a shallow and wide approach, covering all major functionalities, while sanity testing is a deep and narr...read more

The output of each join between Table 1 and Table 2 with values 1,1,1 and 1,1,0 respectively.

• Inner join: Output will be 1,1,1 as it only includes matching values from both tables.

• Left join: Output will be 1,1,1 from Table 1 as it includes all values from Table 1 and matching values from Table 2.

• Right join: Output will be 1,1,0 from Table 2 as it includes all values from Table 2 and matching values from Table 1.

• Full outer join: Output will be 1,1,1 and 1,1,0 as it includes all...read more

The default size of ArrayList in Java is 10.

• ArrayList is a dynamic array that can grow or shrink as needed.

• The initial capacity of an ArrayList is 10 by default.

• If the number of elements exceeds the initial capacity, the ArrayList automatically increases its size.

Various techniques are used while designing testing to ensure comprehensive coverage of the system under test.

• Boundary Value Analysis

• Equivalence Partitioning

• Decision Table Testing

• State Transition Testing

• Exploratory Testing

• Regression Testing

• Ad-hoc Testing

• Pairwise Testing

• Risk-Based Testing

Test cycle schedule is planned by considering project timelines, test objectives, resources, and risks.

• Identify project timelines and milestones

• Define test objectives and scope

• Allocate resources and identify dependencies

• Identify and prioritize risks

• Create a detailed test plan and schedule

• Review and adjust the schedule as needed

Severity and priority are important concepts in software testing to determine the impact and urgency of a defect.

• Severity refers to the impact of a defect on the system or application. It is usually categorized as low, medium, or high.

• Priority, on the other hand, determines the urgency of fixing a defect. It is often classified as low, medium, or high.

• Example: A defect that causes the application to crash every time a specific button is clicked would have high severity and hi...read more

OOP is a programming paradigm based on objects, encapsulating data and behavior, promoting code reusability and modularity.

• Encapsulation: Bundling data and methods that operate on the data within one unit (e.g., a class).

• Inheritance: Mechanism to create a new class based on an existing class, inheriting its properties (e.g., a 'Dog' class inheriting from an 'Animal' class).

• Polymorphism: Ability to present the same interface for different underlying data types (e.g., a functio...read more

Parallel testing in Selenium allows simultaneous execution of tests to reduce overall testing time and improve efficiency.

• 1. Use TestNG or JUnit: These frameworks support parallel execution by configuring the XML file or annotations.

• 2. Configure test suite: In TestNG, set 'parallel' attribute in the suite tag to 'methods' or 'classes'.

• 3. Example: <suite name='ParallelTests' parallel='methods' thread-count='5'>

• 4. Use Selenium Grid: Distribute tests across multiple machines or ...read more

BDD cucumber code for login to an application

• Create a feature file with scenario outline for login

• Write step definitions for each step in the scenario outline

• Use page object model to interact with login page elements

• Use Given-When-Then format for each step

• Example: Given user is on login page, When user enters valid credentials, Then user should be logged in

I have worked with various automation frameworks including Selenium, Appium, and TestNG.

• I have experience working with Selenium WebDriver for web application automation

• I have also worked with Appium for mobile automation testing

• TestNG has been my preferred framework for test management and reporting

• I have also used Cucumber for behavior-driven development (BDD) testing

• In addition, I have experience with Robot Framework for acceptance testing

• I am familiar with both data-driven...read more

UAI testing is User Acceptance Interface testing which ensures that the system meets user requirements. System testing is testing the entire system as a whole.

• UAI testing is done to ensure that the system meets user requirements

• It focuses on the user interface and user experience

• System testing is done to test the entire system as a whole

• It includes testing of all components and their interactions

• It ensures that the system is functioning as expected

Abstraction is implemented in the framework through interfaces and base classes.

• Abstraction is achieved through interfaces which define the contract for classes to implement.

• Base classes provide common functionality that can be inherited by concrete classes.

• Abstraction helps in decoupling the implementation details from the actual test cases.

• Example: Interface 'ITestCase' defines methods like 'executeTest' which are implemented by classes like 'LoginTestCase'.

Defect severity and priority are different in terms of impact and urgency.

• Defect severity refers to the impact of the defect on the system or application.

• Defect priority refers to the urgency of fixing the defect.

• Severity is usually categorized as low, medium, high, or critical.

• Priority is usually categorized as low, medium, high, or immediate.

• Example: A spelling mistake in a button label is a low severity defect but may have a high priority if it affects the usability of the...read more

To find duplicates without using count(*), use self-join and group by clause.

• Use self-join to join the table with itself on the column that contains the duplicates.

• Use group by clause to group the results by the column that contains duplicates.

• Select the columns you want to display along with the count of duplicates.

Smoke testing is a quick test to check if the critical functionalities of the application are working. Sanity testing is a subset of regression testing to check if the bugs have been fixed and no new issues have been introduced.

• Smoke testing is done to ensure that the application is stable enough for further testing.

• Sanity testing is done to ensure that the changes made to the application have not introduced any new issues.

• Smoke testing is a subset of acceptance testing.

• Sanit...read more

Defect Life Cycle is a process followed by testers to identify, report, and resolve defects in software.

• Defect is identified and reported by tester

• Defect is reviewed by development team

• Defect is assigned to a developer for fixing

• Defect is fixed by developer

• Defect is retested by tester

• Defect is closed if it passes retest, else reopened

• Categories include New, Open, In Progress, Fixed, Reopened, Closed

I appreciate the offer and am open to discussing the 15% hike based on my skills and contributions.

• I have consistently delivered high-quality testing results in my previous roles.

• My experience in automation testing has led to significant time savings for my team.

• I have successfully led testing efforts for multiple high-stakes projects, ensuring timely delivery.

• I am committed to continuous learning and have recently completed certifications that enhance my skill set.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is the final phase of testing where end-users test the software to ensure it meets their requirements.

• UAT is performed by end-users or business representatives

• It is done in a real-world environment

• The focus is on validating the software's functionality and usability

• UAT is conducted after all other testing phases are completed

• Defects found during UAT are reported and fixed before the software is released

Java program to reverse a string using StringBuilder class.

• Create a StringBuilder object with the given string as parameter.

• Use the reverse() method of StringBuilder class to reverse the string.

• Convert the StringBuilder object back to string using toString() method.

Singleton classes are classes that can only have one instance created throughout the program.

• Singleton classes have a private constructor to prevent multiple instances.

• They typically provide a static method to access the single instance.

• Commonly used for logging, database connections, and configuration settings.

• Example: Logger class in a software application.

An automation framework consists of a set of guidelines, coding standards, and best practices to automate testing.

• The framework should be modular and scalable

• It should have a clear separation of concerns

• It should have reusable components such as libraries, functions, and utilities

• It should have a reporting mechanism to track test results

• It should support multiple test types such as functional, regression, and performance testing

• Examples of popular automation frameworks includ...read more

Regression testing is the process of retesting a software application to ensure that new code changes have not adversely affected existing features.

• Regression testing is performed to make sure that new code changes do not introduce new bugs or issues in previously working functionality.

• It involves running previously executed test cases to verify that the existing features still work as expected.

• Regression testing is typically automated to save time and effort in retesting.

• It ...read more