30+ Software Quality Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

The problem involves calculating the minimum number of partitions needed to ensure every resulting substring is a palindrome.

• Iterate through the string and check for palindromes at each possible partition point.

• Keep track of the minimum cuts needed to partition the string into palindromic substrings.

• Consider edge cases such as when the string is already a palindrome or when all characters are unique.

• Example: For input 'AACCB', the valid partition 'A | A | CC | B' requires 2 c...read more

Find all leaders in a sequence - elements greater than all elements to their right.

• Iterate from right to left, keep track of maximum element encountered so far

• If current element is greater than maximum, it is a leader

• Return the leaders in the same order as the input sequence

Check if two strings are anagrams of each other by comparing the sorted characters.

• Sort the characters of both strings and compare them.

• Use a dictionary to count the occurrences of characters in each string.

• Ensure both strings have the same length before proceeding.

• Handle edge cases like empty strings or strings with different lengths.

• Example: str1 = 'listen', str2 = 'silent' should return True.

Detect if a singly linked list forms a cycle by checking if a node's next pointer points back to a previous node.

• Traverse the linked list using two pointers, one moving at double the speed of the other.

• If the two pointers meet at any point, there is a cycle in the linked list.

• Use Floyd's Cycle Detection Algorithm for efficient detection.

• Example: Input: 3 2 0 -4 -1, 1 Output: true

Convert a binary tree into its mirror tree by interchanging left and right children of non-leaf nodes.

• Traverse the binary tree in a recursive manner.

• Swap the left and right children of each non-leaf node.

• Continue this process until all nodes are visited.

• Output the inorder traversal of the mirror tree.

Given an encrypted string with repeated substrings represented by counts, find the K'th character of the decrypted string.

• Parse the encrypted string to extract substrings and their counts

• Iterate through the decrypted string to find the K'th character

• Handle cases where counts are more than one digit or in parts

Implement a queue using only stack data structures, supporting FIFO principle.

• Use two stacks to simulate a queue: one for enqueueing and one for dequeueing.

• For enQueue operation, push elements onto the enqueue stack.

• For deQueue operation, if dequeue stack is empty, transfer elements from enqueue stack.

• For peek operation, return top element of dequeue stack.

• For isEmpty operation, check if both stacks are empty.

Find the second largest element in an array of integers.

• Iterate through the array to find the largest and second largest elements.

• Handle cases where all elements are identical.

• Return -1 if a second largest element does not exist.

The candidate is asked to solve three coding problems related to integers, subarrays, and word search in a crossword grid.

• For R1: Convert an integer to words, for example, 123 should be converted to 'one hundred twenty three'.

• For R2: Find the subarray with the sum greater than the entire array, for example, in [1, -2, 3, 10, -4, 7, 2, -5], the subarray [3, 10, -4, 7, 2] has a sum greater than the entire array.

• For R3: Find a word in a crossword grid (word search in a boggle), ...read more

If software is not meeting quality standards, I will identify the root cause, work with the team to address the issues, and implement corrective actions.

• Identify the root cause of the quality issues through thorough testing and analysis

• Collaborate with the development team to address the identified issues

• Implement corrective actions such as code refactoring, additional testing, or process improvements

• Monitor the software quality continuously to ensure that the issues are reso...read more

I analyze root causes, implement preventive measures, and ensure thorough testing to avoid repeated issues in software releases.

• Conduct a root cause analysis to identify the underlying issue causing the repetition.

• Implement preventive measures, such as code reviews or automated tests, to catch issues early.

• Maintain a log of repeated issues to track patterns and ensure they are addressed in future releases.

• Engage with the development team to discuss findings and collaborativel...read more

Prepare by gathering information from stakeholders, exploring the application, creating test scenarios, and using exploratory testing.

• Gather information from stakeholders to understand the purpose of the application.

• Explore the application to identify key functionalities and potential areas of risk.

• Create test scenarios based on the observed behavior and potential user interactions.

• Use exploratory testing to uncover defects and validate the application's behavior.

• Collaborate ...read more

I prefer Agile testing methodology for its flexibility, collaboration, and focus on continuous improvement in software quality.

• Agile testing promotes collaboration between developers and testers, enhancing communication and understanding of requirements.

• It allows for iterative testing, enabling quick feedback and adjustments based on user needs, as seen in Scrum sprints.

• Continuous integration and delivery in Agile ensure that testing is integrated into the development process...read more

Writing effective test cases involves clear structure, detailed steps, and expected outcomes to ensure software quality.

• Identify the test case ID for easy reference (e.g., TC001).

• Define the test case title that summarizes the purpose (e.g., 'Login Functionality').

• Outline preconditions that must be met before executing the test (e.g., 'User must be registered').

• List the test steps in a clear, sequential manner (e.g., 'Step 1: Open the login page').

• Specify the expected results ...read more

Performing load test using JMeter involves creating test plan, adding thread group, configuring samplers, setting up listeners, and running the test.

• Create a test plan in JMeter.

• Add a thread group to the test plan.

• Configure samplers to simulate user actions.

• Set up listeners to view test results.

• Run the test and analyze the results.

• Adjust the number of threads, ramp-up period, and loop count for load testing.

• Use timers to simulate realistic user behavior.

• Monitor server resourc...read more

Sort a stack using only peek, push and pop operations

• Create a temporary stack to hold the sorted elements

• While the original stack is not empty, pop the top element and compare it with the top element of the temporary stack

• If the top element of the original stack is greater than the top element of the temporary stack, push it onto the temporary stack

• If the top element of the original stack is smaller, keep popping elements from the temporary stack and pushing them back onto th...read more

Pointers in C are variables that store the memory address of another variable.

• Pointers are declared using the * symbol.

• They can be used to access and manipulate data stored in memory.

• Pointers can be used to pass values by reference.

• Example: int *ptr; ptr = # *ptr = 10; // num now equals 10

• Arrays in C are also implemented using pointers.

Function overloading is the ability to have multiple functions with the same name but different parameters.

• Functions with the same name but different parameters can be defined in the same scope.

• The compiler determines which function to call based on the number and types of arguments passed.

• Function overloading is commonly used in object-oriented programming languages like C++ and Java.

TDD is Test Driven Development and BDD is Behavior Driven Development.

• TDD is a software development process where tests are written before the code.

• BDD is a software development process where tests are written in a natural language that describes the behavior of the system.

• TDD focuses on testing the functionality of individual units of code.

• BDD focuses on testing the behavior of the system as a whole.

• TDD is often associated with unit testing, while BDD is often associated wit...read more

To reverse a string without reversing the numbers, split the string into words and reverse each word individually.

• Split the string into an array of words

• Reverse each word individually

• Join the reversed words back together

Software testing is the process of evaluating a software application or system to find defects and ensure it meets the specified requirements.

• Software testing involves executing a program or application with the intent of finding errors.

• It is done to ensure that the software meets the specified requirements and is of high quality.

• Testing can be done manually or using automated tools.

• Types of testing include functional, performance, security, usability, and compatibility testi...read more

Flow diagram of Wafer Test cases

• Start with wafer preparation

• Perform electrical testing on each die

• Check for defects and record results

• Sort dies based on test results

• End with final wafer disposition

Selenium code for writing test case

• Create a new Java class for the test case

• Import Selenium WebDriver and other necessary libraries

• Instantiate a new WebDriver object

• Navigate to the webpage to be tested

• Find the element(s) to interact with using WebDriver methods

• Perform actions on the element(s) using WebDriver methods

• Assert expected results using assertions or if-else statements

• Close the WebDriver object

I chose testing because I enjoy finding bugs and ensuring software quality.

• Enjoy finding bugs and solving problems

• Passionate about ensuring software quality

• Interest in improving user experience

• Opportunity to work closely with developers

A broken links program is a tool used to identify and fix hyperlinks on a website that are no longer working.

• Broken links can negatively impact user experience and SEO rankings.

• The program scans the website for broken links and provides a report of the URLs that need to be fixed.

• Webmasters can use the program to update or remove broken links to ensure a seamless browsing experience for users.

• Examples of broken links include URLs that lead to 404 error pages or have been moved...read more

A simple Java program that prints 'Hello, World!' to the console, demonstrating basic syntax and structure.

• Java is an object-oriented programming language.

• The main method is the entry point of any Java application: 'public static void main(String[] args)'.

• System.out.println() is used to print output to the console.

• Java files must be saved with a .java extension.

A framework is a set of guidelines, libraries, and tools used to develop software applications.

• Provides a structure for organizing code

• Offers reusable code and libraries

• Simplifies development process

• Examples: React, Angular, Django