How I Spot a Copy-Pasted Software Tester Project in Minutes

TC_01  Verify login with valid credentials
Pre-condition: User is on login page
Steps:
  1. Enter valid username
  2. Enter valid password
  3. Click login
Expected: User should be logged in successfully
Status: Pass

(Could belong to any project on the internet.)

TC_LV_07  Leave request spanning a weekend
Module: Leave > Apply
Pre-condition: Employee E103 has 10 casual leaves,
               weekly off Saturday and Sunday
Test data: From Fri 14th to Mon 17th
Steps:
  1. Log in as E103
  2. Apply casual leave 14th to 17th
  3. Submit and check leave summary
Expected:
  - Leave counted as 2 days (Fri, Mon), not 4
  - Balance shows 8
  - Manager M20 receives one approval request
Actual: Counted as 4 days -> BUG-LV-03 raised

// Typical pasted test method
@Test
public void loginTest() throws InterruptedException {
    driver.findElement(By.xpath("/html/body/div[1]/div/div[2]/form/input[1]"))
          .sendKeys("admin");
    driver.findElement(By.xpath("/html/body/div[1]/div/div[2]/form/input[2]"))
          .sendKeys("admin123");
    driver.findElement(By.xpath("/html/body/div[1]/div/div[2]/form/button"))
          .click();
    Thread.sleep(5000);
    System.out.println("Login done");
}
// No assertion. Fragile locators. Fixed sleep.

// Same test after the candidate reworked it
@Test
public void employeeCanApplyWeekendSpanningLeave() {
    LoginPage login = new LoginPage(driver);
    LeavePage leave = login.loginAs(users.get("E103"));

    leave.apply("Casual", "2026-11-13", "2026-11-16");

    WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
    wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(
            By.cssSelector("[data-test='leave-summary']")));

    Assert.assertEquals(leave.daysCounted(), 2,
            "Weekend days must not be counted");
}

BUG-LV-03
Title: Leave spanning weekend counts Sat and Sun as leave days
Module: Leave > Apply
Build/Env: demo build of Nov, Chrome 130, Windows 11
Severity: Major   Priority: High

Steps:
  1. Log in as employee E103 (10 CL balance)
  2. Apply CL from Fri 14th to Mon 17th
  3. Open Leave Summary

Expected: 2 days counted, balance 8
Actual:   4 days counted, balance 6

Notes: Same issue for Earned Leave.
       Holiday on 14th also counted. Screenshot attached.

"In my leave management project, the bug I am proudest
of is a weekend counting issue. I noticed the balance
dropped by 4 for a Friday to Monday leave. I checked
whether it was only casual leave, it was not, so I raised
it as Major with High priority because it directly
affects salary deductions. After that I added three
more cases around holidays and weekends, and one of
them found that public holidays were also counted."

MAKE IT YOURS

[ ] Pick one module tutorials ignore and test it deeply
[ ] Write at least 15 test cases with real business rules
[ ] Log at least 3 real bugs with build, env, steps, evidence
[ ] Replace every Thread.sleep with an explicit wait
[ ] Replace absolute XPaths with IDs or CSS selectors
[ ] Add assertions to every automated test
[ ] Move test data out of code (JSON, CSV or properties)
[ ] Delete classes and configs you do not use
[ ] Commit changes in small steps with clear messages
[ ] Write a README section: what I changed and why

PREPARE ONE ANSWER FOR EACH

My best bug:
  What, how I found it, severity and why ________

My flakiest test:
  Symptom, cause, fix ___________________________

One design change:
  Before, after, reason _________________________

What is not covered:
  Modules or devices I skipped and why ___________

What I would add next:
  API tests in Postman? Mobile view? ____________

## What I built on top of the starter framework

- Tested the Leave module in depth (22 test cases)
- Found 4 defects, see /bugs for full reports
- Replaced fixed sleeps with WebDriverWait
- Switched locators to data-test attributes
- Test users stored in testdata/users.json
- Added a TestNG listener that saves a screenshot on failure

## Not covered yet

- Payroll module (no test account for that role)
- Mobile layout

(Use your own real numbers here.)