What Interviewers Actually Look for in a Fresher QA Tester

Title: Login issue

Description: Login is not working properly. Please check.
I tried many times. Sometimes it works sometimes not.

Severity: High

(No steps, no data, no environment, no expected result.
 A developer cannot act on this.)

Title: Login rejects valid email when entered in capital letters

Environment: Staging, build 2.8.1, Chrome on Windows 11
Test data:   registered user asha.test@example.com

Steps:
1. Open the login page
2. Enter email ASHA.TEST@EXAMPLE.COM
3. Enter the correct password
4. Click Sign in

Expected: User is logged in (email should be case-insensitive)
Actual:   Error 'Invalid email or password'

Reproducible: 5 of 5 tries. Lower-case email works.
Severity: Medium (workaround exists)
Attachments: screenshot, network response (401)

"This is a feedback form with name, email and message.
First I will submit it once normally to see the happy path.

Now I will leave email blank... it shows an error, good.
Let me try an email with a space at the end. Accepted,
but I would check if it is trimmed in the database.

What if I double-click Submit? Two success messages.
That could mean two records. I would check the backend.

Let me paste a very long message... the text overflows
the confirmation box on the right. A layout bug.

Now keyboard only: Tab goes from name to message, skipping
email. That is a focus order issue for accessibility."

EXPLORATION NOTES - Feedback form (5 minutes)

Tried                         Result           Follow up
----------------------------  ---------------  ---------------
Normal submit                 OK               -
Blank email                   Error shown      -
Trailing space in email       Accepted         Check DB value
Double-click Submit           2 success msgs   Check duplicates
500-char message              Overflow in box  Log UI bug
Keyboard Tab order            Skips email      Log a11y bug

Questions for product:
- Should duplicate submissions be blocked?
- Is there a max length for the message?

-- Orders that were placed but have no payment record
SELECT o.id, o.created_at, o.total
FROM orders o
LEFT JOIN payments p ON p.order_id = o.id
WHERE p.id IS NULL;

-- Check a registration actually saved trimmed, lower-case email
SELECT id, email, created_at
FROM users
WHERE LOWER(TRIM(email)) = 'asha.test@example.com';

-- Count duplicate feedback submissions in the last hour
SELECT email, message, COUNT(*) AS copies
FROM feedback
WHERE created_at >= NOW() - INTERVAL '1 hour'
GROUP BY email, message
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

-- (INTERVAL syntax shown is PostgreSQL; MySQL uses
--  NOW() - INTERVAL 1 HOUR)

// Postman > Tests tab for: GET {{baseUrl}}/api/users/101

pm.test('status is 200', function () {
  pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});

pm.test('response has the expected email', function () {
  const body = pm.response.json();
  pm.expect(body.email).to.eql('asha.test@example.com');
});

pm.test('responds within 1 second', function () {
  pm.expect(pm.response.responseTime).to.be.below(1000);
});

// Status codes to know:
// 200 OK, 201 Created, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorised,
// 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found, 500 Server Error

RATE YOURSELF 1-5

BASICS
[ ] Explain 8 core terms with examples          __
[ ] Apply boundary values and partitions         __

BUG REPORTS
[ ] Write a reproducible report in 5 minutes     __
[ ] Separate expected and actual clearly         __

CURIOSITY
[ ] Explore an app for 5 min, talking aloud      __

TECH BASE
[ ] Write a LEFT JOIN and explain it             __
[ ] Write 3 Postman tests and explain codes      __

LEARNING
[ ] One self-driven project I can show           __

ONE TASK PER SIGNAL

Basics:     Write flashcards for 8 term pairs.
Bug report: Find and report 3 real bugs on a public
            practice site, using the strong format.
Curiosity:  Record a 5-minute exploration of any form.
SQL:        Install a free database, create orders and
            payments tables, write the 'no payment' query.
API:        Use a free public test API in Postman and
            write status, body and time checks.
Learning:   Write a short README about what you built
            and what you would improve.

WHEN ASKED 'WHY SHOULD WE HIRE A FRESHER LIKE YOU?'

"I have strong basics in test design, and I have practised
writing clear bug reports on real practice sites. I check
data with SQL and APIs with Postman, so I do not stop at
the screen. I also learn on my own: last month I [skill]
and used it to [result]. I know I am new, so I am looking
for a team where I can learn from good testers quickly."

Replace the brackets with your own real example.