Curated interview practice questions with answers. These are practice scenarios, not a verified list of past interview questions.
About Birlasoft hiring for Automation Testing roles
Birlasoft is an Indian IT services company and part of the CK Birla Group. It focuses on enterprise solutions such as Oracle, SAP and Microsoft applications, along with cloud, data and testing services for manufacturing, life sciences and energy clients. In India it hires for software engineers, ERP consultants, test engineers and data analysts.
For Automation Testing roles, this Birlasoft practice set focuses most on API Testing and CI/CD (7), Selenium Grid & Docker (6), Appium Mobile Automation (5), Git, Maven and Jenkins (5). It has 18 easy, 19 medium, 3 hard questions, so you can start easy and work up to the harder ones.
Company type
IT services
Headquarters
Pune, India
Main India offices
Pune, Noida, Bengaluru, Chennai
Birlasoft Automation Testing interview process
Online assessment (aptitude + reasoning)
Technical MCQs
Technical interview
HR round
Typical pattern based on public candidate experiences. Rounds vary by role, team and year.
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01
What is the difference between noReset and fullReset in Appium?
By default Appium clears app data between sessions but keeps the app installed. noReset set to true keeps app data and login state, which speeds up tests but can leak state between them. fullReset set to true uninstalls and reinstalls the app, giving the cleanest state but adding time. A common approach is noReset for fast suites with explicit cleanup in the test, and fullReset only for first-launch or onboarding scenarios.
02
ArrayList vs HashMap — how do you use them in a framework?
Profiles are sets of configuration activated by name, such as -Pqa or -Pstaging, or by conditions. In automation they switch environment URLs, suite files, browsers or parallel settings without changing code. For example a regression profile sets suiteXml to regression.xml and threadCount to 4. Combined with properties files, profiles keep one codebase for every environment.
04
Which tests should run at each stage of a CI/CD pipeline?
On every commit or pull request: unit tests, static checks and a fast API and UI smoke suite. After deploying to a test environment: broader API and integration tests. Nightly: full UI regression across browsers. Before or after production release: a short production-safe smoke and monitoring checks. Faster feedback first, heavier tests later.
Continuous Integration builds and tests every commit, and Continuous Delivery ships automatically. Automated tests give fast feedback and gate releases.
06
How do you record videos of tests running on a Docker Selenium Grid?
Add the selenium/video image as a sidecar container next to each node, sharing the node's display through DISPLAY_CONTAINER_NAME, and mount a folder for the mp4 files. Newer Grid versions also support recording per session by setting the se:recordVideo capability with Dynamic Grid. Name videos with se:name so they match test names. Keep videos only for failed tests or for a few days, because they use a lot of disk space.
The default lifecycle has phases in order: validate, compile, test, package, verify, install and deploy. Running a phase runs all earlier phases too, so mvn test compiles and then runs unit tests through Surefire. mvn verify also runs integration tests with Failsafe. There are also clean and site lifecycles. Automation suites usually run with mvn clean test or mvn clean verify.
08
What is API testing and why is it done before UI testing?
API testing checks the business logic layer directly by sending requests and validating responses, status codes, data and errors. It is faster, more stable and cheaper to maintain than UI tests, and it can start as soon as endpoints exist, before the UI is ready. Most functional rules should be covered at API level, leaving UI tests for key user journeys.
09
What is the difference between @BeforeTest and @BeforeMethod?
A .gitignore lists files Git should not track. In a Java automation project ignore target/, test-output/, allure-results/, reports, screenshots, logs, IDE folders like .idea and .vscode, *.iml, OS files like .DS_Store, and local config files holding secrets. Ignoring generated output keeps the repository small and avoids noisy diffs and conflicts.
11
What is parameterization in JMeter and how does CSV Data Set Config work?
Parameterization replaces hard-coded inputs with varied test data so users do not all log in as the same account or search the same item, which would give unrealistic cache hits. CSV Data Set Config reads a CSV file line by line and stores columns into variables like ${username} and ${password}. You set the file path, variable names, delimiter, whether to recycle at end of file and the sharing mode across threads.
12
Write a REST Assured test using RequestSpecBuilder and ResponseSpecBuilder.
Lambdas are short anonymous functions; streams process collections declaratively with filter, map and collect, for example filtering link text from a list of elements.
14
Write a Dockerfile that runs a Maven and TestNG test suite.
A quality gate is a rule a build must pass before moving forward, such as all smoke tests passing, code coverage above a threshold, no critical static analysis issues, or no new high-severity vulnerabilities. If the gate fails, the pipeline stops and the change is not deployed. Gates make quality an automatic decision instead of a manual check.
16
How does Appium automate iOS apps and what setup is required?
Appium uses the XCUITest driver, which builds and installs WebDriverAgent on the simulator or device. WebDriverAgent is a small XCTest-based server that receives commands and drives the UI. You need a Mac with Xcode, the iOS SDK and command line tools. For real devices you also need a valid Apple developer team, provisioning profile and signed WebDriverAgent. Most iOS setup failures come from signing problems or Xcode and iOS version mismatches.
17
How would you design a framework that supports both web and mobile using POM?
Define page interfaces for business actions, such as LoginScreen.loginAs(). Provide web and mobile implementations using Selenium and Appium, chosen by a factory from configuration. Tests depend only on the interfaces. Share test data, config, reporting and API helpers. Accept that some flows differ by platform and keep those in platform-specific tests rather than forcing one abstraction.
Rule, added in Gherkin 6, groups scenarios that illustrate one business rule inside a feature. For example, a Feature: Discounts can have Rule: Orders above 1000 get free delivery, followed by scenarios showing the rule holding and not holding. Each Rule can have its own Background. It makes feature files read like a specification of rules with examples, which helps business stakeholders see exactly what each scenario proves.
Runtime events that disrupt flow. Use try-catch-finally, throw, throws, and custom exceptions; checked exceptions must be handled while unchecked ones need not be.
21
Why do Selenium browser containers need a larger shm_size?
Chrome and Firefox use shared memory at /dev/shm for rendering and inter-process communication. Docker gives containers only 64 MB of shared memory by default, which is not enough for modern pages, so the browser tab crashes with errors like session deleted because of page crash. Setting shm_size to 2g in Compose, or --shm-size=2g with docker run, fixes it. Mounting /dev/shm from the host is an alternative.
22
Why is JSR223 with Groovy preferred over BeanShell in JMeter?
JSR223 elements with Groovy compile scripts once and cache them, so they run much faster and use less CPU under load. BeanShell is interpreted on every call and becomes a bottleneck at high thread counts. Groovy also supports modern Java syntax and is the default JSR223 language. Enable caching by keeping the cache compiled script option on and passing values through vars or parameters, not by embedding ${} inside the script.
23
How do you store passwords and tokens safely in Jenkins?
Use the Jenkins Credentials store and bind them in the pipeline with withCredentials or the credentials() helper in environment blocks. Jenkins masks the values in console logs. Never hard-code secrets in the Jenkinsfile, pom.xml or properties files committed to Git. For larger setups, integrate a vault service and give each job only the credentials it needs.
24
Your CI pipeline is blocked because a downstream service needed for API tests is often down. What do you do?
Add a health check stage that pings dependencies before tests and marks the run as environment failure rather than test failure. For tests that do not need the real service, use stubs. Escalate with data on downtime frequency to the team owning the service. Keep a separate scheduled job for the real integration tests so pull requests are not blocked.
25
How do you check that the Grid is ready before starting the tests in CI?
Poll the Grid status endpoint, http://hub:4444/status, until the JSON field value.ready is true, which means at least one node has registered. In a shell step you can loop with curl and jq, for example until curl -s http://localhost:4444/status | jq -e '.value.ready'; do sleep 2; done, with an overall timeout. In Compose you can add a healthcheck on the hub. Without this, the first tests fail while nodes are still starting.
26
What is Appium and how does its architecture work?
Appium is an open-source tool for automating native, hybrid and mobile web apps on Android and iOS using the W3C WebDriver protocol. Your Java test sends HTTP commands to the Appium server, which forwards them to a platform driver such as UiAutomator2 for Android or XCUITest for iOS. That driver talks to the device and returns results. Because it follows WebDriver, Selenium testers can reuse locators, waits and framework design.
27
How do you increase the number of Chrome nodes with Docker Compose?
Use the scale option: docker compose up -d --scale chrome=4 starts four Chrome node containers from the same service definition, and each registers with the hub. Do not fix container names or host ports on a scaled service, or the extra containers will clash. Check the Grid UI on port 4444 to confirm the slots. Make sure the host has enough CPU and memory, roughly one CPU core and 1 to 2 GB per browser.
First shrink the UI suite by moving checks to API and unit level. Then run the rest on an autoscaling Grid, for example Kubernetes with KEDA, sized so tests divided by slots times average duration fits the budget. Make tests independent with API-based setup and ThreadLocal drivers. Shard tests across CI agents, fail fast on smoke tests first, and track flaky tests separately. Pin image versions and monitor queue time.
31
What is a Jenkins agent and how do labels help run tests?
An agent is a machine or container that runs build steps on behalf of the Jenkins controller. Labels are tags given to agents, such as linux, docker or windows-chrome. In a pipeline, agent { label 'docker' } sends the job to a matching agent. Testers use labels to send UI tests to agents with browsers or Docker installed, and to keep heavy test runs off the controller, which should only coordinate.
32
How do you log requests and responses in REST Assured?
Use given().log().all() for the full request and then().log().all() for the full response. To reduce noise, use log().ifValidationFails() on both, which prints only when a test fails. For a whole suite, set RestAssured.enableLoggingOfRequestAndResponseIfValidationFails() or add RequestLoggingFilter and ResponseLoggingFilter in a shared spec. Mask tokens and passwords before logs reach CI.
33
What are appPackage and appActivity in Android automation?
appPackage is the unique application id of an Android app, such as com.example.shop, and appActivity is the activity screen that Appium launches first, such as .MainActivity. Together they let Appium start an app that is already installed without passing the apk path. You can find them with adb shell dumpsys window or by reading the manifest. A wrong activity name is a common reason a session fails to start.
34
How do you handle a test that is flaky only in headless mode?
Prefer stable attributes in this order: dedicated test attributes like data-testid, id, name, then short CSS selectors, and XPath only when text or complex relationships are needed. Avoid absolute XPaths and index-based locators. Keep locators as private final By fields at the top of the class with clear names, so updates are quick and readable.
Situation: a product team requested load testing three days before launch. Task: give useful results fast and set expectations. Action: I explained the risk, agreed on the two most critical journeys, reused API scripts and ran a short load and spike test, sharing results daily. I also proposed adding a performance stage to future sprints. Result: we found a missing database index before launch, and the next release included performance tests from the start.
38
Write a REST Assured POST test that sends a JSON body and checks the response.
Wait for a stable end state instead of sleeping, for example wait until the target element is visible and enabled or until a spinner disappears. On test devices and emulators you can disable animations with adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 0, along with the transition and animator scales. Ask developers for an idle indicator if needed. Disabling animations makes tests faster and more stable, but keep one manual check of the real animations.
40
What do HTTP status codes 200, 201, 400, 401, 403, 404 and 500 mean?
200 OK, 201 Created, 400 bad request, 401 unauthenticated, 403 forbidden, 404 not found and 500 server error.
Tips to crack the Birlasoft Automation Testing interview
Learn basic ERP concepts such as procure-to-pay and order-to-cash, as many Birlasoft projects involve enterprise applications.
Revise SQL and data basics, since ERP and analytics roles both rely on strong querying skills.
Read about the CK Birla Group and Birlasoft's manufacturing and life sciences client focus.
Keep a one-minute story ready for every project on your CV: problem, your part, tools, result.
Practise the hard questions on this page aloud; Birlasoft interviewers usually ask follow-ups on your first answer.
Frequently asked questions
How many rounds are there in the Birlasoft Automation Testing interview?
Candidates usually go through 4 stages: Online assessment (aptitude + reasoning); Technical MCQs; Technical interview; HR round. The exact rounds change with the role, team, location and your experience, so confirm the process with the recruiter.
Which topics should I prepare for the Birlasoft Automation Testing interview?
This practice set leans on API Testing and CI/CD (7), Selenium Grid & Docker (6), Appium Mobile Automation (5), Git, Maven and Jenkins (5). Revise those first, then practise explaining one or two of your own projects end to end, because most Birlasoft interviewers ask you to walk through real work.
Are these the exact questions asked at Birlasoft?
No. These are curated practice questions that match the skills and difficulty usually tested in it services interviews like Birlasoft's. They are not a leaked or verified list of past questions.
Where does Birlasoft hire Automation Testing professionals in India?
Birlasoft has large teams in Pune, Noida, Bengaluru, Chennai. Openings and locations change often, so check the Birlasoft careers page and filter by city and experience.
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