HSBC Automation Testing Interview Questions & Answers

Implement ITestListener.onTestFailure(): File src = ((TakesScreenshot) driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE); then copy it into the reports folder.

A design pattern where each page is a class holding its locators and actions, so tests stay readable and a locator change is fixed in one place.

An interface for systems to talk to each other. GET reads, POST creates, PUT replaces, PATCH updates partially and DELETE removes.

String is immutable — every change creates a new object. StringBuilder is mutable and faster for repeated changes (not thread-safe; StringBuffer is).

Use external files or APIs and database setup scripts, generate unique data per run, and clean up afterwards so tests stay independent.

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.

Use then().time(lessThan(2000L)) and then().header("Content-Type", containsString("json")) along with body assertions.

An API client. Add tests in JavaScript, use environments and collections, and run them with Newman in a CI pipeline.

getText returns visible inner text; getAttribute returns an HTML attribute or property such as value, href or class.

Use TestNG parallel="methods | classes | tests" with thread-count, keep WebDriver in a ThreadLocal, and use Selenium Grid or a cloud grid for multiple browsers.

POST creates a resource, PUT replaces the whole resource (idempotent) and PATCH updates part of it.

Continuous Integration builds and tests every commit, and Continuous Delivery ships automatically. Automated tests give fast feedback and gate releases.

Absolute starts from the root (/html/...) and breaks easily; relative starts anywhere with // and is more stable, for example //input[@id='email'].

Implicit, explicit (WebDriverWait with ExpectedConditions) and fluent waits; avoid mixing implicit and explicit waits and never rely on Thread.sleep.

Keep credentials in external data, parameterise the test with a data provider, reuse a login method in a page class, and clear sessions between roles.

200 OK, 201 Created, 400 bad request, 401 unauthenticated, 403 forbidden, 404 not found and 500 server error.

Compare effort saved by running automated tests repeatedly against the cost of building and maintaining scripts, counting execution time, defects found earlier and release speed.

A Java library that makes API tests readable using given-when-then, with easy request building, response validation and JSON path support.

Automate stable, repetitive, high-risk and data-heavy flows (smoke, regression). Skip one-time tests, frequently changing UI and checks needing human judgement. Compare run frequency × manual time with build and maintenance cost.

Cast the driver to JavascriptExecutor and use executeScript, for example to scroll into view or click hidden elements.

Use then().statusCode(200).body("data.id", equalTo(5)), or extract() the response and assert fields with JsonPath.

200 OK, 201 Created, 204 No Content, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found, 500 Internal Server Error.

Create a job or pipeline that checks out code, runs mvn test, publishes reports and triggers on commits or schedules.

TestNG reports, ExtentReports and Allure give charts, screenshots and logs that are easy to share with the team.

A helper that initialises @FindBy elements lazily using initElements; some teams skip it in favour of plain By locators.

close() closes the current window; quit() closes all windows and ends the driver session.

Re-locate the element after the DOM refreshes, use explicit waits for the refreshed element, don't keep element references for long, or wrap the action in retry logic.

Use mocks or stubs such as WireMock to simulate the dependency and test your service in isolation.

Locate rows and columns with XPath such as //table//tr and //td, loop through them to read or click cells, or build the XPath dynamically from the row text.

Verifying that a provider and consumer agree on request and response formats, using tools like Pact, to catch breaking changes early.

ArrayList stores an ordered list (e.g. all product names on a page). HashMap stores key–value pairs (e.g. test data or config properties).

A test framework offering annotations, grouping, prioritisation, parallel runs, data providers and reports, which structure and scale Selenium tests.

Locators such as above, below, toLeftOf and near that find elements by their position relative to another element.

Headless mode or screen resolution, timing issues, environment data, missing dependencies, browser–driver version mismatch or parallel conflicts. Check logs and failure screenshots and make waits robust.

It uses the key's hashCode to find a bucket and equals to resolve collisions, giving O(1) average lookups; Java 8 converts long buckets into trees.

Docker packages tools in containers so tests run identically everywhere; Selenium Grid and browsers can be started quickly in containers.

Overloading: same method name, different parameters, in the same class (compile time). Overriding: a subclass redefines a parent method with the same signature (runtime polymorphism). WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver() is runtime polymorphism.

SOAP is a strict XML protocol with WSDL and WS-Security; REST is a lighter architectural style using HTTP and usually JSON.

Use the Select class with selectByVisibleText, selectByValue or selectByIndex; for custom dropdowns click and choose from the list of elements.

public (everywhere), protected (package and subclasses), default (package) and private (same class), used to control visibility of test utilities.

Comparable defines the natural order inside the class (compareTo); Comparator defines custom orders externally (compare), useful for sorting test data in several ways.

A scripted or declarative Jenkinsfile that defines stages such as build, test and deploy as code stored with the project.

It makes a test run only after specified tests pass, otherwise it is skipped. Use sparingly as it creates coupled tests.

given().baseUri(url) .when().get("/users/1") .then().statusCode(200).body("id", equalTo(1));

Use headers such as Bearer tokens, basic auth, API keys or OAuth flows; fetch a token in a setup step and reuse it.

String r = new StringBuilder(s).reverse().toString(); // or loop from the last index and append each character

Stabilise waits and data, isolate tests, use retries cautiously, quarantine unstable tests, run in consistent containers and track flaky rates.

Use isDisplayed(), isEnabled() and isSelected() on the WebElement before interacting or asserting.