Automation Testing Interview Questions in Hyderabad

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Mouse and keyboard actions such as hover, drag and drop, double click, right click and key combinations, built with moveToElement(...).perform().

An API returns a list in random order and your assertion on the first element fails intermittently. How do you fix it?

REST AssuredEasy

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Do not assert on positions when the API does not guarantee order. Use order-independent Hamcrest matchers such as hasItem, hasItems or containsInAnyOrder on the extracted field, for example body("name", hasItems("Pen", "Book")). Or use GPath filtering like find { it.id == 42 } to pick the right item before checking its fields. If order matters for the feature, raise it as a requirement and request a sort parameter.

How do you capture a screen recording of a mobile test and attach it on failure?

Appium Mobile AutomationMedium

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// Start before the test, stop and save only if it fails driver.startRecordingScreen(); // ... test steps ... String base64 = driver.stopRecordingScreen(); if (result.getStatus() == ITestResult.FAILURE) { byte[] video = Base64.getDecoder().decode(base64); Files.write(Paths.get("target/videos/" + result.getName() + ".mp4"), video); }

How do you validate a response against a JSON schema in REST Assured?

REST AssuredMedium

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Add the json-schema-validator dependency, place the schema file in src/test/resources, and assert with then().body(matchesJsonSchemaInClasspath("user-schema.json")). Schema validation checks field types, required fields and structure, so it catches contract changes that value checks might miss. It complements, not replaces, assertions on business values like status or totals.

How do you test a responsive page in a mobile viewport using Selenium?

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For layout checks you can set the window size, like driver.manage().window().setSize(new Dimension(390, 844)). For closer emulation in Chrome use mobile emulation in ChromeOptions: options.setExperimentalOption("mobileEmulation", Map.of("deviceName", "Pixel 7")), which also sets the user agent, pixel ratio and touch events. This catches responsive layout bugs quickly, but it is not a replacement for testing on real mobile browsers.

A click works locally but throws ElementClickInterceptedException in CI. How do you fix it?

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Another element, such as a cookie banner, loader overlay or sticky header, covers the target. In CI the window is often smaller, so the layout differs. Set a fixed window size, wait for the overlay to disappear with invisibilityOfElementLocated, close banners in setup and scroll the element into view. Use a JavaScript click only as a last resort, since it bypasses real user behaviour.

What is Postman and how do you automate with it?

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

What is the difference between extract().response() and extract().path()?

REST AssuredEasy

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extract().response() returns the full Response object, so you can read status, headers, cookies, body as string, and use jsonPath() several times. extract().path("field") returns one value directly from the body. Use path() when you need a single value like an id or token, and response() when you need many details or want to log the response.

How would you design a framework that supports both web and mobile using POM?

Page Object ModelHard

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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.

Difference between ArrayList and LinkedList?

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ArrayList has fast random access and slower inserts in the middle; LinkedList has fast inserts and deletes but slow access by index.

How do you handle a browser basic authentication pop-up in Selenium?

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The basic auth dialog is not part of the page, so findElement cannot reach it. The simplest way is putting credentials in the URL, like https://user:pass@site.test, which works in many browsers. In Selenium 4 with Chromium you can register credentials through the HasAuthentication interface: ((HasAuthentication) driver).register(UsernameAndPassword.of("user", "pass")). Keep the credentials in environment variables or a secret store, never in code.

What is the use of the this and super keywords?

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this refers to the current object; super refers to the parent class, used to call parent constructors and methods.

How do you handle an element inside a shadow DOM in Selenium 4?

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Find the shadow host element, then call getShadowRoot() to get a SearchContext, and search inside it with CSS selectors: driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("my-app")).getShadowRoot().findElement(By.cssSelector("#submit")). XPath does not work inside shadow roots. For nested shadow roots, repeat the step for each host. Closed shadow roots cannot be accessed this way.

What is the Optional class in Java and where is it useful in test code?

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Optional is a container that may or may not hold a value, introduced in Java 8 to avoid returning null. In test code it suits lookups that can legitimately find nothing, such as finding a row in a table or reading an optional config key. Callers use orElse, orElseThrow or ifPresent instead of null checks. For example, findRowByName(name).orElseThrow(() -> new AssertionError(name + " not found")) gives a clear failure message.

What is performance testing and what are its main types?

Performance Testing with JMeterEasy

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Performance testing checks how fast, stable and scalable a system is under a given workload. Load testing measures behaviour at expected traffic. Stress testing pushes beyond capacity to find the breaking point and how the system recovers. Spike testing applies sudden jumps in users. Soak or endurance testing runs normal load for hours to find leaks. Scalability testing checks whether adding resources increases capacity as expected.

Which tests should run at each stage of a CI/CD pipeline?

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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.

A login action can lead either to the dashboard or to an error message. How should the page object method return?

Page Object ModelMedium

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Make the outcome explicit with separate methods instead of one method guessing. For example loginAs(user) returns DashboardPage for valid credentials, while loginExpectingError(user) returns the same LoginPage so the test can check the error. Each method waits for its expected page and fails clearly if it does not appear. This keeps tests readable and avoids returning a generic Object or checking types in tests.

What is the difference between the normal, eager and none page load strategies in Selenium?

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Page load strategy decides when navigation commands like get() return. Normal, the default, waits for the full load event including images and stylesheets. Eager returns when the DOM is ready (DOMContentLoaded), which speeds up heavy pages. None returns immediately after the initial response. With eager or none you must rely on explicit waits for the elements you need. Set it through options.setPageLoadStrategy(PageLoadStrategy.EAGER).

Explain the given-when-then structure in REST Assured.

REST AssuredEasy

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given() sets up the request: headers, params, body, auth. when() performs the HTTP call such as get(), post(), put() or delete(). then() validates the response: status code, headers, body using Hamcrest matchers, and response time. You can call extract() after then() to pull values for later steps. The fluent structure reads like a test specification and keeps setup, action and checks clearly separate.

Tell me about a time you moved from web automation to mobile automation.

Appium Mobile AutomationMedium

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Situation: my team needed Android regression tests and I only knew Selenium. Task: deliver a smoke suite in one month. Action: I learned Appium 2 setup, used Appium Inspector to find locators, asked developers to add accessibility ids, and reused our TestNG, POM and reporting structure with a new driver factory. Result: twenty smoke tests ran nightly on emulators within four weeks, and release smoke testing dropped from half a day to forty minutes.

Which reporting tools do you use?

TestNG FrameworkMedium

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

Describe a time you convinced developers to fix a problem found by automation.

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Situation: an API test kept failing intermittently and developers called it a test issue. Task: prove or disprove it. Action: I collected logs from ten failures, showed the same race condition in the order service with request IDs, and reproduced it with a small parallel script. Result: developers fixed a real concurrency bug before it reached customers, and trust in the suite improved.

What is git cherry-pick?

Git, Maven and JenkinsMedium

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git cherry-pick <commit> applies the changes of one specific commit onto your current branch, creating a new commit. It is useful when a fix on one branch, such as a locator fix on develop, is urgently needed on a release branch without merging everything else. Overuse creates duplicate commits and confusing history, so prefer normal merges when possible.

Describe a time you automated a manual build or release step for the QA team.

Git, Maven and JenkinsMedium

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Situation: before each regression a tester spent an hour deploying the build to QA and seeding data by hand. Task: remove that manual step. Action: I wrote a Jenkins pipeline stage that deployed the build, ran database seed scripts and a smoke check, then triggered the regression job, and documented it for the team. Result: setup dropped to ten minutes without human effort, and regressions could run overnight automatically.

How do you extract an auth token with JSON Extractor and use it in later JMeter requests?

Performance Testing with JMeterMedium

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Add a JSON Extractor as a child of the login sampler. Set the variable name to token, the JSON path expression to $.access_token, match number 1 and a default like TOKEN_NOT_FOUND so failures are visible. Then add an HTTP Header Manager at Thread Group level with Authorization set to Bearer ${token}. Each thread extracts and uses its own token, because JMeter variables are per thread.

What is the difference between getText() and getAttribute()?

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

What changed in Appium 2 compared with Appium 1?

Appium Mobile AutomationMedium

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Appium 2 split the monolithic server into a core plus separately installed drivers and plugins, managed with appium driver install and appium plugin install. It dropped the old JSON Wire Protocol in favour of W3C WebDriver only, so vendor capabilities need the appium: prefix. The default base path changed from /wd/hub to /. Old TouchAction and MultiTouchAction were removed from the Java client, so gestures use W3C Actions or mobile: commands.

What is the Background keyword and when should you avoid it?

Cucumber and BDDMedium

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Background holds steps that run before every scenario in a feature file, such as opening the app and logging in. It removes repetition in Given steps. Avoid it when it becomes long, when only some scenarios need it, or when it hides important context, because readers then cannot understand a scenario on its own. In that case use a hook or a clearer Given step.

What is the use of Maven in automation projects?

Git, Maven and JenkinsMedium

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It manages dependencies through pom.xml, builds the project, runs tests with Surefire and standardises structure across teams.

How do you run only selected scenarios using tags in Cucumber?

Cucumber and BDDEasy

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Add tags like @smoke or @regression above a Feature or Scenario, then filter with a tag expression. In the runner use @ConfigurationParameter(key = FILTER_TAGS_PROPERTY_NAME, value = "@smoke and not @wip") with the JUnit Platform engine, or pass -Dcucumber.filter.tags="@smoke" from Maven. Tag expressions support and, or, not and brackets, so CI can run smoke on every commit and regression nightly.

Your CI pipeline is blocked because a downstream service needed for API tests is often down. What do you do?

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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.

What is the difference between @BeforeTest and @BeforeMethod?

TestNG FrameworkMedium

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@BeforeTest runs once before all methods in a test tag of testng.xml; @BeforeMethod runs before every test method.

Tell me about a time you introduced BDD to a team. How did it go?

Cucumber and BDDMedium

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Situation: requirements were often misread, causing rework late in sprints. Task: I proposed BDD for one module. Action: I ran short three-amigos sessions, wrote example scenarios with the BA, automated them with Cucumber and showed them in sprint review. Result: rework on that module dropped noticeably over two sprints, and the team adopted the practice for other complex stories.

What is the difference between static and non-static members?

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Static members belong to the class and are shared by all instances; non-static members belong to each object.

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