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Automation Testing Technical Round Questions & Answers

40 questions for the technical round stage — 4 easy, 32 medium, 4 hard.

About the technical round round

The technical round is the core of a Automation Testing interview: concept questions with follow-ups, a live hands-on task and a deep dive into one of your projects. Interviewers check depth, not just definitions.

Tips for the technical round round

  • Say your approach out loud before you start writing.
  • After a correct answer, expect 'why?' and 'what if?' follow-ups; go one level deeper than the question.
  • Pick one project you can explain end to end, including what you would do differently.
  • If you get stuck, explain what you would try next instead of going silent.
Solved — technical roundStart practicing
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01

How do you use Cucumber with REST Assured for API BDD tests?

Cucumber and BDDMedium
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Write scenarios in business terms, such as "When a customer places an order for 2 items". In step definitions, build the request with REST Assured, store the Response in a shared scenario context, and assert in Then steps using then().statusCode() and JSON path checks. Keep base URI, auth and specs in a helper class so steps stay short and the same steps serve many features.
02

What are the UiAutomator2 and XCUITest drivers in Appium?

Appium Mobile AutomationMedium
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They are the platform drivers that actually control the device. UiAutomator2 drives Android by installing a small server app on the device that uses Google's UiAutomator framework. XCUITest drives iOS through Apple's XCTest framework via WebDriverAgent, which needs Xcode and signing for real devices. In Appium 2 they are installed separately with appium driver install, so each project picks only the drivers and versions it needs.
03

Write Selenium code to verify that all links on a page are not broken.

Selenium WebDriverMedium
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List<WebElement> links = driver.findElements(By.tagName("a")); for (WebElement link : links) { String url = link.getAttribute("href"); if (url == null || !url.startsWith("http")) continue; HttpURLConnection con = (HttpURLConnection) new URL(url).openConnection(); con.setRequestMethod("HEAD"); int code = con.getResponseCode(); if (code >= 400) System.out.println("Broken: " + url + " " + code); }
04

Difference between an abstract class and an interface?

Core Java for TestersEasy
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An abstract class can hold state and concrete methods; an interface defines a contract (with default methods since Java 8). A class extends one abstract class but can implement many interfaces.
05

JMeter runs out of memory during a large load test. What do you do?

Performance Testing with JMeterHard
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First remove or disable GUI listeners like View Results Tree and run in non-GUI mode. Save results in CSV format with only needed fields instead of XML with response data. Increase heap through the HEAP environment variable, such as -Xms2g -Xmx4g, within the machine's RAM. Use Groovy instead of BeanShell, avoid huge regex extractions, and if one machine still cannot generate the load, distribute it across several workers.
06

What branching strategy do you use for test automation code?

Git, Maven and JenkinsMedium
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Most teams use trunk-based development or a light GitHub Flow: short-lived feature branches from main, a pull request with review and a CI run, then merge. Long-lived branches cause painful conflicts. Keep automation code in the same repository as the app when possible so tests change together with features, or tag test versions to match app releases.
07

How do you handle environment-specific configuration?

Page Object ModelMedium
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Keep URLs and credentials in per-environment config files or variables, choose with a command-line parameter and never hard-code secrets.
08

Write Appium code to scroll to an element by its text using UiScrollable on Android.

Appium Mobile AutomationMedium
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// Scrolls the first scrollable container until the text is visible String selector = "new UiScrollable(new UiSelector().scrollable(true))" + ".scrollIntoView(new UiSelector().text(\"Order History\"))"; WebElement item = driver.findElement(AppiumBy.androidUIAutomator(selector)); item.click();
09

What are the main components of Selenium Grid 4?

Selenium Grid & DockerHard
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Grid 4 is split into the Router, which receives all requests, the Distributor, which assigns new sessions to nodes, the Session Map, which records which node owns each session, the New Session Queue, which holds requests waiting for a free slot, the Event Bus, which lets components communicate, and Nodes, which run the browsers. In standalone or hub mode these run in one process, but they can also be deployed separately to scale.
10

Write a GET test in REST Assured.

REST AssuredMedium
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given().baseUri(url) .when().get("/users/1") .then().statusCode(200).body("id", equalTo(1));
11

What is the difference between @Test(priority) and dependsOnMethods in TestNG?

TestNG FrameworkMedium
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priority only orders tests; a lower number runs first, and a failed test does not stop the others. dependsOnMethods creates a real dependency: if the parent test fails, dependent tests are skipped. Both make tests order-dependent, which hurts parallel runs and isolation, so use them sparingly. Prefer independent tests with their own setup.
12

What are page components or page fragments in POM?

Page Object ModelMedium
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Components are classes for UI parts that repeat across pages, such as the header, search bar, date picker or a data table. A page object then has-a component: homePage.header().search("laptop"). This follows composition over inheritance, avoids duplicate locators and matches modern component-based frontends. Components are usually scoped to a root WebElement so locators search only inside that element.
13

What are Java 8 streams and lambdas?

Core Java for TestersMedium
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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

How do you automate a two-factor authentication step in a test environment?

Selenium WebDriverHard
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Do not try to read SMS from a real phone. Ask developers for a test-only approach: a fixed OTP for test users, a bypass flag in non-production, or an API to fetch the latest OTP. For authenticator apps, store the test account's TOTP secret and generate codes in Java with a TOTP library. Keep production 2FA untouched and secrets in the CI credential store.
15

What is the difference between a declarative and a scripted Jenkins pipeline?

Git, Maven and JenkinsMedium
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Declarative pipelines use a fixed structure: pipeline, agent, stages, steps, post, with built-in options and validation; they are easier to read and are the recommended default. Scripted pipelines use node blocks and full Groovy, giving more flexibility for complex logic but making them harder to maintain. Most test pipelines use declarative syntax with small script blocks only where needed.
16

How do you handle a web table in Selenium?

Selenium WebDriverMedium
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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.
17

Write a Java stream that extracts and sorts product prices from a list of WebElements.

Core Java for TestersMedium
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List<Double> prices = driver.findElements(By.cssSelector(".price")) .stream() .map(WebElement::getText) .map(t -> t.replaceAll("[^0-9.]", "")) .map(Double::parseDouble) .sorted() .collect(Collectors.toList()); System.out.println(prices);
18

How would you design one mobile framework that serves both Android and iOS?

Appium Mobile AutomationHard
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Keep tests platform-neutral and push differences into page objects. Use Appium's @AndroidFindBy and @iOSXCUITFindBy annotations, or separate locator files per platform, behind one screen class. Create the driver through a factory that reads platform from configuration. Ask developers to add the same accessibility ids on both platforms so most locators are shared. Put gestures and waits in a common base screen, and tag tests that apply to only one platform.
19

What are the main OOP concepts in Java?

Core Java for TestersEasy
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Encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism and abstraction. Testers use them to build reusable page classes, base tests and utility libraries.
20

Write a TestNG listener that logs test start and failure.

TestNG FrameworkMedium
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public class LogListener implements ITestListener { @Override public void onTestStart(ITestResult r) { System.out.println("START: " + r.getMethod().getMethodName()); } @Override public void onTestFailure(ITestResult r) { System.out.println("FAIL: " + r.getName() + " - " + r.getThrowable()); } } // register with @Listeners(LogListener.class) or <listeners> in testng.xml
21

Difference between absolute and relative XPath?

Selenium WebDriverMedium
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Absolute starts from the root (/html/...) and breaks easily; relative starts anywhere with // and is more stable, for example //input[@id='email'].
22

What is Selenium Grid and why use it?

Selenium WebDriverMedium
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It runs tests in parallel across multiple machines and browsers using a hub and nodes, cutting execution time and increasing browser coverage.
23

What is the difference between an array and an ArrayList?

Core Java for TestersMedium
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Arrays have a fixed size and can hold primitives; ArrayList grows dynamically, holds objects and offers helper methods.
24

How do you measure and assert API response time in REST Assured?

REST AssuredEasy
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Use then().time(lessThan(2000L)) for a quick check or response.getTimeIn(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS) to log the value. This measures client-side time, including network, so set generous thresholds and treat it as a smoke signal, not a performance test. For real load and latency percentiles, use tools such as JMeter, Gatling or k6.
25

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

Selenium WebDriverMedium
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getText returns visible inner text; getAttribute returns an HTML attribute or property such as value, href or class.
26

How do you handle dynamic elements whose ids change?

Selenium WebDriverMedium
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Use CSS or XPath with contains(), starts-with() or stable attributes, relative axes, or data-test attributes agreed with developers.
27

What is the use of the this and super keywords?

Core Java for TestersMedium
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this refers to the current object; super refers to the parent class, used to call parent constructors and methods.
28

How do you switch between native and webview contexts in a hybrid app?

Appium Mobile AutomationMedium
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// Requires the webview to be debuggable in the app build Set<String> contexts = driver.getContextHandles(); for (String ctx : contexts) { if (ctx.startsWith("WEBVIEW")) { driver.context(ctx); break; } } driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("#email")).sendKeys("qa@test.com"); // back to native controls driver.context("NATIVE_APP");
29

Write a Dockerfile that runs a Maven and TestNG test suite.

Selenium Grid & DockerMedium
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FROM maven:3.9-eclipse-temurin-21 WORKDIR /app # cache dependencies first for faster rebuilds COPY pom.xml . RUN mvn -q dependency:go-offline COPY src ./src COPY testng.xml . ENV GRID_URL=http://selenium-hub:4444 CMD ["sh", "-c", "mvn test -Dgrid.url=$GRID_URL -Dsurefire.suiteXmlFiles=testng.xml"]
30

What are filters in REST Assured?

REST AssuredMedium
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Filters intercept requests and responses, similar to middleware. They implement the Filter interface and can add headers, refresh tokens, log traffic, or attach request and response details to Allure reports with AllureRestAssured. You add them with given().filter(myFilter) or globally in a RequestSpecification. Filters keep cross-cutting concerns out of individual tests.
31

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

API Testing and CI/CDMedium
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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.
32

What is correlation in JMeter and why is it needed?

Performance Testing with JMeterMedium
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Correlation means capturing dynamic values from one response and passing them into later requests. Session ids, CSRF tokens, auth tokens and order ids change every run, so a recorded script with hard-coded values fails on replay. In JMeter you use post-processors such as JSON Extractor, Regular Expression Extractor or CSS Selector Extractor to save the value into a variable, then reference it as ${token} in later headers or bodies.
33

What is a Jenkins agent and how do labels help run tests?

Git, Maven and JenkinsEasy
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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.
34

How do you mock an external API in automation tests?

API Testing and CI/CDMedium
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Use a tool such as WireMock or MockServer to run a stub server that returns predefined responses for given requests. Point the application or tests to the stub with configuration. This lets you test error codes, timeouts and edge cases that are hard to trigger on the real service, and keeps tests stable when the third party is down. Still keep a few tests against the real integration.
35

How do you verify response time and headers in REST Assured?

REST AssuredMedium
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Use then().time(lessThan(2000L)) and then().header("Content-Type", containsString("json")) along with body assertions.
36

What is method overriding and where is it useful in frameworks?

Core Java for TestersMedium
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A subclass redefines a parent method. Frameworks use it to customise base behaviour, such as overriding a wait or click method in a base page class.
37

What new features came with Selenium 4?

Selenium WebDriverMedium
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Relative locators, improved Grid, W3C compliance, new window or tab creation, Chrome DevTools Protocol access and element-level screenshots.
38

What are the Actions class use cases?

Selenium WebDriverMedium
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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().
39

Difference between ArrayList and LinkedList?

Core Java for TestersMedium
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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.
40

Write a docker-compose.yml that runs a Selenium hub with Chrome and Firefox nodes.

Selenium Grid & DockerMedium
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services: selenium-hub: image: selenium/hub:4.25.0 ports: - "4442:4442" - "4443:4443" - "4444:4444" chrome: image: selenium/node-chrome:4.25.0 shm_size: 2gb depends_on: - selenium-hub environment: - SE_EVENT_BUS_HOST=selenium-hub - SE_EVENT_BUS_PUBLISH_PORT=4442 - SE_EVENT_BUS_SUBSCRIBE_PORT=4443 firefox: image: selenium/node-firefox:4.25.0 shm_size: 2gb depends_on: - selenium-hub environment: - SE_EVENT_BUS_HOST=selenium-hub - SE_EVENT_BUS_PUBLISH_PORT=4442 - SE_EVENT_BUS_SUBSCRIBE_PORT=4443

Frequently asked questions

What happens in the Automation Testing technical round round?

The technical round is the core of a Automation Testing interview: concept questions with follow-ups, a live hands-on task and a deep dive into one of your projects. Interviewers check depth, not just definitions.

How do I clear the technical round round?

Say your approach out loud before you start writing. After a correct answer, expect 'why?' and 'what if?' follow-ups; go one level deeper than the question. Pick one project you can explain end to end, including what you would do differently.

Which round comes next?

A typical order is online assessment, telephonic screening, one or two technical rounds, a managerial round and HR. Use the other round pages to practise each stage.

Practise every interview round

Online Assessment questionsTelephonic Interview questionsManagerial Round questionsRapid-Fire questionsHR & behavioural questionsFull mock interview

More ways to practise

Company-wise Automation Testing questionsPackage-wise Automation Testing questionsExperience-wise Automation Testing questionsRole-wise Automation Testing questionsCity-wise Automation Testing questionsMost asked Automation Testing questionsScenario-based questionsPractical / hands-on questionsHR & behavioural questionsAutomation Testing mock interviewOnline assessment questionsTechnical round questionsManagerial round questionsAutomation Testing topic sheets