Curated interview practice questions with answers. These are practice scenarios, not a verified list of past interview questions.
About Hexaware hiring for ISTQB roles
Hexaware Technologies is an Indian IT services company offering cloud, application, testing, data and business process services. It promotes an automation-first approach and serves clients in financial services, healthcare, travel and manufacturing. In India it hires for software engineers, test engineers, data analysts and data engineers.
For ISTQB roles, this Hexaware practice set focuses most on Testing Throughout the SDLC (6), Fundamentals of Testing (6), White-Box, Experience and Collaboration-Based Testing (5), Test Tools and Exam Preparation (5). It has 18 easy, 11 medium, 1 hard questions, so you can start easy and work up to the harder ones.
Company type
IT services
Headquarters
Navi Mumbai, India
Main India offices
Navi Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, Noida
Hexaware ISTQB interview process
Online assessment (aptitude + coding)
Communication assessment
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 statement testing and how is statement coverage calculated?
Statement testing designs tests that execute the executable statements in the code. Statement coverage = statements executed by the tests / total executable statements x 100. Reaching 100 percent means every executable statement ran at least once, so a defect in any statement may be triggered. However, it does not guarantee that all decision logic is tested, for example the false outcome of an if without an else.
02
A test checks that the loan module correctly sends customer data to an external credit bureau API. Which test level is this?
This is system integration testing, because it tests the interface between our system and an external system, the credit bureau API. If it checked the interface between two internal modules of our own application, it would be component integration testing. In exam questions, keywords such as 'external system', 'third-party service' or 'other systems' point to system integration testing.
03
What are entry and exit criteria? How do they relate to Definition of Ready and Definition of Done?
Entry criteria define preconditions for starting an activity, such as available resources, testware, a stable build and a test environment. Exit criteria define what must be achieved to finish, such as coverage reached, unresolved defect counts, defect density and passed tests. Running out of time or budget can also be a valid exit. In Agile, exit criteria are often called the Definition of Done and entry criteria for a story the Definition of Ready.
The exam has 40 multiple-choice questions, each worth one point. The duration is 60 minutes, and candidates taking it in a non-native language usually get 25 percent extra time, making 75 minutes. The pass mark is 65 percent, which means 26 correct answers. There is no negative marking. Questions are mapped to learning objectives at K1, K2 and K3 levels.
05
What are the typical objectives of testing according to the ISTQB CTFL v4.0 syllabus?
Testing objectives include evaluating work products such as requirements and code, triggering failures and finding defects, ensuring required coverage of the test object, reducing the risk of poor quality, verifying that specified requirements are met, checking compliance with contracts or regulations, giving stakeholders information for decisions, building confidence in quality, and validating that the test object works as users expect. Objectives vary with context, test level and the SDLC model.
06
Why does 100 percent branch coverage guarantee 100 percent statement coverage, but not the other way round?
Every statement lies on at least one branch, so exercising all branches executes all statements. The reverse fails when a decision has an empty outcome. Example: 'if x > 10: print(big)' followed by 'print(done)'. One test with x = 15 runs every statement, giving 100 percent statement coverage, but the false branch is never taken, so branch coverage is only 50 percent. This is called subsumption.
A defect report gives the people responsible for handling and resolving the defect enough information to fix it. It also provides a way to track the quality of the work product, and it offers ideas for improving the development and test processes. A good report is clear, reproducible and neutral in tone, so that developers can act on it quickly and managers can analyse trends.
In sequential models like waterfall and the V-model, testers join early for reviews and planning, but dynamic testing happens later once code exists. In iterative and incremental models such as Scrum, every iteration delivers a working increment, so static and dynamic testing happen at all levels in each iteration, regression testing is critical and automation is usually needed. The model affects scope, timing, documentation, techniques and automation.
09
What is the difference between verification and validation?
Verification checks whether the system meets its specified requirements: 'Are we building the product right?' Validation checks whether the system meets user and stakeholder needs in its operational environment: 'Are we building the right product?' Both are testing objectives. Example: verification confirms the eight-character password rule is implemented, while validation checks that real users can actually register easily on a mobile phone.
10
Show two defects a static analysis tool can find without running the code.
def get_discount(amount):
if amount > 1000:
rate = 0.1
return amount * rate # rate undefined when amount <= 1000
def old_helper():
return 0
print('done') # unreachable code
The tool flags a possibly undefined variable, a data flow anomaly, and unreachable code. Both are found statically, before any test is executed.
User acceptance testing is done by intended users. Operational acceptance testing is done by operations staff and covers backup, restore, installation and disaster recovery. Contractual and regulatory acceptance testing checks contract criteria or legal rules. Alpha testing is done by potential users at the developer's site, and beta testing by users at their own locations. Acceptance testing mainly builds confidence and validates fitness, not defect finding.
Unrealistic expectations about what a tool can do; inaccurate estimates of the time, cost and effort to introduce and maintain it; using a tool where manual testing is better; relying on the tool too much and ignoring critical thinking; dependency on the tool vendor, which may go out of business or retire the tool; open-source tools being abandoned; and tools not compatible with the development platform or not meeting regulations.
13
Name the main test activities in the ISTQB test process.
The test process has seven activity groups: test planning, test monitoring and control, test analysis, test design, test implementation, test execution and test completion. They are often iterative or done in parallel rather than strictly sequential. How they are carried out depends on context, such as the SDLC, product risks, budget, time, team skills and regulations, so an Agile team performs them in small loops in every iteration.
1) Testing shows the presence, not the absence, of defects. 2) Exhaustive testing is impossible, so use test techniques, prioritisation and risk. 3) Early testing saves time and money. 4) Defects cluster together in a few components. 5) Tests wear out, so update them or write new ones. 6) Testing is context dependent. 7) Absence-of-defects fallacy: a defect-free system can still fail if it does not meet user needs.
15
In the CTFL exam you have ten questions left and only five minutes. What should you do?
There is no negative marking, so never leave a question blank. Quickly answer the easier ones first, eliminate obviously wrong options on the rest and pick the best remaining choice. Flag nothing new for review now. To avoid this situation, aim to spend about one minute per question in the first pass and skip long calculation questions to revisit later.
16
A tester uses past experience to test division by zero, empty fields and invalid dates. Which technique is this?
This is error guessing, an experience-based technique. The tester anticipates mistakes based on knowledge of similar applications, typical developer errors and past failures. When done methodically by listing possible errors and designing tests for each, it is called a fault attack. It is not checklist-based testing unless the tester works from a prepared checklist of conditions.
Functional testing checks what the system should do, covering completeness, correctness and appropriateness. Non-functional testing checks how well it behaves, using ISO/IEC 25010 characteristics such as performance efficiency, usability, security, reliability, compatibility, maintainability and portability. Black-box testing is specification-based, and white-box testing is structure-based. Any test type can be applied at any test level, with a different focus at each.
18
Which test estimation techniques are described in CTFL v4.0?
Estimation based on ratios uses historical figures, such as a development-to-test effort ratio. Extrapolation uses measurements from the current project, for example averaging the last three iterations. Wideband Delphi is an expert-based technique where experts estimate separately and iterate until consensus; Planning Poker is an Agile variant. Three-point estimation uses optimistic, most likely and pessimistic values to calculate a weighted estimate and its standard deviation.
19
Suggest a four-week study plan for a fresher preparing for CTFL v4.0.
Week 1: chapters 1 and 2, the seven principles, test activities, test levels and test types; make notes of key terms. Week 2: chapter 3 and black-box techniques, solving at least 30 EP, BVA, decision table and state transition problems. Week 3: white-box and experience-based techniques, chapters 5 and 6, with estimation and risk exercises. Week 4: three or more timed sample exams and revision of mistakes.
Component testing checks individual units in isolation. Component integration testing checks interfaces and interactions between components. System testing checks overall behaviour, both functional and non-functional. System integration testing checks interfaces with other systems and external services. Acceptance testing focuses on validation and readiness for deployment. Each level has its own objectives, test basis, test objects, typical defects and responsibilities.
21
What changed in CTFL v4.0 compared with the 2018 syllabus?
v4.0 added Agile and DevOps content: the whole team approach, test-first approaches like TDD, ATDD and BDD, shift-left, retrospectives, collaboration-based test approaches, the test pyramid and testing quadrants. It renamed the pesticide paradox to 'tests wear out', removed use case testing and decision coverage, focused white-box testing on statement and branch coverage, and described test roles instead of job titles.
22
How does acceptance test-driven development (ATDD) work?
ATDD is a test-first approach. The team, including business, developers and testers, analyses the story and acceptance criteria in a specification workshop, then writes test cases before implementation. Positive tests come first, then negative tests and non-functional characteristics. Tests are written in a form stakeholders understand, cover every criterion without going beyond the story, and are often automated so they become executable requirements.
In the whole team approach, any team member with the right knowledge can perform any task, and everyone is responsible for quality. The team shares a physical or virtual workspace, and testers work closely with business representatives to create acceptance tests and with developers to agree the test strategy and automation. It improves communication and uses combined skills, although safety-critical contexts may still need higher test independence.
24
In a review, what is the difference between an anomaly and a defect?
Reviewers log anomalies: observations that differ from what they expected. Not every anomaly is a defect; some turn out to be misunderstandings, open questions or improvement suggestions. During communication and analysis the team decides each anomaly's status, owner and required action, and confirmed ones become defects for the author to fix. This keeps reviews constructive instead of treating every comment as the author's mistake.
25
What are false positives and false negatives in testing?
A false positive is a test result that reports a defect when none exists, for example a test failing because of wrong test data or an unstable environment. A false negative is a test that passes even though a defect is present, so the defect is missed. False positives waste time and reduce trust in tests; false negatives are more dangerous because defects escape to production.
The two common formats are scenario-oriented, such as the Given/When/Then style used in BDD, and rule-oriented, such as a bullet-point verification list or a tabulated input-output mapping. Acceptance criteria define the scope of the story, reach consensus among stakeholders, describe positive and negative scenarios, serve as the basis for acceptance testing and support accurate planning and estimation. Teams can also use other formats as long as criteria are well defined and clear.
27
A quantity field accepts 1 to 100. List the 2-value BVA test values.
The valid partition is 1 to 100, with invalid partitions below and above it. For each boundary, take the boundary and its closest neighbour in the adjacent partition. Lower boundary: 0 and 1. Upper boundary: 100 and 101. So 2-value BVA needs four values: 0, 1, 100 and 101, and four test cases give 100 percent 2-value boundary coverage.
28
A developer misreads a tax rule, codes the wrong formula, and a customer later sees an incorrect invoice total. Identify the error, defect and failure.
The error is the human mistake: the developer misreading the tax rule. The defect is the wrong formula in the code. The failure is the incorrect invoice total seen when the code runs. The root cause might be an ambiguous requirement or time pressure. Remember for the exam that not every defect causes a failure; it does so only when the defective code executes under certain conditions.
29
A field accepts integers from 5 to 15. List the 3-value BVA test values.
In 3-value BVA, each boundary gives the boundary value plus both neighbours. Lower boundary 5 gives 4, 5 and 6. Upper boundary 15 gives 14, 15 and 16. So the six values are 4, 5, 6, 14, 15 and 16. Compared with 2-value BVA (4, 5, 15, 16), the extra values 6 and 14 help detect mistakes in comparison operators inside the range.
30
Show the TDD red-green-refactor cycle with a small example.
# Red: write a failing test first
def test_discount():
assert discount(1000) == 100
# Green: simplest code that passes
def discount(amount):
return amount * 0.10
# Refactor: improve design, test stays green
RATE = 0.10
def discount(amount):
return round(amount * RATE, 2)
Repeat the cycle for each new behaviour, such as no discount below 500.
Tips to crack the Hexaware ISTQB interview
Practise aptitude and simple coding questions under time pressure for the online assessment.
Revise automation testing basics with Selenium and API testing, as quality engineering is an important service line.
Learn about Hexaware's automation and cloud focus and its key industry verticals for company questions.
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; Hexaware interviewers usually ask follow-ups on your first answer.
Frequently asked questions
How many rounds are there in the Hexaware ISTQB interview?
Candidates usually go through 4 stages: Online assessment (aptitude + coding); Communication assessment; 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 Hexaware ISTQB interview?
This practice set leans on Testing Throughout the SDLC (6), Fundamentals of Testing (6), White-Box, Experience and Collaboration-Based Testing (5), Test Tools and Exam Preparation (5). Revise those first, then practise explaining one or two of your own projects end to end, because most Hexaware interviewers ask you to walk through real work.
Are these the exact questions asked at Hexaware?
No. These are curated practice questions that match the skills and difficulty usually tested in it services interviews like Hexaware's. They are not a leaked or verified list of past questions.
Where does Hexaware hire ISTQB professionals in India?
Hexaware has large teams in Navi Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, Noida. Openings and locations change often, so check the Hexaware careers page and filter by city and experience.