Curated interview practice questions with answers. These are practice scenarios, not a verified list of past interview questions.
About BNY hiring for Software Testing roles
BNY, formerly known as BNY Mellon, is an American financial services company known for custody, asset servicing, clearing, treasury services and investment management. It is one of the oldest banks in the United States. In India its centres in Pune and Chennai hire software engineers, data analysts, risk professionals and operations roles that support global clients.
For Software Testing roles, this BNY practice set focuses most on Test Case Design (6), Agile, SQL and API Testing (6), STLC and Test Planning (5), Automation Basics for Manual Testers (5). It has 5 easy, 29 medium, 6 hard questions, so you can start easy and work up to the harder ones.
Company type
Banking & finance
Headquarters
New York, USA
Main India offices
Pune, Chennai
BNY Software Testing interview process
Online assessment (aptitude + coding)
Technical interview
Managerial round
HR round
Typical pattern based on public candidate experiences. Rounds vary by role, team and year.
Solved for BNYStart practicing
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01
How do you test touch target size and gestures for accessibility in a mobile app?
Check that buttons and icons are large enough to tap without hitting neighbours: Android guidance is 48 by 48 dp and iOS is 44 by 44 points. Test with large font settings and one-handed use. Any action using complex gestures, such as swipe to delete or pinch, must have a simple tap alternative. Then turn on TalkBack and VoiceOver and confirm each control can be focused, named and activated.
02
SQL: verify that row counts and totals match between a source table and a target table after a data load.
-- Compare counts and sums side by side; both columns must match
SELECT
(SELECT COUNT(*) FROM staging_orders) AS src_count,
(SELECT COUNT(*) FROM dw_orders) AS tgt_count,
(SELECT SUM(amount) FROM staging_orders) AS src_amount,
(SELECT SUM(amount) FROM dw_orders) AS tgt_amount;
03
Write test cases for live order tracking in a food delivery app.
Verify each status change appears in order: placed, accepted, preparing, picked up and delivered. Check the rider's location updates on the map at the expected interval. Test the estimated time updates when there is a delay. Verify notifications for each status. Check behaviour when the network drops and recovers, when the app is reopened, and when the order is cancelled midway. Confirm tracking stops after delivery and the rating screen appears.
Reopen the bug when the same issue, with the same steps and expected result, still fails after the fix. Log a new bug when the fix works but a different problem appears, even in the same screen, or when the original bug has already been closed in a past release. Link the new bug to the old one. Mixing different problems in one reopened ticket confuses tracking and metrics.
08
The test environment is down for two days just before release. What do you do?
Escalate immediately with the impact on the schedule. While it is down, prepare test data, review and update test cases, and test what you can elsewhere: API tests against another environment, UI on a developer machine or a staging copy. Track the lost hours in the status report. When the environment returns, run smoke first, then the prioritised list, and ask whether the release date or scope needs to change.
09
How do specification-based techniques differ from experience-based techniques?
Specification-based (black box) techniques derive tests systematically from requirements: equivalence partitioning, boundary values, decision tables, state transitions and use cases. They give measurable coverage. Experience-based techniques rely on the tester's knowledge and intuition: error guessing, exploratory testing and checklist-based testing. They are good at finding defects the specification never mentioned. Strong testers use specification techniques for coverage and experience techniques to fill the gaps.
10
What is the difference between UI automation and API automation, and which gives faster feedback?
UI automation drives the browser or app like a user, so it checks the full experience but is slower and breaks more often with design changes. API automation sends requests directly to services and checks responses, which is much faster, more stable and can run before the UI exists. API tests give faster feedback, so teams place most business rule checks at the API level and keep a smaller set of UI journeys.
Include the date, build or release, and planned versus executed test cases with pass, fail, blocked and not run counts. List new bugs by severity, open critical bugs with owners, retests done and any blockers such as environment downtime or missing data. Add a short note on risk and the plan for the next day. Keep it to one page so managers can read it in two minutes.
12
What is the role of a manual tester in a software team?
A manual tester understands requirements, writes test scenarios and test cases, prepares test data, executes tests on each build, logs clear bug reports and retests fixes. They also do exploratory testing, join stand-ups and reviews, and give a quality status before release. Beyond finding bugs, a good manual tester represents the end user and raises usability or requirement gaps early, when they are cheap to fix.
A deep link opens a specific screen inside the app from a URL, email, SMS, QR code or notification. Test that each link opens the correct screen with the right data when the app is installed, closed or running in background. If the app is not installed, it should open the store page or a web fallback. Test links that need login, expired or invalid links, and that parameters cannot be tampered with to access other users' data.
It checks app behaviour on different networks: Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G, slow 2G or 3G, high latency, packet loss and no network. Also test switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data in the middle of an action, and airplane mode. The app should show loaders and clear offline messages, retry safely without duplicate actions and not freeze. Network throttling tools in developer options or proxy tools help simulate these conditions.
16
What is the difference between a bug and an enhancement?
INVEST is a checklist for good user stories: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small and Testable. For testers, testable is the most important: a story must have clear acceptance criteria so you can say pass or fail. Small stories are easier to test within a sprint. If a story fails INVEST, raise it in refinement rather than discovering the gaps during testing.
-- Business rule: at most one ACTIVE subscription per user
SELECT user_id, COUNT(*) AS active_count
FROM subscriptions
WHERE status = 'ACTIVE'
GROUP BY user_id
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;
-- Expected result: no rows
20
Why are stable locators like data-testid or roles preferred over position-based XPath?
A position-based XPath such as /html/body/div[3]/div[2]/button breaks whenever a developer adds a wrapper div or reorders the layout, even though the feature still works. That creates false failures and maintenance work. Locators based on a dedicated data-testid attribute or the accessible role and name, like a button named Submit, stay valid through design changes and describe intent clearly. Testers should ask developers to add test IDs.
21
A form saves names with an apostrophe, like O'Brien, incorrectly or fails to save them. What do you test?
This suggests the input is not handled safely, possibly string-built SQL, which is also a SQL injection risk. Test names with apostrophes, double quotes, Hindi and other Unicode text, emojis, leading spaces and maximum length. Query the database to confirm the exact stored value and character encoding. Then check the value displays correctly everywhere it is read back. Log a high-severity bug and mention the possible injection risk.
22
How do you keep yourself updated with testing practices and tools?
Model answer: I follow testing communities and blogs, practise on public demo sites and read release notes of the tools I use. Last month I learned API schema validation from an online course and tried it on a practice API. I also share one new idea in our team chat each week. This keeps me improving and helps the team pick up useful practices without waiting for formal training.
23
A security scan says your login page can be loaded inside a frame on other sites. What is the risk and how do you confirm it?
Clickjacking tricks a user into clicking something on your site while it is hidden inside a frame on an attacker's page, for example a hidden Transfer button under a fake Play button. A tester checks whether sensitive pages can be loaded in an iframe on another site, and inspects response headers for Content-Security-Policy frame-ancestors or X-Frame-Options set to DENY or SAMEORIGIN. If the page loads in the frame, log it.
Testing shows presence of defects, exhaustive testing is impossible, test early, defects cluster, the pesticide paradox, testing is context-dependent and absence-of-errors is a fallacy.
26
A requirement says the page should load fast. How do you turn it into a test case?
The word fast is not testable, so ask the product owner for a measurable target, for example the page loads within 3 seconds on a 4G network for 95 percent of requests. Agree on the conditions: device, network, data size and whether it is first load or cached. Then write the test with those conditions and expected time. Record the agreed number in the story so the expected result is not open to opinion.
27
How do you test a mobile app when the device storage is almost full?
Fill the device storage close to the limit, then install or update the app and confirm a clear message if it cannot proceed. Inside the app, try downloads, photo capture, caching and saving drafts. The app should show a helpful error, not crash or corrupt data. Also check what happens to the local database when a write fails, and whether the app recovers after space is freed.
28
You join a project in the middle of a release. How do you plan your testing?
Spend the first day learning the scope: read the release notes, user stories and test plan, and ask the lead what is at risk. Get access to the environment, tracker and test repository. Pick up a clearly defined module, run its existing test cases to learn the application and note gaps. Ask questions early in stand-up. Within a few days, take ownership of retesting and regression for that module.
29
What new success criteria in WCAG 2.2 should testers know?
WCAG 2.2, published in 2023, added criteria including Focus Not Obscured, so sticky headers must not hide the focused element; Dragging Movements, which needs a non-drag alternative; Target Size Minimum of 24 by 24 CSS pixels; Consistent Help placement; Redundant Entry, so users are not asked for the same information twice; and Accessible Authentication, which avoids memory puzzles at login. It also removed the old Parsing criterion.
Check the CI logs, screenshots, video or trace to see exactly where it failed. Then compare the environments: headless versus headed browser, screen size, browser version, time zone, environment URLs and secrets, test data and network speed. Run the test locally in headless mode with the CI settings. Common causes are timing, missing data in the CI environment and tests depending on run order. Fix the cause, not with a sleep.
34
What is JMeter and what does a basic test plan in it contain?
Apache JMeter is an open-source load testing tool, mainly for HTTP APIs and web pages. A basic test plan has a Thread Group that sets the number of virtual users, ramp-up time and loop count; samplers such as HTTP Requests; config elements like headers and CSV data; timers for think time; assertions on responses; and listeners or reports showing response times, throughput and errors. Run real load in non-GUI mode.
Find the documented limit, for example 100 requests per minute per key. Send requests just below and above the limit and check that extra requests get 429 Too Many Requests with a Retry-After header. Verify the counter resets after the window and that limits apply per key or per IP as designed. Check that one user hitting the limit does not block others, and that normal traffic is not throttled.
Re-check environment, data, browser and steps; check the logs; try the reporter's setup; add video and console logs; mark it 'cannot reproduce' only after discussing with the developer, and keep monitoring.
39
How do you decide which automated tests run on every pull request and which run nightly?
Pull request checks must be fast, usually under ten to fifteen minutes, and highly reliable, so they include unit tests, API tests for changed services and a small UI smoke set of critical flows. The full UI regression, cross-browser runs, long data-driven suites and performance checks run nightly or before release. Tag tests by suite, measure run times and flakiness, and move tests between suites based on value and speed.
40
How does testing differ for native, hybrid and mobile web apps?
Native apps are built for one platform and use device features fully, so testing focuses on OS versions, device features, install and update. Hybrid apps wrap web code in a native shell, so you test both the web view rendering and the native bridges like camera access. Mobile web apps run in a browser, so testing is closer to cross-browser and responsive testing. All three need network, screen size and performance checks.
Tips to crack the BNY Software Testing interview
Learn what custody and asset servicing mean, since these are core BNY businesses and often discussed with candidates.
Revise Java or Python, SQL, OOP and DBMS concepts, and practise easy to medium coding problems.
Prepare a clear explanation of your projects, highlighting testing, documentation and teamwork, which suit regulated banking environments.
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; BNY interviewers usually ask follow-ups on your first answer.
Frequently asked questions
How many rounds are there in the BNY Software Testing interview?
Candidates usually go through 4 stages: Online assessment (aptitude + coding); Technical interview; Managerial round; 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 BNY Software Testing interview?
This practice set leans on Test Case Design (6), Agile, SQL and API Testing (6), STLC and Test Planning (5), Automation Basics for Manual Testers (5). Revise those first, then practise explaining one or two of your own projects end to end, because most BNY interviewers ask you to walk through real work.
Are these the exact questions asked at BNY?
No. These are curated practice questions that match the skills and difficulty usually tested in banking & finance interviews like BNY's. They are not a leaked or verified list of past questions.
Where does BNY hire Software Testing professionals in India?
BNY has large teams in Pune, Chennai. Openings and locations change often, so check the BNY careers page and filter by city and experience.