Curated interview practice questions with answers. These are practice scenarios, not a verified list of past interview questions.
About Cyient hiring for Software Testing roles
Cyient is an Indian engineering and technology solutions company that started in geospatial services and now covers aerospace, rail, communications, medical and utilities engineering. It provides product design, embedded software, network engineering and data services to global manufacturers and operators. In India it hires freshers and experienced engineers for design, software, testing, GIS and analytics roles at its delivery centres.
For Software Testing roles, this Cyient practice set focuses most on STLC and Test Planning (7), Agile, SQL and API Testing (6), Bug Life Cycle and Jira (5), Automation Basics for Manual Testers (5). It has 20 easy, 19 medium, 1 hard questions, so you can start easy and work up to the harder ones.
Company type
IT services
Headquarters
Hyderabad, India
Main India offices
Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Noida
Cyient Software Testing interview process
Online assessment (aptitude + technical MCQs)
Technical interview
Managerial round
HR round
Typical pattern based on public candidate experiences. Rounds vary by role, team and year.
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01
SQL: find customers who placed more than three orders in the last 30 days.
SELECT c.id, c.name, COUNT(o.id) AS order_count
FROM customers c
JOIN orders o ON o.customer_id = c.id
WHERE o.order_date >= CURRENT_DATE - INTERVAL '30' DAY
GROUP BY c.id, c.name
HAVING COUNT(o.id) > 3
ORDER BY order_count DESC;
Defect age is how long a defect stays open, measured either in time, from the date it was logged to the date it was closed, or in phases, from the phase where it was introduced to the phase where it was found. High defect age signals slow fixing or triage. Phase-based age shows how late defects are caught; a requirement defect found in UAT has a high age and is costly.
03
Write a CSS selector and an XPath for a Login button that has the attribute data-testid='login-btn' and the text Login.
/* CSS selector using the test id */
button[data-testid='login-btn']
// XPath using the test id
//button[@data-testid='login-btn']
// XPath using the visible text
//button[normalize-space()='Login']
Data-driven testing runs the same test steps many times with different input and expected values taken from a table, CSV, JSON or spreadsheet. For example, one login test can run with valid users, locked users, wrong passwords and blank fields. It reuses the logic, makes adding cases easy and maps well to equivalence partitioning and boundary values from manual design. Tools support it through parameterised tests, such as pytest.mark.parametrize.
End-to-end testing checks a complete business flow from the user's first action to the final result, across all connected parts: UI, APIs, database, third-party services and notifications. For example, in online shopping: search a product, add to cart, pay, receive the confirmation email and see the order in the account. It finds integration issues that module-level testing misses, but it is slower and needs stable environments.
401 Unauthorized means the request has no valid authentication, such as a missing, expired or wrong token, so the client should log in again. 403 Forbidden means the user is authenticated but does not have permission for that resource, such as a normal user calling an admin API. Testers verify both: call without a token to expect 401, and call with a low-privilege token to expect 403.
07
Which basic Git commands should a manual tester learn before working on automation?
Start with: git clone to copy the test repository; git pull to get the latest changes; git checkout -b feature/login-tests to create a branch; git status and git diff to see changes; git add and git commit -m to save work with a message; and git push to send the branch so you can raise a pull request for review. Also learn to resolve simple merge conflicts and never commit passwords.
08
What is a locator and what types of locators exist?
A locator tells the automation tool how to find an element on the page so it can click, type or check it. Common types are ID, name, CSS selector, XPath, link text, and in modern tools role-based locators such as a button with name Login, plus label, placeholder and test ID locators. A good locator is unique, readable and unlikely to change when the page design changes.
09
Design EP and BVA tests for a password that must be 8 to 16 characters and contain at least one digit.
Length partitions: below 8 (invalid), 8 to 16 (valid), above 16 (invalid). Boundaries: 7, 8, 9, 15, 16 and 17 characters. Digit partitions: contains a digit (valid), no digit (invalid). Sample tests: 'abc1234' with 7 characters is rejected, 'abcdefg1' with 8 is accepted, a 16-character value with a digit is accepted, 17 characters is rejected, and 'abcdefgh' with no digit is rejected. Also test empty input and spaces.
10
What is the difference between a build and a release?
A build is a compiled version of the software created from the latest code, often many times a day, and given to QA for testing. A release is a tested, approved version delivered to customers or production, usually with release notes and a version number. Many builds can go through testing before one of them is promoted as a release. Testers always note the build number in bug reports.
11
Why is orientation and screen size testing important?
Mobile users have many screen sizes, resolutions, notches and foldable screens, and they rotate their phones. Rotation can recreate the screen and lose entered data if not handled. Test portrait and landscape on key screens, small and large phones and tablets, and check text does not cut off, buttons stay reachable and the keyboard does not hide input fields. Check entered form data survives rotation.
A test harness is the setup of drivers, stubs, test data, scripts and tools needed to run tests on a component and collect results, especially when the full system is not available. For example, to test a pricing module, a harness can feed it input files, stub the tax service and compare outputs with expected values. In automation, the framework, runner and reporting together are often called the harness.
Save filters for common views such as my open bugs, bugs ready for retest, blockers in the current sprint and bugs by fix version. Add them to a dashboard with gadgets like pie charts by priority, created versus resolved trend and a sprint bug list. Share the dashboard with the team so status is visible without manual reports. Testers start their day from the ready-for-retest filter.
WCAG, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines from the W3C, is the main standard for making web content usable by people with disabilities. The current version is WCAG 2.2. It has three conformance levels: A is the minimum, AA is the usual legal and contract target, and AAA is the highest and rarely required for a whole site. Each level adds success criteria, such as colour contrast at AA.
Evaluating software to find defects and confirm it meets requirements. It reduces risk, protects users and saves the cost of fixing bugs after release.
18
What is a duplicate bug and how do you avoid logging one?
A duplicate bug is a new report for a problem that is already logged. Before raising a bug, search the tracker by key words, module, error message and recent open bugs, and ask teammates working on the same area. If a similar bug exists, add your extra information, such as another browser or data set, as a comment instead of a new ticket. This keeps the backlog clean and saves triage time.
19
SQL: how do you test that a primary key rejects duplicate values?
-- Insert a row, then try the same key again; the second insert must fail
INSERT INTO users (id, email) VALUES (9001, 'a@test.com');
INSERT INTO users (id, email) VALUES (9001, 'b@test.com');
-- Expected: duplicate key or unique constraint error
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users WHERE id = 9001;
-- Expected: 1
DELETE FROM users WHERE id = 9001;
Defect removal efficiency shows how many defects the team found before release. DRE = defects found before release divided by (defects found before release plus defects found after release), multiplied by 100. If QA found 90 bugs and users reported 10, DRE is 90 percent. A falling DRE means testing is missing more defects, and the escaped bugs should be analysed to improve test coverage.
SDLC is the full software development life cycle; STLC is the testing life cycle: requirement analysis, test planning, test design, environment setup, execution and closure.
Three-point estimation uses an optimistic (O), most likely (M) and pessimistic (P) estimate for each task. The weighted formula is (O + 4M + P) divided by 6. If testing a module would take 4 days at best, 6 days most likely and 14 days at worst, the estimate is (4 + 24 + 14) / 6 = 7 days. It includes uncertainty in a single number and is often combined with a work breakdown of test activities.
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.
29
What is the difference between an error, a defect and a failure?
Suspension criteria define when testing should be paused because continuing would waste effort, for example when a blocker bug stops the main flow, the build fails smoke testing or the environment is down. Resumption criteria define what must happen to restart, such as a new build that passes smoke testing or the environment restored. Writing these down avoids arguments and shows clearly why testing time was lost.
Visual regression testing takes screenshots of pages or components and compares them with approved baseline images to detect unexpected layout, font, colour or spacing changes that functional assertions miss. When a difference crosses a threshold, a person reviews it and either accepts the new baseline or logs a bug. Dynamic content like dates and ads must be masked, and the same browser and screen size must be used to avoid noise.
A screen reader is software that reads screen content aloud or sends it to a braille display, used mainly by blind and low-vision people. Common ones are NVDA, a free Windows reader, JAWS, a paid Windows reader common in enterprises, VoiceOver, built into macOS and iOS, and TalkBack, built into Android. Testers usually cover NVDA with a desktop browser plus VoiceOver or TalkBack on mobile.
34
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.
35
Why do performance reports use percentiles like p90 and p95 instead of averages?
An average hides slow requests. If 90 requests take 1 second and 10 take 10 seconds, the average is 1.9 seconds, which looks fine, but one user in ten waits 10 seconds. The p95 value means 95 percent of requests were faster than it, so it shows what most users actually experience, including the slow tail. Service level targets are usually written as percentiles, such as p95 under 2 seconds.
I treat review comments as free help. I ask for specifics if a comment is unclear, fix valid points quickly and explain my reasoning if I disagree, with the requirement in hand. For example, a senior once said my cases missed negative paths; I added them and also made a personal checklist for future reviews. Repeated comments show me a skill gap I should work on, not a personal attack.
Not necessarily. Automated tools catch only a part of WCAG issues, such as missing labels and contrast. A clean scan still needs manual checks: keyboard-only navigation, focus order, a screen reader pass, meaningful alt text and link names, error handling, zoom and reflow and dynamic content. Report the result as 'no automated violations found' and add the manual checklist outcome before claiming conformance.
Verification: are we building the product right? (reviews, walkthroughs — no code run). Validation: are we building the right product? (actual testing against user needs).
Tips to crack the Cyient Software Testing interview
Revise fundamentals of your engineering branch, since Cyient roles often mix domain engineering knowledge with software or data skills.
Practise basic programming, SQL queries and simple aptitude problems, which commonly feature in the first screening stage.
Learn about Cyient business units such as aerospace, rail and geospatial to explain which area interests you and why.
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; Cyient interviewers usually ask follow-ups on your first answer.
Frequently asked questions
How many rounds are there in the Cyient Software Testing interview?
Candidates usually go through 4 stages: Online assessment (aptitude + technical MCQs); 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 Cyient Software Testing interview?
This practice set leans on STLC and Test Planning (7), Agile, SQL and API Testing (6), Bug Life Cycle and Jira (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 Cyient interviewers ask you to walk through real work.
Are these the exact questions asked at Cyient?
No. These are curated practice questions that match the skills and difficulty usually tested in it services interviews like Cyient's. They are not a leaked or verified list of past questions.
Where does Cyient hire Software Testing professionals in India?
Cyient has large teams in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Noida. Openings and locations change often, so check the Cyient careers page and filter by city and experience.