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Software Testing Interview Questions for Analytics Companies

40 questions weighted to the interview style of analytics companies — 6 easy, 31 medium, 3 hard.

How analytics companies interview for Software Testing

Analytics and data-services firms test practical skill hard: SQL, Excel or Python tasks, statistics, and business cases where you turn data into a recommendation. Many run a take-home or live case round in addition to technical interviews.

This set focuses on Agile, SQL and API Testing (9), Test Case Design (9), Bug Life Cycle and Jira (5), Manual Testing Basics (4).

HR round Technical interview Case or guesstimate round Technical round 1 Technical round 2 or case round

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What is the waterfall model and where does testing fit in it?

Manual Testing BasicsEasy

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Waterfall is a sequential model: requirements, design, development, testing and deployment happen one after another. Testing starts only after development is complete, so defects in requirements or design are found late and are costly to fix. It suits small projects with stable, well-defined requirements. Its weakness for testers is the late feedback, which is why most teams now use Agile or the V-model.

How do you test a REST API with authentication?

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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Check access with valid, expired and missing tokens, role-based permissions, error codes and that sensitive data is never exposed.

A training portal is adding recorded video lessons and podcasts. What accessibility checks do you run?

Accessibility & Usability TestingMedium

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Check that prerecorded videos have accurate, synchronised captions, not just auto-generated ones with errors, and that audio-only content like podcasts has a transcript. Important visual information that is not spoken should have audio description or be covered in the transcript. Media should not autoplay with sound, and player controls must work by keyboard and be announced by screen readers. Also check that nothing flashes more than three times per second.

How do you handle a bug found late in a release cycle?

Bug Life Cycle and JiraMedium

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Assess impact and risk, discuss with product and dev, decide to fix, defer with a workaround or delay release, and document the decision.

Your team wants to use an AI tool to generate test cases and automation scripts. What benefits and risks do you point out?

Automation Basics for Manual TestersHard

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AI assistants can draft test cases from requirements, suggest edge cases, generate first versions of scripts and test data, and some tools self-heal locators when the page changes. Risks are confident but wrong output, tests that assert the wrong behaviour, hidden locator changes that mask real bugs and leaking confidential data into external tools. Treat AI output like a junior's draft: review it, run it and keep human judgement on what matters.

Tell me about a time you used a test design technique to reduce the number of test cases.

Test Case DesignEasy

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Model answer: Situation: in my training project, a registration form had age, state and course fields, and my first draft had over 60 test cases. Task: cut effort without losing coverage. Action: I applied equivalence partitioning and boundary values to age and pairwise combinations for state and course. Result: I covered the same rules with 18 cases, my mentor approved them, and execution finished in half the time.

A CAPTCHA on the signup page blocks screen reader users. What do you recommend?

Accessibility & Usability TestingMedium

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Log it as a high-severity accessibility bug because it fully blocks a group of users from signing up. An image-only CAPTCHA fails WCAG unless an alternative is offered. Recommend options such as invisible or risk-based bot checks, an email or OTP verification step, an audio alternative plus another modality, and rate limiting on the server. Retest the full signup with NVDA and TalkBack after the change.

What is deep link testing?

Mobile TestingMedium

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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.

A feature passed all your test cases, but users say it is confusing. What went wrong?

Manual Testing BasicsMedium

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The tests verified the specification but did not validate the user experience. The test cases probably checked only functional outcomes and missed usability: unclear labels, too many steps or poor error messages. Next time, add usability heuristics to reviews, do exploratory sessions as a real user persona and involve users in UAT or demos. Log the current feedback as improvement items with clear examples.

What is the difference between statement coverage and branch coverage?

Test Case DesignMedium

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Statement coverage measures the percentage of code statements executed by tests. Branch coverage measures whether every decision outcome, true and false, has been executed. Branch coverage is stronger: for 'if (amount > 1000) applyDiscount()', one test with 1500 gives 100 percent statement coverage, but you need a second test with 500 to cover the false branch. 100 percent branch coverage implies 100 percent statement coverage, not the other way round.

How do you test a web page with a screen reader?

Accessibility & Usability TestingMedium

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Turn on the screen reader, for example NVDA with a browser, and listen rather than look. Navigate by headings to check the structure is logical, by landmarks to find main regions and by Tab through controls. Each control should announce a clear name, role and state, such as 'Subscribe, checkbox, not checked'. Check images, form errors, dynamic updates like cart counts and dialogs. Note exactly what was announced in bug reports.

What is decision table testing?

Test Case DesignMedium

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List conditions and actions in a table and cover every combination of conditions (rules) — ideal for business rules like loan approval: salary > X AND credit score > Y → approve.

How do you balance manual testing and automation work in the same sprint?

STLC and Test PlanningMedium

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I agree the split with the team at sprint planning. Testing new stories manually comes first because it blocks the sprint goal. I then automate the stable flows from the previous sprint, so scripts are not rewritten while features change. For example, I block two afternoons a week for automation and report progress in stand-up. If a release is at risk, I pause automation and tell the lead openly.

How do you test pagination, sorting and filtering through an API?

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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Send page, size, sort and filter parameters, then verify counts, order, boundaries (first, last, empty page) and invalid parameter handling.

What are the main testing differences between Android and iOS?

Mobile TestingMedium

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Android has many manufacturers, screen sizes and OS versions with custom skins, so device fragmentation and background-kill behaviour need more coverage. iOS has fewer devices but strict permission, privacy and store review rules. Navigation differs: Android has a system back button or gesture, iOS relies on in-app navigation and swipe back. Notification, permission and file-access behaviours also differ, so test cases need platform-specific steps.

Write test cases for a one-to-one chat feature.

Test Case DesignMedium

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Send and receive text messages and check order and timestamps. Test sent, delivered and read status. Send emojis, long messages, links and attachments within and over the size limit. Check messages sent while offline are queued and delivered on reconnect. Verify blocking a user stops messages. Test notifications when the app is in background. Check chat history after reinstall or on a second device, and that deleted messages disappear for both users if supported.

How do you write test cases when only wireframes are available and the UI is not ready?

Test Case DesignMedium

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Use the wireframes and the user story as the test basis. Write test scenarios and high-level cases for the flows, field validations, navigation and error states shown in the design. Note open questions, such as missing empty states or error messages, and clarify them with the designer. Keep exact UI text and steps light so they are easy to update. Once the build arrives, refine the cases and add any missing details.

Write test cases for an online money transfer.

Test Case DesignMedium

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Valid transfer, insufficient balance, daily limit, wrong beneficiary, OTP failure, network drop mid-transaction, duplicate click and statement update.

SQL: find orders that have no matching customer record.

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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-- orphan orders indicate a broken foreign key or bad data load SELECT o.order_id, o.customer_id FROM orders o LEFT JOIN customers c ON c.customer_id = o.customer_id WHERE c.customer_id IS NULL;

What do you check when testing an API in Postman?

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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Status code, response body and schema, headers, response time, error messages for invalid input, authentication (401/403) and that data is saved in the database.

Write a pytest test using requests that checks a GET call returns 200 and a non-empty list.

Automation Basics for Manual TestersMedium

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import requests BASE_URL = 'https://qa-api.example.com' def test_get_products_returns_list(): response = requests.get(f'{BASE_URL}/products', timeout=10) assert response.status_code == 200 body = response.json() assert isinstance(body, list) assert len(body) > 0 assert 'id' in body[0]

A bug happens only in production and not in the QA environment. How do you investigate?

Bug Life Cycle and JiraHard

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Collect exact details: user, time, device, browser and request IDs. Compare production with QA for configuration, feature flags, data volume, third-party integrations, versions and caching. Ask for production logs and error traces through the support or dev team. Try to reproduce in QA with production-like data or in a staging environment. Once found, add a test for the gap and fix the environment difference if one caused it.

SQL: verify that soft-deleted users do not appear in the active users list.

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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-- the active list query used by the app should return 0 rows here SELECT u.user_id, u.email FROM users u WHERE u.is_deleted = 1 AND u.user_id IN ( SELECT user_id FROM active_users_view );

Severity vs priority — with an example.

Bug Life Cycle and JiraEasy

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Severity = impact on the system. Priority = urgency to fix. Logo misspelt on the homepage → low severity, high priority. Crash in a rarely used report → high severity, low priority.

A hotfix build arrives and you have only 15 minutes before deployment. How do you sanity check it?

Testing TypesMedium

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Read the hotfix ticket to know exactly what changed. First verify the fix with the original reproduction steps and data. Then check the directly connected flows, for example if the fix is in coupon calculation, test applying, removing and paying with a coupon. Finish with a quick smoke of login and the main business flow. Report the result immediately, mentioning what was and was not covered.

SQL: find customers who placed more than three orders in the last 30 days.

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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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;

The same bug keeps reopening across three sprints. What do you do?

Bug Life Cycle and JiraHard

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Stop the retest loop and call a short session with the developer, lead and product owner. Check whether the fix addresses the root cause or only the symptom, whether everyone agrees on the expected behaviour and whether different environments or data are involved. Run a root cause analysis and agree on clear acceptance tests before the next fix. Add an automated regression check so it cannot silently return.

A dashboard shows pass or fail status only with red and green dots. What is the issue?

Accessibility & Usability TestingEasy

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This relies on colour alone to give information, which fails WCAG criterion 1.4.1. Users with red-green colour blindness, which affects a noticeable share of men, cannot tell the states apart, and screen readers announce nothing. Recommend adding text or icons such as a tick and a cross with labels like 'Passed' and 'Failed', and accessible names for the dots. Test with a colour blindness simulator in browser developer tools.

SQL: find duplicate emails.

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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SELECT email, COUNT(*) FROM users GROUP BY email HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

What is Appium at a high level?

Mobile TestingMedium

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Appium is an open-source tool for automating native, hybrid and mobile web apps on Android and iOS using the WebDriver protocol. Tests can be written in Java, Python, JavaScript and other languages, and it uses platform drivers such as UiAutomator2 for Android and XCUITest for iOS. It can run on emulators, simulators, real devices and cloud device farms. Stable accessibility IDs make the best locators for it.

Write test cases for a search box.

Test Case DesignMedium

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Valid keyword, partial match, no results, special characters, very long text, empty search, case sensitivity, spelling errors, suggestions and speed of results.

Write test cases for a multi-select dropdown.

Test Case DesignEasy

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1. Open and close by click and keyboard. 2. Select one, then several options; all show as chips or a count. 3. Deselect an option. 4. Select all and clear all, if available. 5. Search inside the list filters options. 6. Maximum selection limit is enforced with a message. 7. Required field shows an error if none selected. 8. Saved selection persists after refresh. 9. Long option names do not break layout. 10. Screen reader announces selected state.

What is compliance testing?

Testing TypesMedium

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Compliance testing checks that software meets external laws, standards or internal policies, not just functional requirements. Examples include payment security standards for card data, data protection rules for personal data, accessibility guidelines and RBI rules for banking apps. Testers verify items such as consent capture, data retention, audit logs and masking. Findings are usually documented as evidence for auditors, so traceability and clear records matter as much as the tests.

How do you link stories, test cases and bugs in Jira for traceability?

Bug Life Cycle and JiraMedium

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Create test cases as linked issues or in a test management add-on and link each one to its story with a tests relationship. When a test fails, create the bug from the test execution or link it to both the test and the story with is blocked by or relates to. Use the same fix version for all. A story then shows its tests and open bugs, which makes sign-off and the traceability report easy.

What is a test oracle?

Manual Testing BasicsMedium

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A test oracle is the source you use to decide whether a test result is correct, that is, the expected result. It can be a requirement document, a user story, an older version of the system, a calculation in a spreadsheet, a domain expert or common sense. For example, when testing a tax calculator, the official tax slab table is the oracle. Without a reliable oracle, you cannot say a test passed or failed.

Write a Postman test script that checks the status is 201 and the response contains an id.

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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pm.test('Status is 201', function () { pm.response.to.have.status(201); }); pm.test('Response has id', function () { const body = pm.response.json(); pm.expect(body).to.have.property('id'); pm.expect(body.id).to.be.a('number'); });

Give an example of equivalence partitioning.

Test Case DesignEasy

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For a field accepting 1–100: valid class 1–100 (test 50), invalid below 1 (test −5), invalid above 100 (test 150). One value represents each class.

What is performance testing and its types?

Performance and Security BasicsMedium

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Measuring speed and stability: load (expected users), stress (beyond limits), spike (sudden surge), endurance (long duration) and scalability testing.

The UI shows the correct order total, but the database has a different value. What do you check?

Agile, SQL and API TestingMedium

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Note the order ID and compare the UI value, the API response and the database value to find where they differ. Check if the UI calculates the total on the screen instead of using the saved value, whether taxes, discounts or rounding are applied at different layers and whether a later update job changed the record. Log the bug with all three values, because invoices and reports will use the database figure.

What is the V-model?

Manual Testing BasicsMedium

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A development model where each development phase has a matching testing phase, such as requirements with acceptance tests and design with integration tests.