Software Testing Interview Questions in Bangalore

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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 build arrived three days late but the release date has not moved. How do you prioritise execution?

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Rank test cases by business risk and usage: critical flows like login, payment and data saving first, then new features, then high-risk regression from past defects, and cosmetic checks last. Run smoke testing immediately to avoid wasting time on a broken build. Share the reduced plan with the lead and product owner so they know what will not be covered, and get agreement on the remaining risk.

What are severity and priority? Give examples.

Bug Life Cycle and JiraMedium

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Severity is impact on the system; priority is urgency of the fix. A crash in a rare report is high severity, low priority; a spelling mistake in the logo is low severity, high priority.

What is the difference between a test suite and a test run?

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A suite is a collection of related test cases; a run is one execution of a set of tests against a build.

What is integration testing and what are its approaches?

Testing TypesEasy

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Integration testing checks that modules or services work correctly together, focusing on interfaces and data flow. Approaches: big bang, where all modules are combined at once and testing is simple to plan but defects are hard to locate; top-down, where high-level modules are tested first using stubs for lower ones; bottom-up, using drivers for higher ones; and sandwich, which mixes both. Incremental approaches make it easier to find which interface failed.

Tell me about a time you designed tests for a feature with unclear requirements.

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Model answer: Situation: I got a story for 'flexible EMI options' with only one line of description. Task: test it within the sprint. Action: I listed my assumptions on tenure, interest and rounding, reviewed them with the product owner in a 15-minute call, and wrote test cases only after we agreed. Result: three rules were changed before coding finished, and the feature passed UAT without rework.

Scrum ceremonies and the tester's role?

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Sprint planning (estimate test effort), daily stand-up (status and blockers), sprint review (demo) and retrospective (improve). Testers clarify acceptance criteria early and test within the sprint.

Explain three usability heuristics with examples from a web app.

Accessibility & Usability TestingEasy

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Visibility of system status: after clicking Pay, show a progress indicator so users do not click again. Error prevention: disable the Submit button until required fields are valid, or ask for confirmation before deleting an account. Recognition rather than recall: show recently searched items and saved addresses instead of making users remember them. Other heuristics include consistency, user control with undo, and clear help for recovering from errors.

Managers say the automation test report is hard to understand. What should a useful report include?

Automation Basics for Manual TestersMedium

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A useful report shows total tests run, passed, failed and skipped, the run time, the environment, build number and browser. For each failure it should show the test name, the failing step, the error message, and a screenshot, video or trace, plus logs. Trends across runs help spot flaky tests. Linking failures to Jira bugs or manual case IDs helps managers see real product risk, not just numbers.

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 backward compatibility testing?

Testing TypesHard

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Backward compatibility testing checks that a new version still works with older versions of things it depends on or that depend on it. Examples: a new app version opens files and data created by the old one, a new API version still serves older mobile app versions that users have not updated, and an upgraded database keeps old records readable. It prevents breaking existing users when only some parts of the system are upgraded.

What is defect removal efficiency?

Bug Life Cycle and JiraMedium

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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.

What is data mapping testing?

Database TestingMedium

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Data mapping testing checks that each field on a screen, file or API goes to the correct table and column with the correct format. For example, the Date of Birth field on the signup form must land in users.dob as a date, and the State dropdown must store the state code, not the label. Testers use a mapping document, enter known values in the UI or API and query the database to compare field by field.

Write test cases for an online money transfer.

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

How do you test API error handling for invalid input?

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Send requests with missing required fields, wrong data types, values beyond limits, invalid formats such as a bad email, unknown fields and an empty or malformed JSON body. The API should return a 4xx code such as 400 or 422, a clear error message that names the field, and no stack trace or database details. Also check that nothing was partly saved in the database after the failed request.

What is use case testing?

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Designing tests from user flows described in use cases to verify complete real-world interactions.

What is mobile app testing and what extra checks does it need?

Mobile TestingMedium

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Test on real devices and OS versions, interrupts such as calls, battery, network changes, gestures, permissions and app store guidelines.

What is boundary value analysis?

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Testing at the edges of input ranges, such as 17, 18 and 19 for an age limit of 18, since errors cluster at boundaries.

Analytics show many users drop off at step three of a five-step checkout. How do you investigate the usability problem?

Accessibility & Usability TestingHard

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First look at what step three asks: maybe address entry, a surprise delivery charge or forced signup. Check analytics for errors, rage clicks and time spent, and watch session recordings if available. Test it yourself on mobile and slow networks. Then run a quick usability test with five users on that step. Present evidence with likely causes and options, such as guest checkout or showing charges earlier, and measure after the change.

How can you do basic performance checks with browser developer tools?

Performance and Security BasicsEasy

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Open developer tools and use the network tab with cache disabled to see each request's size and time, and the total load time. Look for very large images or scripts, slow API calls and requests that fail or repeat. Use throttling to simulate slow 3G or 4G. Run the built-in performance audit tool to get scores for load speed and suggestions. Record the numbers so you can compare with later builds.

A bug is not reproducible. What next?

Bug Life Cycle and JiraMedium

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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.

What are positive and negative test cases?

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Positive cases use valid inputs to confirm expected behaviour; negative cases use invalid inputs to confirm the system handles errors gracefully.

What is a REST API?

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An API style using HTTP methods on resources identified by URLs, usually exchanging JSON and staying stateless.

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.

How do you plan testing for a two-week sprint?

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In sprint planning, review each story's acceptance criteria and estimate test effort, including test data and regression. Write test cases in the first days while development starts. Ask for early builds so testing is spread across the sprint, not crowded at the end. Keep time for regression and bug retesting in the last two or three days. Track progress on the board and raise risks in stand-up.

Write test cases for an ATM withdrawal.

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Valid card and PIN, wrong PIN, three failed attempts, amount above balance, amount above daily limit, invalid denomination, machine out of cash, network failure and receipt printing.

Why should we hire you as a manual tester over someone with more automation experience?

Manual Testing BasicsMedium

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Answer with strengths and honesty. For example: I am strong at understanding requirements, designing test cases with techniques like boundary values and finding bugs through exploratory testing, which automation depends on to be useful. I also write SQL and test APIs in Postman. I am learning Playwright and have automated a few smoke tests, so I can grow into automation while adding value from the first week.

What is recovery testing?

Testing TypesMedium

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Recovery testing checks how well the system recovers from crashes, hardware failures, network loss or other failures. For example, kill the server during a file upload, or disconnect the network during payment, and verify the system restores a consistent state, does not lose or duplicate data and resumes or shows a clear message. It also measures recovery time against agreed targets, which matters for banking and healthcare systems.

What is the role of a QA lead across the STLC?

STLC and Test PlanningHard

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A QA lead reviews requirements and plans testing, including scope, estimates, resources and risks. They assign work, set standards for test cases and bug reports, and review test artefacts. During execution, they track progress, run triage and remove blockers. At the end, they give a clear release recommendation, prepare closure reports and drive lessons learned. They also mentor the team and improve the process over time.

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

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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.

What is a traceability matrix?

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A grid mapping requirements to test cases and defects, proving every requirement is tested.

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

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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.

You notice full card numbers printed in the application logs. What do you do?

Performance and Security BasicsMedium

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Treat it as a high-severity security defect, because storing full card numbers in logs breaks payment card security rules and creates a data leak risk. Do not copy the card numbers into the bug; use masked examples and the log location instead. Log the bug with restricted visibility and inform your lead and the security contact right away. After the fix, verify new logs are masked and confirm old logs are cleaned.

What is risk-based testing?

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Prioritising tests by the likelihood and impact of failure, so critical areas get the most coverage when time is limited.

SQL: find orders that have an order date in the future.

Database TestingEasy

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-- Orders cannot be placed in the future SELECT id, order_date, status FROM orders WHERE order_date > CURRENT_TIMESTAMP; -- Expected result: no rows. If rows appear, check time zone handling and input validation.

Write test cases for an OTP verification screen.