Software Testing Interview Questions in Gurgaon

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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.

What goes into a test plan?

STLC and Test PlanningMedium

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Scope (in and out), objectives, approach, environments, schedule, roles, entry/exit criteria, risks and mitigation, deliverables and tools.

How do you test zoom, text resizing and reflow?

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Set browser zoom to 200 percent and check that all text is readable and no content or buttons are cut off. Then zoom to 400 percent, or use a 1280 pixel wide window, which gives a 320 CSS pixel viewport; content should reflow into one column without horizontal scrolling, except for things like data tables and maps. Also increase text spacing and the operating system font size to check that labels do not overlap.

What is the OWASP Top 10 and why should testers know it?

Performance and Security BasicsMedium

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The OWASP Top 10 is a widely used list of the most critical web application security risks, published by an open community project. It includes broken access control, cryptographic failures, injection, insecure design, security misconfiguration, vulnerable components and authentication failures. Testers use it as a checklist to include basic security checks in their testing and to speak the same language as security teams.

SQL: find orders that have no matching customer record.

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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 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.

The app crashes only on one older Android version. What are your steps?

Mobile TestingHard

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Reproduce it on that exact OS version, using a real device or an emulator image, and note the device model and app build. Capture the crash log and stack trace. Check if the code uses an API or library not supported on that version, or a permission or storage behaviour that changed. Log the bug with logs and the minimum supported version from the requirement, so the team can decide to fix it or raise the minimum version.

Tell me about a time you found a usability problem that the requirements did not mention.

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Situation: while testing a leave application form, every test case passed. Task: I still felt the flow was confusing. Action: I noticed the date picker started on Sunday and the half-day option was hidden under 'More', so I asked two colleagues to apply for leave while I watched; both made mistakes. I logged a usability suggestion with notes. Result: product moved the option and support queries dropped.

A report shows duplicate rows after a new release. How do you investigate in the database?

Database TestingMedium

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Run the report query with GROUP BY on the business key and HAVING COUNT(*) > 1 to find which records repeat. Then check whether the duplicates exist in the base table or are created by the query, usually a new join to a one-to-many table such as addresses. Compare the query before and after the release. Include the duplicate keys, the count and the suspected join in the bug report.

Write test cases for live order tracking in a food delivery app.

Test Case DesignMedium

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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.

Describe a time you missed a bug that reached production.

Bug Life Cycle and JiraMedium

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Model answer: Situation: a discount was applied twice when users pressed the pay button quickly. Task: I had tested the feature and missed it. Action: I owned it in the retrospective, helped reproduce and verify the fix, and added double-click and slow network cases to our checklist for all payment buttons. Result: similar issues were caught in later sprints, and I learned to always test repeated actions.

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.

What is the difference between DELETE and TRUNCATE?

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DELETE removes selected rows and can be rolled back; TRUNCATE quickly removes all rows and resets the table.

What is visual regression testing in automation?

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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 load test shows good response times but a 15 percent error rate. How do you interpret it?

Performance and Security BasicsHard

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The result is a failure, not a pass. Failed requests often return quickly, so they make response times look better than they are. Check which requests fail and with which errors, such as 500, 503 or timeouts, and when errors started relative to the load level. Look at server logs, connection pool and thread limits. Also confirm the script is not wrong, for example expired tokens or bad test data.

What is a traceability matrix?

STLC and Test PlanningMedium

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

What is a test oracle?

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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.

SQL: count today's orders by status.

Agile, SQL and API TestingEasy

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SELECT status, COUNT(*) AS total FROM orders WHERE created_at >= CURRENT_DATE AND created_at < CURRENT_DATE + INTERVAL '1 day' GROUP BY status ORDER BY total DESC;

What is the difference between static and dynamic testing?

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Static testing reviews documents and code without executing; dynamic testing executes the software to observe behaviour.

How do specification-based techniques differ from experience-based techniques?

Test Case DesignMedium

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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.

What is the pesticide paradox and how do you counter it?

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The pesticide paradox says that if you run the same tests again and again, they stop finding new defects, just as pests become resistant to the same pesticide. To counter it, regularly review and update test cases, add new scenarios from recent production bugs, vary test data, and mix scripted runs with exploratory sessions. Rotating testers across modules also brings fresh eyes and new ideas.

How do you test form accessibility, including labels and error messages?

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Check that every field has a visible label tied to it, so clicking the label focuses the field and a screen reader announces it. Required fields must be indicated in text, not only by colour or an asterisk without explanation. Submit with errors and check that messages are specific, appear next to the field, are announced by the screen reader and focus moves to the first error. Also check autocomplete for name, email and address.

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

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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.

How do Selenium, Playwright and Cypress differ at a high level?

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Selenium is the oldest, uses the WebDriver standard, supports many languages like Java, Python and C# and every major browser, and is common in older enterprise suites. Playwright supports TypeScript, Python, Java and .NET, runs Chromium, Firefox and WebKit, and has built-in auto-waiting, tracing and parallel runs. Cypress runs inside the browser with JavaScript or TypeScript, has a friendly runner and is popular with front-end teams.

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.

What is a screen reader and which ones are commonly used for testing?

Accessibility & Usability TestingEasy

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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.

What is shift-left testing and why is it cheaper?

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Shift-left means starting testing activities earlier in the life cycle: reviewing requirements, joining design discussions and writing tests before code is complete. A defect found in requirements may cost a short conversation to fix, while the same defect found in production may need a hotfix, data correction and customer support. Testers shift left by asking questions in grooming, defining acceptance criteria and reviewing designs.

Customer records are being moved from an old system to a new one. How do you test the migration?

Testing TypesHard

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Compare record counts per table before and after. Check field mapping, data types, formats, encodings and default values for a sample of records, including edge cases like nulls, special characters and very old records. Verify relationships are kept, such as each order still linked to its customer. Run key business reports in both systems and compare totals. Test the rollback plan and confirm the new application works with migrated data.

What is the use of SQL GROUP BY and HAVING in test validation?

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They let testers verify totals and counts per category, such as the number of orders per customer, and compare them with the UI or reports.

What is a performance bottleneck and where do bottlenecks usually occur?

Performance and Security BasicsMedium

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A bottleneck is the component that limits the whole system's performance, so adding load beyond it increases response times or errors. Common places are slow database queries or missing indexes, too few database connections or threads, CPU or memory limits on servers, slow third-party APIs, large uncompressed files and chatty code that makes many small calls. Monitoring each layer during a test shows which resource saturates first.

SQL: find rows where mandatory columns are NULL or empty in a customers table.

Database TestingEasy

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-- Mandatory fields: name, email, phone SELECT id, name, email, phone FROM customers WHERE name IS NULL OR TRIM(name) = '' OR email IS NULL OR TRIM(email) = '' OR phone IS NULL OR TRIM(phone) = ''; -- Expected result: no rows

What is database testing and what does it cover?

Database TestingEasy

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Database testing checks that the data an application stores and reads is correct, complete and safe. It covers schema checks (tables, columns, data types), constraints and keys, data integrity after create, update and delete actions, stored procedures, triggers and views, transactions, and basic performance of heavy queries. For example, after placing an order in the UI, a tester queries the orders and order_items tables to confirm every value was saved exactly as entered.

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

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

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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 a sprint planning meeting and what does QA contribute?