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‭ A Quick Interview Guide:‬

Q
‭Roadmap to Success in Quality‬
‭Assurance Interviews‬

💼
‭ Compiled for Aspiring QA Engineers & Testers‬
🚀
‭ A Strategic Resource to Help You Crack Your Next Interview‬

‭ repared by: Shreyans Saklecha‬

P
‭Email :‬‭saklechashreyans1999@gmail.com‬
‭LinkedIn -‬‭https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyans-saklecha/‬

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‭❓ 1. What is Quality Assurance (QA)?‬

‭ uality Assurance (QA)‬‭is a‬‭preventive, process-oriented approach‬‭to ensure‬

Q
‭the software product meets defined quality standards and stakeholder‬
‭expectations. Rather than only finding bugs, QA emphasizes‬‭building quality into‬
‭every phase‬‭o f the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).‬

‭QA activities involve:‬

‭●‬ ‭Establishing and following‬‭standardized processes‬

‭●‬ ‭Proactively identifying risks‬‭and areas of improvement‬

‭●‬ ‭Validating processes‬‭, not just the end product‬

I‭ t encompasses tasks such as audits, reviews, process evaluations, and test‬

‭planning, with the primary goal being‬‭defect prevention‬‭rather than defect‬
‭detection. QA ensures the product is‬‭functionally sound‬‭,‬‭user-friendly‬‭, and‬
‭aligned with business objectives‬‭, improving reliability and customer satisfaction.‬

‭❓ 2. What is the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)?‬

‭ he‬‭Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)‬‭is a structured methodology used to‬

T
‭guide the development of high-quality software through well-defined phases. It‬
‭provides a‬‭systematic plan‬‭for building and maintaining software systems‬
‭efficiently.‬

‭🧩 Key Phases of SDLC:‬

‭1.‬ ‭Requirement Analysis‬ ‭– Gather and analyze business and user requirements‬

‭2.‬ ‭System Design‬‭– Define architecture, components, and data flow‬

‭3.‬ ‭Implementation‬‭– Developers write and integrate code‬

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‭4.‬ ‭Testing‬‭– Validate the software against requirements‬

‭5.‬ ‭Deployment‬‭– Deliver the software to the production environment‬

‭6.‬ ‭Maintenance‬‭– Provide support and apply updates post-release‬

‭ ifferent SDLC models include‬‭Waterfall‬‭,‬‭Agile‬‭,‬‭V-Model‬‭, and‬‭Spiral‬‭, selected‬

D
‭based on project type, risk, and customer needs. The ultimate aim is to ensure‬
‭delivery of‬‭high-quality, reliable, and maintainable software‬‭o n time and within‬
‭budget.‬

‭❓ 3. What is the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)?‬

‭ he‬‭Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)‬‭is a structured process followed by QA‬

T
‭teams to validate the quality of the software. It defines‬‭a series of steps‬‭executed to‬
‭ensure that testing is thorough, traceable, and aligned with project goals.‬

‭🧪 Key Phases of STLC:‬

‭1.‬ ‭Requirement Analysis‬ ‭– Identify testable requirements‬

‭2.‬ ‭Test Planning‬‭– Define scope, objectives, resources, and timelines‬

‭3.‬ ‭Test Case Design‬‭– Write detailed test cases and prepare test data‬

‭4.‬ ‭Test Environment Setup‬‭– Prepare necessary hardware and software‬

‭5.‬ ‭Test Execution‬‭– Run test cases, report and retest defects‬

‭6.‬ ‭Test Closure‬‭– Review test metrics, document findings, and finalize testing‬

S‭ TLC is‬‭complementary to SDLC‬‭, but focused exclusively on improving software‬

‭quality via systematic and well-documented testing practices.‬

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‭❓ 4. What is Functional Testing?‬

‭ unctional Testing‬‭is a form of‬‭black-box testing‬‭that validates whether the‬

F
‭software behaves as expected, based on the specified business requirements. It is‬
‭focused on verifying‬‭“what” the system does‬‭, not “how” it does it.‬

‭🔍 Features of Functional Testing:‬

‭●‬ T
‭ ests are created using‬‭requirements‬‭,‬‭user stories‬‭, and‬‭acceptance‬
‭c riteria‬

‭●‬ ‭Includes‬‭input validation‬‭,‬‭error messages‬‭, and‬‭UI/UX flows‬

‭●‬ ‭Examples:‬‭Smoke testing‬‭,‬‭Sanity testing‬‭,‬‭Integration testing‬‭,‬‭UAT‬

‭ esters simulate user behavior and observe how the application responds. This‬
T
‭ensures the product performs correctly in real-world usage scenarios.‬

‭❓ 5. What does Exploratory Testing mean?‬

‭ xploratory Testing‬‭is a‬‭simultaneous learning, test design, and execution‬

E
‭approach. Instead of following pre-written test cases, testers‬‭interact freely‬‭with‬
‭the system, using their domain expertise and intuition to discover bugs.‬

‭🧠 Characteristics:‬

‭●‬ ‭No predefined scripts; tests evolve in real-time‬

‭●‬ ‭Testers explore the system using‬‭c reativity‬‭and‬‭analytical skills‬

‭●‬ G
‭ reat for‬‭uncovering UI/UX issues‬‭,‬‭corner cases‬‭, and‬‭unexpected‬
‭behaviors‬

I‭ t’s particularly effective when documentation is incomplete or deadlines are tight.‬

‭The process may be structured using‬‭session-based test management (SBTM)‬‭for‬
‭traceability.‬

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‭❓ 6. What are the drawbacks of Exploratory Testing?‬

‭ hile‬‭Exploratory Testing‬‭encourages flexibility and rapid feedback, it also poses‬

W
‭some challenges:‬

‭⚠️ Limitations:‬

‭●‬ 🗂️
‭ ‬‭Lack of documentation‬‭: Difficult to reproduce issues if steps are not‬
‭recorded‬

‭●‬ ‭🔄‬‭Low repeatability‬‭: Inconsistent test paths across sessions‬

‭●‬ 👤
‭ ‬‭Tester-dependent‬‭: Effectiveness varies based on experience and domain‬
‭understanding‬

‭●‬ ❌
‭ ‬‭Risk of missed coverage‬‭: Critical paths may go untested without a‬
‭checklist‬

‭ o mitigate these, teams can combine exploratory testing with‬‭scripted‬‭o r‬

T
‭automated‬‭testing for broader coverage and reliability.‬

‭❓ 7. What does Regression Testing mean?‬

‭ egression Testing‬‭is conducted to ensure that‬‭new code changes do not‬

R
‭negatively affect existing features‬‭o f the software. It involves re-executing‬
‭previously passed test cases to confirm that the software’s core functionality‬
‭remains intact.‬

‭🔁 When to Apply:‬

‭●‬ ‭After bug fixes or feature enhancements‬

‭●‬ ‭During release cycles or after configuration updates‬

‭🛠️ Best Practices:‬

‭●‬ ‭Maintain an updated‬‭regression test suite‬

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‭●‬ ‭Automate‬‭high-impact and repetitive regression cases‬

‭●‬ ‭Use‬‭prioritization‬‭to focus on business-critical functionality‬

‭ egression testing is crucial in‬‭Agile and CI/CD environments‬‭, where frequent‬

R
‭deployments demand continuous verification.‬

I‭ t seems like I can’t do more advanced data analysis right now. Please try again‬
‭later.‬

‭ owever, I can still paste the‬‭full enhanced content for Questions 8–13‬‭right here‬
H
‭in the chat so you can copy it directly into your Word document.‬

‭❓ 8. What does Confirmation Testing mean?‬

‭ onfirmation Testing‬‭, also known as‬‭Re-testing‬‭, is the process of validating that a‬

C
‭previously reported defect has been successfully fixed by the development team. It‬
‭is typically conducted immediately after a defect status changes to “Fixed” or‬
‭“Ready for QA.”‬

‭✅ Characteristics:‬

‭●‬ ‭Targets the‬‭exact issue‬‭and the‬‭exact steps‬‭used to reproduce it earlier‬

‭●‬ ‭Validates that the fix works as expected‬

‭●‬ F
‭ ocuses‬‭only‬‭o n the fixed bug – does not assess related areas (unlike‬
‭regression testing)‬

‭ xample: If a login bug was reported due to incorrect error handling,‬

E
‭confirmation testing will specifically re-test the login failure scenario‬
‭using the same inputs.‬

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‭❓ 9. What do the Test Cases mean?‬

‭ est Cases‬‭are structured documents or units of testing that define‬‭what to test‬‭,‬

T
‭how to test‬‭, and‬‭what the expected outcome should be‬‭. They are essential for‬
‭verifying that a specific feature or functionality behaves as intended.‬

‭✍️ A Standard Test Case Includes:‬

‭●‬ ‭Test Case ID‬

‭●‬ ‭Objective / Description‬

‭●‬ ‭Preconditions‬

‭●‬ ‭Input Data‬

‭●‬ ‭Test Steps‬

‭●‬ ‭Expected Result‬

‭●‬ ‭Actual Result (during execution)‬

‭●‬ ‭Status (Pass/Fail)‬

‭ ell-written test cases ensure‬‭consistency‬‭,‬‭traceability‬‭, and‬

W
‭repeatability‬‭, especially in large or complex applications.‬

‭❓ 10. What are the differences between Test Cases and Test Scenarios?‬

‭Feature‬ ‭Test Scenario‬ ‭Test Case‬

‭Definition‬ H
‭ igh-level functionality to be‬ ‭ etailed steps to validate the‬
D
‭tested‬ ‭scenario‬

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‭Purpose‬ ‭Defines “‬‭What to test‬‭”‬ ‭Defines “‬‭How to test‬‭”‬

‭Scope‬ ‭ road; can include multiple test‬ N

B ‭ arrow; targets a specific condition‬
‭conditions‬ ‭o r behavior‬

‭Detail Level‬‭Less detailed‬ ‭Very detailed and structured‬

‭Example‬ ‭“Verify login functionality”‬ “‭ Enter valid credentials and click‬

‭Login button”‬

‭ est scenarios help in‬‭planning coverage‬‭, while test cases are used for‬
T
‭execution and automation‬‭.‬

‭❓ 11. What is Severity?‬

‭ everity‬‭refers to the‬‭impact‬‭a defect has on the system's operation, functionality,‬

S
‭o r user experience. It indicates how badly the system is affected due to a particular‬
‭bug or issue.‬

‭🔴 Common Severity Levels:‬

‭●‬ ‭Critical‬ ‭– Complete system failure or crash (e.g., unable to log in)‬

‭●‬ ‭Major‬‭– Major functionality broken (e.g., checkout fails)‬

‭●‬ ‭Minor‬‭– Partial or non-blocking issue (e.g., misaligned button)‬

‭●‬ ‭Trivial‬‭– Very low impact, like typos or visual inconsistencies‬

S‭ everity is generally decided by the‬‭QA Engineer‬‭based on the‬

‭technical seriousness‬‭o f the issue.‬

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‭❓ 12. What is Priority?‬

‭ riority‬‭determines the‬‭order in which a defect should be resolved‬‭, often driven‬

P
‭by business goals, release schedules, and customer impact. It doesn’t always align‬
‭with severity.‬

‭📊 Common Priority Levels:‬

‭●‬ ‭High‬ ‭– Needs immediate attention (e.g., crash on payment page)‬

‭●‬ ‭Medium‬‭– Important, but can wait for the next sprint‬

‭●‬ ‭Low‬‭– Can be fixed later or scheduled for future release‬

‭ riority is decided by‬‭Project Managers‬‭,‬‭Product Owners‬‭, or‬‭Team‬

P
‭Leads‬‭to align defect fixing with the project timeline and objectives.‬

‭❓ 13. Give the differences between Severity and Priority‬

‭Attribute‬ ‭Severity‬ ‭Priority‬

‭Meaning‬ ‭Impact on system functionality‬ ‭Urgency to fix the defect‬

‭ ecided‬
D ‭QA/Test Engineer‬ ‭Product Owner / Project Lead‬
‭By‬

‭Focus‬ ‭Technical consequence‬ ‭Business urgency‬

‭Example‬ ‭ pp crashes on edge case‬

A ‭ ix a homepage typo before demo‬
F
‭(Critical Severity)‬ ‭(High Priority)‬

‭Levels‬ ‭Critical, Major, Minor, Trivial‬ ‭High, Medium, Low‬

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‭ defect can be‬‭high severity but low priority‬‭, or‬‭low severity but‬
A
‭high priority‬‭, depending on the business context.‬

‭❓ 14. What does the Defect Life Cycle mean?‬

‭ he‬‭Defect Life Cycle‬‭(also called the‬‭Bug Life Cycle‬‭) describes the various stages‬
T
‭a defect passes through from discovery to closure. This cycle ensures transparency‬
‭and traceability of how a defect is handled and resolved in a structured way.‬

‭🔄 Typical Stages in the Defect Life Cycle:‬

‭1.‬ ‭New‬ ‭– A tester discovers a bug and logs it.‬

‭2.‬ ‭Assigned‬‭– The defect is assigned to a developer.‬

‭3.‬ ‭Open‬‭– The developer acknowledges and begins investigating the bug.‬

‭4.‬ ‭Fixed‬‭– The developer applies the code fix.‬

‭5.‬ ‭Retest‬‭– QA retests to confirm the bug is resolved.‬

‭6.‬ ‭Verified‬‭– The fix is successful and verified.‬

‭7.‬ ‭Closed‬‭– The defect is marked as closed.‬

‭8.‬ ‭Reopened‬‭– If the issue persists after fixing.‬

‭9.‬ R
‭ ejected/Deferred/Duplicate‬‭– Based on triage decisions (not a bug, fix‬
‭postponed, or bug already exists).‬

✅
‭ This lifecycle ensures defects are addressed systematically, fostering‬
‭accountability and quality.‬

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‭❓ 15. What is the role of a QA Engineer in Agile Development?‬

I‭ n Agile methodology, a QA Engineer is not a passive afterthought but an‬‭integral‬

‭part of the development team‬‭. QA engineers are involved from the beginning of‬
‭each sprint and play a critical role in delivering high-quality, shippable software.‬

‭👨‍💻 Key Responsibilities of Agile QA:‬

‭●‬ ‭Participating in‬‭sprint planning‬‭, backlog grooming, and daily stand-ups.‬

‭●‬ ‭Writing‬‭acceptance criteria‬‭and defining the‬‭Definition of Done (DoD)‬‭.‬

‭●‬ ‭Designing and executing‬‭test cases‬‭for user stories during development.‬

‭●‬ ‭Performing‬‭exploratory testing‬‭,‬‭regression testing‬‭, and‬‭automation‬‭.‬

‭●‬ C
‭ ollaborating closely with developers and product owners for‬‭fast‬
‭feedback‬‭.‬

‭●‬ ‭Maintaining‬‭test documentation‬‭, dashboards, and automation suites.‬

🧠
‭ The goal is to‬‭embed quality at every stage‬‭o f development, not‬
‭just test after coding is complete.‬

‭❓ 16. What is Cross-Browser Testing?‬

‭ ross-Browser Testing‬‭is the process of verifying whether a web application‬

C
‭behaves and appears consistently across different browsers, browser versions, and‬
‭o perating systems.‬

‭🧪 This testing ensures:‬

‭●‬ ‭✅ Uniform rendering of HTML/CSS across browsers.‬

‭●‬ ‭✅ Functionality of JavaScript and dynamic elements.‬

‭●‬ ‭✅ Responsive design on desktops, tablets, and mobiles.‬

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‭●‬ ‭✅ No browser-specific bugs that affect the user experience.‬

‭🔍 Common Targets for Testing:‬

‭●‬ ‭Google Chrome (Windows/Mac/Linux)‬

‭●‬ ‭Mozilla Firefox‬

‭●‬ ‭Safari (Mac/iOS)‬

‭●‬ ‭Microsoft Edge‬

‭●‬ ‭Opera‬

‭●‬ ‭Mobile browsers on Android and iOS‬

‭🔧 Popular Tools:‬

‭ rowserStack‬‭,‬‭Sauce Labs‬‭,‬‭Lambdatest‬‭, and open-source tools like‬

‭●‬ B
‭Selenium Grid‬‭.‬

🔁
‭ Cross-browser testing is essential for delivering a‬‭consistent and‬
‭accessible‬‭user experience across all platforms.‬

‭❓ 17. What is the difference between Black-box and White-box Testing?‬

‭Here is a side-by-side comparison of these two essential testing methodologies:‬

‭Feature‬ ‭Black-box Testing‬ ‭White-box Testing‬

‭Access to Code‬ ‭No access needed‬ ‭Full access to code required‬

‭ ho Performs‬ ‭QA/Testers, end users‬

W ‭ evelopers, technically skilled‬
D
‭It?‬ ‭testers‬

‭Test Focus‬ ‭Validating functionality‬ ‭ erifying logic, code paths, and‬

V
‭internal behavior‬

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‭Basis‬ ‭Requirements, user stories‬ ‭ ode structure, branches, and‬

C
‭control flow‬

‭Techniques‬ ‭ quivalence partitioning,‬

E S‭ tatement, path, and branch‬
‭boundary testing‬ ‭coverage‬

‭Examples‬ ‭Functional, UI, system testing‬ ‭ nit testing, static analysis, security‬
U
‭testing‬

⚖️
‭ Black-box testing answers‬‭“Does it work?”‬‭, while white-box testing‬
‭answers‬‭“How does it work?”‬

‭❓ 18. Explain the concept of Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)‬

‭ ehavior-Driven Development (BDD)‬‭is an Agile software development practice‬

B
‭that encourages‬‭collaboration‬‭among developers, testers, and business‬
‭stakeholders through‬‭shared understanding‬‭o f system behavior.‬

‭🔍 Core Concepts:‬

‭●‬ ‭Tests are written in‬‭natural language (English-like syntax)‬‭.‬

‭●‬ ‭Uses‬‭Gherkin syntax‬‭with‬‭Given–When–Then‬‭format.‬

‭●‬ B
‭ ridges the gap between‬‭technical teams and non-technical‬
‭stakeholders‬‭.‬

‭●‬ ‭Promotes‬‭“Specification by Example”‬‭.‬

‭●‬ E
‭ ncourages‬‭test-first development‬‭, closely aligned with TDD (Test Driven‬
‭Development).‬

‭📝 Example:‬
‭Scenario: Successful login with valid credentials‬

‭Given the user is on the login page‬

‭When they enter valid credentials‬

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‭Then they should be redirected to the dashboard‬

‭🔧 Common BDD Tools:‬

‭●‬ ‭Cucumber‬ ‭(Java/Ruby)‬

‭●‬ ‭SpecFlow‬‭(.NET)‬

‭●‬ ‭Behave‬‭(Python)‬

‭●‬ ‭JBehave‬‭,‬‭Gauge‬

🤝
‭ BDD facilitates better communication,‬‭fewer misunderstandings‬‭,‬
‭and‬‭higher product quality‬‭.‬

‭❓ 19. How can we measure the effectiveness of testing?‬

‭ esting effectiveness can be evaluated using‬‭quantitative metrics‬‭that assess both‬

T
‭defect management‬‭and‬‭test coverage‬‭.‬

‭📊 Key Metrics to Track:‬

‭ efect Detection Percentage (DDP)‬ ‭= (Defects detected during testing / Total‬

‭●‬ D
‭defects found) × 100‬

‭●‬ T
‭ est Coverage‬‭= (Number of requirements covered by tests / Total‬
‭requirements) × 100‬

‭●‬ ‭Defect Leakage‬‭= Bugs found post-release‬

‭●‬ ‭Test Case Effectiveness‬‭= Ratio of valid defects found via test cases‬

‭●‬ ‭Automation Coverage‬‭= % of test cases that are automated‬

‭●‬ ‭Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)‬‭and‬‭Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)‬

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📈
‭ These insights allow teams to‬‭improve test planning, risk‬
‭management‬‭, and‬‭overall QA strategy‬‭.‬

‭❓ 20. How can we ensure a smooth release process?‬

‭ successful and smooth release is the result of‬‭collaborative planning‬‭,‬

A
‭comprehensive testing‬‭, and‬‭robust automation‬‭.‬

‭✅ Best Practices:‬

‭●‬ ‭🔄 Conduct thorough‬‭regression and sanity tests‬‭.‬

‭●‬ ‭🔐 Include‬‭security, performance, and accessibility‬‭testing.‬

‭●‬ ‭⚙️ Integrate testing into‬‭CI/CD pipelines‬‭.‬

‭●‬ ‭📄 Maintain detailed‬‭release documentation‬‭and‬‭c hecklists‬‭.‬

‭●‬ ‭🛑 Plan for‬‭rollback options‬‭in case of failures.‬

‭●‬ ‭🤝 Involve‬‭DevOps, QA, and product teams‬‭during the release phase.‬

‭●‬ ‭✅ Conduct‬‭post-release validations‬‭and monitor KPIs.‬

🚀
‭ A successful release isn’t just about delivery — it’s about‬‭reliability,‬
‭performance, and user trust‬‭.‬

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