[REAL TIME] Quality Analyst [QA] Interview Question & Answer

Last updated on 04th Jul 2020, Blog, Interview Questions

A Quality Analyst (QA) is a professional responsible for ensuring the quality and reliability of software applications or products. QA analysts play a critical role in the software development lifecycle by systematically testing and evaluating software to identify defects, inconsistencies, and areas for improvement. They create and execute test plans, develop test cases, and use various testing techniques to verify that software meets specified requirements and functions correctly. QA analysts collaborate closely with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to understand project requirements and to communicate issues effectively. They may also be involved in the development and improvement of testing processes and methodologies.

1. Define quality assurance.

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Quality Assurance (QA) ensures the software complies with all the requirements and specifications regarding a maintenance, reliability, and performanc

2. What is difference between QA and software testing?

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	Aspect	Quality Assurance (QA)	Software Testing
Scope	Encompasses the entire software development process, focusing on improving processes and preventing defects	Primarily focuses on identifying and fixing defects in a developed software application.
Objective	Aims to ensure that the entire software development lifecycle adheres to defined standards and processes	Aims to verify and validate that the software product meets specified requirements and functions correctly
Activities	Involves process audits, reviews, and establishing quality standards and procedures	Involves designing test cases, executing tests, reporting defects, and validating software functionality
Focus	Concerned with preventing defects and improving overall development efficiency	Primarily concerned with finding and fixing defects to ensure the reliability and functionality of the software

3. What is Testware?

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The term “testware” describes the assortment of objects, instruments, and records utilized throughout the software testing procedure. It includes all of the components required to organize, create, carry out, and oversee tests at every stage of the software development process. Test environments, test data, test cases, test scripts, test plans, and any specialized hardware or software needed for testing are all considered testware. Testware is meant to guarantee the efficient and methodical verification and validation of software, assisting in the detection of flaws, guaranteeing adherence to specifications, and ultimately aiding in the production of a high-caliber software product.

4. What is difference between build and release?

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Build: It is a number given to Installable software that is given to the testing team by development team.

Release: It is the number given to Installable software that is handed over to customer by the tester or developer.

5. What are automation challenges that SQAteam faces while testing?

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• Mastering= automation tool
• Reusability of Automation script
• Adaptability of the test case for automation
• Automating complex test cases

6. What is bug leakage and bug release?

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Bug release is when software or application is handed over to testing team knowing that = defect is present in a release. During this priority and severity of bug is low, as bug can be removed before final handover. Bug leakage is something, when bug is discovered by the end users or customer, and not detected by a testing team while testing the software.

7. What is data driven testing?

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Data driven testing is automation testing framework, which tests different input values on the AUT. These values are read directly from a data files. The data files may include the csv files, excel files, data pools and many more.

8. Explain steps for Bug Cycle?

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• Once bug is identified by tester, it is assigned to the development manager in open status.
• If the bug is valid defect the development team will fix it.
• If it is not valid defect, the defect will be ignored and marked as rejected
• The next step will be to check whether it is in a scope. If the bug is not a part of the current release then defects are postponed

9. What does test strategy include?

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The test strategy includes the introduction, resource, scope and schedule for the test activities, test tools, test priorities, test planning and the types of test that has to be performed.

10. Mention different types of software testing?

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• Unit testing
• Integration testing and regression testing
• Shakeout testing
• Smoke testing
• Functional testing

11. What is branch testing and what is boundary testing?

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The testing of all branches of the code, which is tested once, is known as a branch testing. While the testing, that is focused on limit conditions of a software is known as boundary testing.

12. What are contents of test plans and test cases?

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Testing objectives

Testing scope

Testing the frame

The environment

Reason for testing.

13. What is Agile testing and what is importance of Agile testing?

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Agile testing is software testing, is testing using the Agile Methodology. The importance of this testing is unlike a normal testing process, this testing does not wait for development team to complete coding first and then doing testing. The coding and testing both goes simultaneously. It requires continuous customer interaction.

14. What is Test case?

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Test case is the specific condition to check against the Application Under Test. It has information of the test steps, prerequisites, test environment, and outputs.

15. What is strategy for Automation Test Plan?

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• The strategy for Automation Test Plan
• Preparation of a Automation Test Plan
• Recording scenario
• Error handler incorporation

16. What is strategy for Automation Test Plan?

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In software testing, the audit compares the software product to predefined standards, and desired standard is the primary goal of conducting an audit of a software testing phase.Quality Audit determines if process being utilized and implemented in testing process is defined and specifications to ensure generated product complies with them.

17. What are tools used by tester while testing?

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• Selenium
• Firebug
• OpenSTA
• WinSCP

18. Define stress testing, load testing and volume testing?

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Load Testing: Testing an application under heavy but expected load is known as a Load Testing. Here, load refers to the large volume of users, messages, requests, data, etc.

Stress Testing: When load placed on the system is raised or accelerated beyond normal range then it is known as a Stress Testing.

Volume Testing: The process of checking system, whether the system can handle required amounts of data, user requests, etc. is known as a Volume Testing.

19. What are five common solutions for software developments problems?

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Adopting agile methodologies to improve flexibility and collaboration, putting in place reliable version control systems for effective code management, incorporating continuous integration and deployment practices to automate testing and streamline the development pipeline, cultivating a strong culture of communication and cooperation within development teams, and utilizing cloud services for scalable infrastructure and better resource management are five common solutions for software development issues.

20. What is ‘USE’ case and what does it include?

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The document that describes, user action and system response, for a particular functionality is known as the USE case. It includes the revision history, table of contents, flow of events, cover page, special requirements, pre-conditions and post-conditions.

21. What does CRUD testing and how test CRUD?

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CRUD testing is the type of testing that focuses on ensuring proper functionality of an application’s Create, Read, Update, and Delete operations. These operations are fundamental to more software systems, especially those that involve a data manipulation

22. What is thread testing?

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A thread testing is the top-down testing, where the progressive integration of components follows implementation of subsets of the requirements, as opposed to the integration of components by the successively lower levels.

23. What is configuration management?

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It is the process to control and document any changes made during a life of a project. Release control, Change control and Revision control are important aspects of the configuration management.

24. What is Ad Hoc testing?

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In ad-hoc testing, tester randomly tests the system’s functioning in an effort to be break it. It is the unstructured testing that takes place without any planning and documentation. As a result, it does not involve the any test case preparation, test execution strategy, and requirement specification.

25. List out roles of Software Quality Assurance engineer?

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• Writing source code
• Software design
• Control of source code
• Reviewing code
• Change management

26. What are test driver and test stub and why it is required?

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A test driver and test stub are components used in the testing of software modules or components. A test driver is a program that stimulates the calling of a module by providing the required input values and then capturing the output. It essentially acts as a control module for testing the targeted module. On the other hand, a test stub is a temporary module or component that stands in place of a called module and returns dummy or predefined data to the calling module.

27. What is Bug triage?

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Bug triage is a process in software development where a team evaluates, prioritizes, and assigns severity levels to reported software bugs. During bug triage, the team reviews incoming bug reports, assesses their impact on the software, and determines the priority of fixing each bug based on factors such as severity, business impact, and urgency. The goal is to efficiently manage resources and prioritize bug fixes according to their importance and impact on the software’s functionality.

28. List the various tools required to support testing during development of the application?

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Test Management Tools: JIRA, Quality Center

Defect Management Tools: Test Director, Bugzilla

Project Management Tools: Sharepoint

Automation Tools: RFT, QTP, and WinRunner

29. What is cause effect graph?

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The cause-effect graph is a inclusion of a black box testing technique that identifies the fewest test cases that can adequately test full scope of a product, Based on a set of criteria. It also highlights the connection between particular result and elements influencing the outcome.

30. What is Test Metric in software testing and what information does it contains?

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A test metric in software testing is a quantitative measure used to assess various aspects of the testing process and the quality of the software being tested. It provides numerical data to evaluate the efficiency, progress, and effectiveness of testing activities. Test metrics can include information such as test coverage, defect density, test execution progress, and pass/fail rates.

31. What is traceability matrix?

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A Traceability Matrix is the document that connects any two baseline documents that require many-to-many link to ensure that relationship is complete. It’s used to keep track of the requirements and make sure they’re being met on a present project

32. Explain difference between Regression testing and Retesting?

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Regression Testing: The primary purpose of regression testing is to ensure that a new changes (code modifications, enhancements, or bug fixes) introduced in software do not negatively impact existing functionality. It involves the testing entire application or subset of it to catch any unintended side effects caused by recent changes.

Retesting: Retesting, on other hand, focuses on verifying that specific defect or issue identified in the previous test cycle has been successfully fixed. It involves re-executing a test cases related to reported bug to confirm that problem no longer exists.

33. List out software quality practices through software development cycle?

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• Review requirements before starting the development phase
• Code Review
• Write a comprehensive test cases
• Session based testing
• Risk based testing
• Prioritize bug based on usage
• Run the regression cycle

34. What is rule of “Test Driven Development”?

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The rule of the Test Driven Development is to prepare test cases before writing a actual code. Which means are actually be writing code for the tests before write the code for application.

35. What are types of documents in SQA?

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• Requirement Document
• Test Metrics
• Test cases and Test plan
• Task distribution flow chart
• Transaction Mix
• User profiles

36. What should QA documents include?

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• List a number of defects detected as per severity level
• Explain everyrequirement or business function in detail
• Inspection reports
• Configurations
• Test plans and test cases
• Bug reports

37. What is MR ?

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When a developer completes the set of changes (additions, modifications, or deletions) in separate branch, they create a Merge Request to propose merging those changes into main or target branch. This process facilitates the collaboration, code review, and ensures that changes meet project’s standards before they are merged.

38. What should Software QA document include?

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• Specifications
• Designs
• Business rules
• Configurations
• Code changes
• Test plans

39. Mention how validation activities should be conducted?

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• Hire the third party independent verification and validation
• Assign an internal staff members that are not involved in the validation and verification activities
• Independent evaluation

40. What is applications of QA?

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• Software Development
• WEbDevelopment
• Mobile Application Development
• Healthcare
• Finance

41. What is lifecycle of Quality Assurance Process?

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The lifecycle of the Quality Assurance (QA) process involves several stages to ensure the delivery of high-quality software. It typically begins with planning, where QA objectives, strategies, and resources are defined. The next stage involves designing test cases based on requirements. Once the software is developed, the execution phase begins, where test cases are executed, defects are identified, and reports are generated.

42. Differentiate between Test Plan and Test Strategy.

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Although they have different functions, test plans and test strategies are both crucial documents in software testing. An individual testing project’s objectives, scope, schedule, resources, and test deliverables are all outlined in detail in a test plan. It offers a testing procedure road map. A test strategy, on the other hand, is a higher-level document that outlines the overall testing methodology for a product or an organization as a whole, directing the testing process across different projects.

43. What is mean by build and release ?

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In software development, a build refers to the process of compiling and linking source code, along with necessary dependencies, to create an executable or deployable version of a software application. It involves converting human-readable source code into machine-readable code that can be executed. Release, on the other hand, is the distribution of a specific version of the software to end-users or customers. A release typically includes a compiled and tested build, along with documentation and any other necessary files.

44. What does major components of traceability matri?

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The major components of a traceability matrix include requirements, test cases, and the relationship between them. A traceability matrix is a tool used in software testing to link requirements to corresponding test cases, ensuring comprehensive test coverage. The matrix typically includes rows representing individual requirements and columns representing test cases. The intersections between a requirement and a test case indicate which tests validate that particular requirement. This matrix helps in tracking the progress of testing by showing which requirements have been tested and whether they have passed or failed. It also aids in identifying any gaps in test coverage.

45. What is defect leakage ratio in context of quality assurance?

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Software testers utilise the defect leakage as a metric to determine effectiveness of Quality Assurance (QA) testing. It’s ratio of the total number of flaws attributed to the stage to the sum of total number of defects captured in stage and total number of defects assigned to stage .Defect leakage is the metric that counts percentage of faults that leak from a one testing stage to the next, as well as demonstrating effectiveness of software testers’ testing.

46. What is monkey testing in context of quality assurance?

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Monkey testing is the software testing technique in which tester inserts any random inputs into software application without using the predefined test cases and observes software program’s behaviour to see if it crashes. The goal of monkey testing is to use the experimental ways to uncover faults and problems in the software applications.

47. What is gorilla testing in context of quality assurance?

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Gorilla testing is the method of software testing in which module is frequently tested based on the some random inputs, ensuring that module’s operations are checked and that there are no problems in module. So it’s also known as a Torture Testing, Fault Tolerance Testing, or Frustrating Testing because of the Gorilla Testing pattern.

48. Differentiate between gorilla testing and monkey testing.

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Gorilla testing is targeted, intensive testing of a specific module, ensuring its robustness, while monkey testing involves randomly exploring the system to discover unexpected issues. Gorilla testing is focused and specific, while monkey testing is exploratory and aims to uncover unforeseen problems in a broader context.

49. How would ensure testing is thorough and comprehensive?

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The Requirement Traceability Matrix and Test Coverage Matrix will assist us determining whether or not test cases are adequately covered. The requirement traceability matrix will assist in determining whether test conditions are sufficient to fulfil all of requirements. Coverage matrices will assist us in determining whether a test cases are sufficient to satisfy all of Requirement Traceability Matrix test conditions.

50. What are various artifacts ?

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Artifacts in software development refer to the various documents and deliverables produced during the different stages of the development lifecycle. Common artifacts include requirements documents, which outline the features and functionalities expected in the software, design documents that detail the system architecture and user interface, test plans and test cases for quality assurance, source code for implementation, and technical documentation providing insights into the codebase.

51. What is thread testing?

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Thread testing validates the critical functional capabilities of the specific task called a thread. The testing team performs the thread testing at onset of integration testing.

52. What is configuration management?

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Configuration management describes the documentation of the any modifications made to the project. A Release control, change control, and revision control are most important configuration management components.

53. What are ad-hoc testing units?

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Ad-hoc testing refers to informal and unplanned testing activities where the tester explores the application without following predefined test cases. It is not based on any formal test design and aims to uncover defects that may not be identified through structured testing methods. Ad-hoc testing is often performed with minimal preparation, relying on the tester’s intuition, experience, and creativity to identify issues in the software.

54. Distinction between retesting and regression testing. Regression

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Software testing can be divided into two categories: regression testing and retesting. Retesting entails confirming that a particular software defect, or a group of defects, has been found and fixed. It guarantees that the impacted functionality now functions as intended and that the issues that were reported have been successfully fixed. Regression testing, on the other hand, is more comprehensive and tests the entire application or particular sections to make sure that recent additions or changes haven’t adversely affected already-existing functionalities. Regression testing looks for unanticipated side effects and confirms that recent changes haven’t caused new flaws or broken already-existing features.

55. What are risk dimensions in QA?

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Risk dimensions in Quality Assurance (QA) represent various aspects that can introduce uncertainty or potential issues into a software project. Common risk dimensions include schedule risk, which relates to the project timeline and deadlines; scope risk, associated with the completeness and clarity of project requirements; technical risk, involving complexities in the chosen technologies or architecture; resource risk, considering availability and skill levels of team members; and quality risk, related to potential defects and testing challenges.

56. Distinguishes between preventive from reactive approaches?

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Preventive Approach: This is the strategy used to avoid problems, also known as verification process. Tests are created early in software development lifecycle, prior to software even being created. This strategy falls under category of quality analysis, where testers attempt to stop the faults in their tracks.

Reactive Strategy: Also referred to as validation process, a reactive strategy is meant to find (or react) to flaws. The tests in this method are created to run after software development, and it’s governed by a Quality Control.

57. What does quality audit mean?

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A processor quality system’s on-site verification process, such as inspection or examination, is referred to as audit. Quality auditing is a systematic examination of a quality system by the team of auditors, either internal or external. To ensure that organization has clearly defined the internal system monitoring procedures linked to an effective action, quality audits are carried out at a preset intervals.

58. How are test cases created?

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Test cases are created based on the requirements and specifications of the software being developed. The process involves analyzing the functional and non-functional requirements to identify different scenarios and conditions that the software must fulfill. Test cases outline the inputs, expected outcomes, and the steps to execute a specific test. They cover positive scenarios to ensure that the software behaves as intended and negative scenarios to verify how it handles unexpected inputs or errors.

59.How know when enough tests have administered?

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Determining when enough tests have been administered involves a balance between thorough test coverage and resource constraints. A few indicators include achieving a predetermined test coverage percentage, ensuring that critical functionalities are extensively tested, and reaching a point where additional tests are unlikely to reveal significant defects. Additionally, meeting exit criteria defined in the test plan, such as a specific number of passed test cases or a minimal defect density, can signal that enough testing has been conducted

60. What distinguishes exploratory testing from adhoc testing?

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Exploratory testing and ad-hoc testing share similarities but are distinct in their approaches. Exploratory testing is a structured, simultaneous learning and testing process where testers design and execute tests dynamically based on their understanding of the system. Testers create and update test cases on the fly, exploring the application while systematically evaluating its functionality. Ad-hoc testing, on the other hand, is more unplanned and lacks structure, often performed without predefined test cases.

61.How does comprehend data-driven testing?

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Using the table or spreadsheet to hold test data, data-driven testing is a method of software testing. With the data-driven testing, testers can create single test script that can execute tests on all the test data from a table and anticipate that test results will be delivered in a same table. might also hear a data-driven testing referred to as a table-driven testing or parameterized testing.

62. Distinguish Between Severity and Priority?

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Severity: The degree to which specific flaw can affect software is known as its severity. The parameter of “severity” describes how defect affects the software’s functionality.

Priority: A characteristic that determines a sequence in which a defect should be addressed is called priority. The first defect that needs to be corrected is the one with highest importance.

63. What is Difference Between Functional and Non-Functional Testing?

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Functional testing verifies specific features and functionalities of software, ensuring it behaves as intended, while non-functional testing assesses aspects like performance, usability, and scalability to evaluate overall system behavior under various conditions.

64. How Does Decide When to Stop Testing?

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Sometimes, as a project managers or project leads, may have to cancel testing to launch product sooner. In those circumstances, and must determine whether the product has received sufficient testing from testers.

65. When deciding halt testing in real-time projects?

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In real-time projects, the choice to stop testing is a complicated one that is influenced by a number of variables. When predefined test coverage is reached, important functionalities are fully validated, and the project is getting close to its deadline, it might be time to wrap up testing. Additionally, stopping testing becomes an option if the time and money needed to identify and address new flaws outweigh the advantages. Determining the best time to end testing in real-time projects requires careful consideration of project priorities and risks, as well as effective communication between team members and stakeholders.

66. What is defect life cycle?

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The defect life cycle describes stages that defect goes through, from the identification to closure. The stages typically include the detection, logging, assignment, fixing, retesting, and closure.

67. Explain the concept of boundary testing.

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Boundary testing involves testing boundaries or limits of input values to ensure that software handles them correctly. This includes the testing values at edge of valid ranges as well as the just outside those ranges.

68. What is “Entry Criteria” and “Exit Criteria” in testing?

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Entry criteria define the conditions that must satisfied before testing can begin, while exit criteria specify conditions that must be met for testing to be considered complete. These criteria help to ensure that testing is effective and efficient.

69. How do approach testing in Agile development environment?

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In Agile, testing is integrated throughout development process. Testers work closely with the developers, write test cases in parallel with the development, and conduct continuous testing to ensure that each iteration meets required quality standards.

70. What is test harness, and why used in testing?

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A test harness is the set of tools, libraries, and software components used to execute a test cases and report results. It provides environment to run tests and collect data, making testing process more efficient and automated.

71. Difference between smoke testing and sanity testing.

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Smoke testing is the preliminary test to check if basic functionalities of a system are working, while sanity testing is the subset of regression testing and focuses on the specific functionalities after code changes.

72. How handle situation where requirements are incomplete or unclear?

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In such cases would proactively communicate with the stakeholders to seek clarification. might also collaborate with the development team to understand their interpretation and work towards the defining clear and testable requirements.

73. What is test environment, and why is it important?

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A test environment is the setup of software and hardware for testing application. It’s important because testing in a environment similar to production environment helps identify issues that may occur in the real-world scenarios.

74. How do perform security testing?

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Security testing involves the assessing the system for vulnerabilities, ensuring a data integrity, and protecting against unauthorized access. Techniques are include penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and analyzing security controls.

75. Explain positive and negative testing.

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Positive testing involves the testing the system with valid input to ensure it behaves as to expected, while negative testing involves the testing with invalid input or error conditions to ensure system handles them appropriately.

76. How do prioritize and organize testing tasks?

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Prioritize a testing tasks based on factors are criticality, risk, and dependencies. organize tasks by breaking them into the manageable chunks, creating a test plan, and regularly reviewing and adjusting the priorities based on project changes.

77. What is test execution plan?

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A test execution plan outlines how testing activities will be carried out. It includes the details such as the test environment setup, test case execution sequence, entry and exit criteria, and the schedule for an executing test cases.

78. Explain the concept of code coverage.

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A Code coverage measures extent to which the source code of program is executed during testing. It helps assess thoroughness of testing and identifies areas of the code that have not been exercised.

79. What test closure report?

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A test closure report summarizes testing activities, results, and overall quality of product. It includes the information on the test environment, test execution, defect summary, and any lessons learned during testing process.

80. How do ensure reliability and repeatability of test cases?

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Ensure the reliability and repeatability of the test cases by clearly documenting test steps, input data, expected results, and preconditions. also regularly review and update test cases to reflect changes in the requirements or functionality.

81. Explain the concept of compatibility testing?

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Compatibility testing ensures that software or application works correctly across the different platforms, browsers, devices, and operating systems. It helps identify any issues related to the interoperability and ensures consistent user experience.

82. What is importance of exploratory testing?

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Exploratory testing is important for the uncovering defects that may not be captured by a scripted tests. It is most beneficial in situations where requirements are unclear, and tester needs to explore application to identify the potential issues and improvements.

83. How do identify and report software bug effectively?

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Follow the structured approach by providing clear and detailed information in the bug reports, including the steps to reproduce, expected and actual results, environment details, and screenshots. prioritize bugs based on the severity and collaborate with development team for resolution.

84. What is role of test manager in testing process?

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A test manager is responsible for the planning, coordinating, and managing the testing activities. This includes the resource allocation, test strategy development, monitoring test progress, and ensuring testing objectives align with the project goals.

85. Explain user acceptance testing (UAT)?

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User acceptance testing is final phase of testing where end-users evaluate a software to ensure it meets their requirements and expectations. It helps validate that a system is ready for production release.

86. How ensure test coverage in large and complex system?

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Employ the risk-based testing approach, prioritizing testing efforts based on a critical functionalities, potential impact, and areas prone to the defects. Also use techniques like the equivalence partitioning and boundary value analysis to be ensure comprehensive test coverage.

87. How perform risk analysis in software testing?

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Risk analysis involves identifying the potential risks, assessing their impact, and developing strategies to be mitigate them. prioritize testing efforts based on the identified risks, focusing more on areas with the higher risk.

88. Explain stress testing and when it is necessary.

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Stress testing evaluates how system performs under extreme conditions, such as high user loads or resource limitations. It is the necessary to ensure that the application remains stable and responsive even during the peak usage.

89. What is role of test lead in testing team?

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A test lead is responsible for the leading the testing team, assigning tasks, monitoring progress, coordinating with the other teams, and ensuring that testing activities align with the project objectives. They also play key role in the test planning and strategy development.

90. How does approach compatibility testing for mobile applications?

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Compatibility testing for the mobile applications involves testing on the various devices, operating systems, and screen sizes. create a matrix of supported configurations, prioritize testing based on the market share, and use the emulators and real devices for thorough coverage.