Top FAANG+ companies ask difficult software testing interview questions to select potential candidates for their companies. You must prepare the most anticipated software testing technical interview questions and answers ahead of time.
You must understand that software testing does not improve software quality; rather, it serves as a quality indicator. As a software tester, you will interact with the developers who created the software.
You will need to communicate the actions taken to correct the problems discovered during testing. As a result, your responses to software testing interview questions should emphasize your communication, problem-solving, and teamwork abilities. Continue reading to find a comprehensive list of important software testing interview questions and answers.
If you are preparing for a tech interview, check out our technical interview checklist, interview questions page, and salary negotiation e-book to get interview-ready!
Having trained over 10,000 software engineers, we know what it takes to crack the toughest tech interviews. Our alums consistently land offers from FAANG+ companies. The highest ever offer received by an IK alum is a whopping $1.267 Million!
At IK, you get the unique opportunity to learn from expert instructors who are hiring managers and tech leads at Google, Facebook, Apple, and other top Silicon Valley tech companies.
Want to nail your next tech interview? Sign up for our FREE Webinar.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Interviewers from top FAANG+ companies can use a combination of the following basic software testing interview questions. You should be well-versed in various types of testing, when to use each, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Interviewers might also ask you to draw comparisons between the following types of testing.
A testbed is a digital platform that you use for testing an application. It incorporates an operating system, network configuration, hardware, database, software application under test, and all other software-related issues.
It involves testing a single unit of code in an isolated manner. You can take a method, a class, or a module as the unit of code. This testing focuses on the building blocks of code so that you can combine them later to produce fully functioning software.
It is also called I&T, String testing, or Thread testing. Integration testing is through which several software modules are grouped (logically integrated), and each group is tested. It checks the data communication between different software modules. It uses white and black box testing techniques.
Some popular integration testing tools are as follows:
This is one of the important software testing interview questions. The following table enumerates the key differences between the two.
System Testing
Unit Testing
It involves treating each module as a distinct target for testing. The tested modules are then integrated.
It tests a single unit at a time.
It focuses on system validation.
It follows functional verification.
It is a low-level test in comparison to unit testing.
It is a high-level test.
Take a look at some QA Automation Interview Questions on Testing, Coding, and Architecture.
Acceptance testing ensures the software meets the client’s requirements. It is the last step before the software goes for production.
Smoke testing is a quick procedure to ensure that the software works at the most basic level and does not crash when you start it.
Security testing involves attempting to breach a software’s security checks. It attempts to gain access to confidential data and is crucial for web-based applications or applications involving money.
Performance testing checks whether the software performs according to the user’s expectations. It tests the response time and throughput under specific environments and loads.
It checks communication protocols in various domains such as:
A testing technique based only on requirements and specifications and does not require knowledge of structures, interval paths, implementation of the software. It tests the functionality of the Application Under Test (AUT).
Check the Top 30 Java Interview Questions for Testers here.
The white box testing technique consists of internal paths, code structures, and implementation of the software being tested.
A testing strategy is utilized for debugging software when you have limited information about the internal details of the program.
Regression testing confirms whether the recent code change has negatively impacted the existing features. In software, regression implies that a feature that worked earlier suddenly stops working after a developer adds a new code or functionality to the software.
Confirmation testing or re-testing is when the new fixed version of a software is submitted that previously failed the test due to some defect. The defect gets reported, and confirmation testing checks for the same.
Functional and non-functional testing and their types form an important part of the software testing interview questions.
Functional Testing
Non-Functional Testing
It tests the behavior and overall functionality of the software.
It checks the software’s quality as per the client’s expectations.
It is conducted before the non-functional testing.
It is only done after the functional testing is completed.
Behavior-oriented
Performance-oriented
It uses manual ways for testing.
It requires automation tools.
Here is a list of the Top 30 Test Engineer Interview Questions to practice for your tech interview.
You perform alpha testing before you ship the software to the customers. It is part of the user acceptance testing that identifies bugs before the customers access the software.
The software users perform beta testing in a real production environment once you ship the software to the after alpha testing. Beta testing forms one of the final components of user acceptance testing and is helpful to get feedback from users using your software in real environments.
A latent defect is a bug that has been in the software system for a long time but remains hidden or dormant. It is an existing low-priority defect that you can find with effective inspections.
You manually verify the functionality of the software in manual testing. As a software tester, you will have a comprehensive list of all the test cases that you must test, along with the test data. You will have to go through each case, one by one in a natural user environment, subject to similar external conditions.
A web application runs in various browsers such as Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge, Safari, and more. Although all the browsers work primarily the same in implementing the web standards, there are subtle differences. In cross-browser testing, you check whether your website or app works as intended when accessed through different Browser-OS combinations.
The best cross-browser testing tools are:
Static testing allows you to test the software without actually executing it. It allows you to walk through the code, code reviews, peer-reviews using sophisticated tools such as Eslint and StyleCop.
Contrary to static testing, dynamic testing checks the software during execution. You run the software in a test environment and go through all the steps involved. You enter the inputs and verify the actual output with the expected result.
API testing checks the working of the APIs that the software is using. As a software tester, you will have to write code that makes an API request to the server that provides the API, the required inputs, collects the output from the response, and matches the actual output with the expected output.
Check out the most commonly asked Amazon QA Engineer Interview Questions.
QA ensures quality in the shipped software and thoroughly tests the software before releasing it to the end-users. You perform QA activities while the product is being developed and focus on improving the software development process.
QC ensures whether the developed products meet the required standards or not by testing and reviewing their functional and non-functional requirements. You perform QC activities after the product development as it examines the quality of the end products and the final outcome.
This is one of the most important software testing interview questions. You can choose automated testing over manual testing in the following conditions:
It is the interviewers’ favorite software testing interview question, and you must be clear in your answer.
Verification
Validation
It checks whether the software meets the specification or not.
It checks whether the specification captures the customer’s needs or not.
A type of static testing.
A type of dynamic testing.
It does not require you to execute the code.
It requires code execution.
Pesticide paradox is a phenomenon where the software becomes immune to its tests when you subject it to several tests. You must find new strategies, techniques, and test cases to identify bugs and resolve them to overcome the pesticide paradox.
Configuration testing is a technique used to evaluate a software’s configurational requirements. It finds the optimal configuration of the system under which the application performs at its best. Configuration testing helps identify and resolve any compatibility issues.
It is one of the crucial software testing interview questions. The metrics are as follows:
The parameters for checking the quality of test execution include:
Recommended Reading: What Does a Test Engineer Do? Â Learn about the role, skills, and responsibilities of a test engineer.
Here are some additional software testing interview questions. You must also practice some scenario-based software testing interview questions and answers for experienced software tester positions.
This completes our list of software testing interview questions that will help you ace your tech interview prep. You can also check the Test Engineer Salary for different levels and roles.
Q1. What topics do software testing interview questions cover in coding interviews?
Software testing interview questions are mostly asked on testing test cases, programming theory, testing tools, distributed systems design, automation frameworks, coding, and problem-solving.
Q2. Are software testing interview questions hard?
The extensive list of software testing techniques and tools makes preparing software testing interview questions difficult. To adequately prepare for your interview, you should review a large number of software testing interview questions and answers. With proper preparation, you should have no trouble answering the software testing interview questions.
Q3. Do interviewers ask scenario-based software testing interview questions to freshers?
Interviewers usually ask scenario-based software testing interview questions to experienced software testers. If you are a fresher, you should focus more on fundamental software testing topics.
If you’re planning to start your tech interview prep for software testing positions, register for our technical interview webinar.
You can join Interview Kickstart’s Test Engineer Interview Course — the first-of-its-kind, domain-specific tech interview prep program designed and taught by FAANG+ instructors. Click here to learn more about the program.
IK is the gold standard in tech interview prep. Our programs include a comprehensive curriculum, unmatched teaching methods, FAANG+ instructors, and career coaching to help you nail your next tech interview.
Sign up for our FREE webinar to uplevel your career!
Attend our free webinar to amp up your career and get the salary you deserve.
693+ FAANG insiders created a system so you don’t have to guess anymore!
100% Free — No credit card needed.
Time Zone:
Get your enrollment process started by registering for a Pre-enrollment Webinar with one of our Founders.
The 11 Neural “Power Patterns” For Solving Any FAANG Interview Problem 12.5X Faster Than 99.8% OF Applicants
The 2 “Magic Questions” That Reveal Whether You’re Good Enough To Receive A Lucrative Big Tech Offer
The “Instant Income Multiplier” That 2-3X’s Your Current Tech Salary
The 11 Neural “Power Patterns” For Solving Any FAANG Interview Problem 12.5X Faster Than 99.8% OF Applicants
The 2 “Magic Questions” That Reveal Whether You’re Good Enough To Receive A Lucrative Big Tech Offer
The “Instant Income Multiplier” That 2-3X’s Your Current Tech Salary
Just drop your name and email so we can send your Power Patterns PDF straight to your inbox. No Spam!
By sharing your contact details, you agree to our privacy policy.
Time Zone: Asia/Dhaka
We’ve sent the Power Patterns PDF to your inbox — it should arrive in the next 30 seconds.
📩 Can’t find it? Check your promotions or spam folder — and mark us as safe so you don’t miss future insights.
We’re hosting a private session where FAANG insiders walk through how they actually use these Power Patterns to crack interviews — and what sets top performers apart.
🎯 If you liked the PDF, you’ll love what we’re sharing next.
Time Zone:
