Testing interviews have a reputation for being "easy". Then the interviewer slides a pen across the table and says, "Test this," and the candidate who memorised 100 definitions goes silent.
Good testing interviews check two things: whether you know the concepts, and whether you can think like a tester on the spot. This guide covers both: the questions asked most often, with answers you can say naturally, plus the practical tasks that decide the round.
Manual testing basics
1. What is software testing and why is it needed?
Testing checks whether software works as expected and finds defects before users do. It reduces risk, protects the business from costly failures and improves quality and user trust.
2. What is the difference between SDLC and STLC?
SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) covers the whole process of building software: requirements, design, development, testing, deployment and maintenance. STLC (Software Testing Life Cycle) is the testing part: requirement analysis, test planning, test case design, environment setup, test execution and test closure.
3. Verification vs validation?
Verification: are we building the product right? (reviews, walkthroughs of documents and code). Validation: are we building the right product? (actually testing the software against user needs).
4. What are functional and non-functional testing?
Functional testing checks what the system does (login works, the order is placed). Non-functional testing checks how well it does it: performance, security, usability, compatibility.
5. Smoke testing vs sanity testing?
Smoke testing is a quick, broad check that a new build is stable enough to test at all (app opens, login works, main pages load). Sanity testing is a narrow check that a specific fix or change works, usually before deeper regression.
6. Regression testing vs retesting?
Retesting checks that a specific bug is fixed, using the same steps. Regression testing checks that the fix or a new change has not broken other, previously working features.
7. What are black box, white box and grey box testing?
Black box: testing behaviour without seeing the code. White box: testing with knowledge of the internal code and logic. Grey box: partial knowledge, for example knowing the database structure while testing through the UI.
8. What is a test case vs a test scenario?
A test scenario is a high-level "what to test" (verify login). A test case is a detailed "how to test" with ID, preconditions, steps, test data, expected result and actual result (login with a valid email and wrong password shows the error message).
9. Explain boundary value analysis and equivalence partitioning.
For an age field that accepts 18 to 60: equivalence partitioning divides inputs into groups that behave the same (below 18, 18–60, above 60) and tests one value from each. Boundary value analysis tests at the edges, where bugs hide: 17, 18, 19 and 59, 60, 61.
10. What is UAT?
User Acceptance Testing is done by the business users or client to confirm the software meets their needs before go-live.
Bugs and defect management
11. Explain the bug life cycle.
New → Assigned → Open (developer working) → Fixed → Retest (tester) → Closed if it passes, or Reopened if it fails. Other states include Rejected, Duplicate and Deferred (to be fixed in a later release).
12. Severity vs priority, with examples?
Severity is the impact on the system; priority is how urgently it must be fixed. High severity, low priority: a crash in a rarely used admin report. Low severity, high priority: the company logo misspelt on the home page.
13. What should a good bug report contain?
A clear title, environment (browser, device, build), steps to reproduce, test data, expected result, actual result, severity, priority, and screenshots or a recording. A developer should be able to reproduce it without asking you anything.
14. What will you do if a developer says "it is not a bug"?
Stay calm and go back to the requirement. Show the steps and the expected result from the requirement document. If the requirement is unclear, involve the business analyst or product owner to decide. The goal is the right product, not winning the argument.
Practical tasks (prepare these aloud)
15. Write test cases for a login page.
Valid login; wrong password; unregistered email; empty fields; password masking; maximum length; leading and trailing spaces; case sensitivity of the password; "remember me"; "forgot password" flow; account lock after several failed attempts; SQL injection text in the fields; session timeout; login on mobile and different browsers; back button after logout.
16. How would you test a pen?
Clarify the requirement first: what type of pen, and who is it for? Then cover functional (writes smoothly, ink colour, cap fits, click mechanism), usability (grip comfort), durability (drop test, ink life), compatibility (different paper types), and negative cases (writing on wet paper, extreme temperature). Interviewers want structure and the habit of asking questions, not a perfect list.
17. How would you test a lift?
Functional: calling, floor selection, doors opening and closing, display. Safety: maximum load alarm, door sensor, emergency button and phone, power cut behaviour. Performance: waiting time at peak hours. Usability: button height, braille, announcements.
SQL for testers
18. Why do testers need SQL?
To verify that data shown or entered in the application is stored correctly, to prepare test data, and to investigate bugs at the data level.
19. Common SQL questions
Fetch all orders of one customer (WHERE); count orders per city (GROUP BY); customers with no orders (LEFT JOIN with IS NULL); the second highest order amount; DELETE vs TRUNCATE vs DROP (remove rows with condition vs remove all rows quickly vs remove the table itself).
API testing basics
20. What is API testing?
Testing the application’s APIs directly, without the UI: checking requests, responses, status codes, data, error handling, performance and security. It is faster and more stable than UI testing.
21. Common HTTP methods and status codes?
GET (read), POST (create), PUT/PATCH (update), DELETE (remove). Status codes: 200 OK, 201 Created, 204 No Content, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found, 500 Internal Server Error.
22. What do you check in an API response?
Status code, response body fields and data types, values against the database, response time, headers, and error messages for invalid input. In Postman, write tests to check these automatically.
Automation basics (if your resume mentions it)
23. What is Selenium WebDriver?
An open-source tool to automate web browsers. You write scripts in languages such as Java or Python that open the browser, find elements, perform actions and check results.
24. Which locators do you use, and which do you prefer?
ID, name, className, tagName, linkText, partialLinkText, CSS selector and XPath. Prefer a stable unique ID; then CSS selectors; use XPath when needed, preferably relative XPath based on stable attributes.
25. Implicit wait vs explicit wait?
An implicit wait sets a global time to wait for elements to appear. An explicit wait waits for a specific condition on a specific element (clickable, visible). Explicit waits are more reliable; avoid fixed sleeps.
26. What is the Page Object Model?
A design pattern where each page of the app has a class that holds its locators and actions. Tests call these methods, so when the UI changes you update one class, not every test.
27. What can and cannot be automated?
Good for automation: repetitive regression, smoke tests, data-driven tests, API tests. Poor candidates: one-time tests, frequently changing UI, usability and look-and-feel checks, and CAPTCHA.
Agile and tools
28. What is Agile and Scrum? What is the tester’s role?
Agile delivers software in small increments. Scrum organises work into sprints (often two weeks) with sprint planning, daily stand-ups, review and retrospective. Testers join from the start: they review user stories, define acceptance criteria and test within the sprint.
29. Which tools have you used?
Name only what you have actually used: Jira for bugs and stories, a test management tool, Postman for APIs, Selenium or Playwright for automation, Git, and a CI tool. Interviewers will ask you to describe how you used each one.
HR-style questions in QA interviews
30. Why do you want to be a tester?
Show real interest: you enjoy finding problems, thinking from the user’s side and improving quality. Mention your preparation and practice project. Avoid "I could not get a development job".
For the HR round in IT companies, read what to expect in the IT HR round. Moving from a non-IT job? See non-IT to software testing in 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What questions are asked in a manual testing interview for freshers?
SDLC vs STLC, verification vs validation, smoke vs sanity, regression vs retesting, severity vs priority, bug life cycle, test case writing, boundary value analysis, basic SQL and practical tasks like testing a login page or a pen.
How do I answer "how would you test a pen"?
Ask clarifying questions first, then organise your answer into functional, usability, durability, compatibility and negative tests. Interviewers judge structure and curiosity, not the length of the list.
Is SQL asked in software testing interviews?
Yes, usually basic to intermediate SQL: SELECT with WHERE, joins, GROUP BY, finding missing records and the second highest value.
Do freshers need automation knowledge for testing jobs?
Not always for manual roles, but basic knowledge of Selenium or Playwright, API testing with Postman and one programming language makes your resume much stronger.
What is the difference between severity and priority?
Severity is the impact of a defect on the system; priority is how urgently it should be fixed. A spelling mistake in the logo can be low severity but high priority.