CAinc How to Succeed in QA Interview

8/10/2019 CAinc How to Succeed in QA Interview

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Software Testing FAQ

Explain the software development lifecycle.

There are seven stages of the software development lifecycle

1. Initiate the project The users identify their Business requirements.2. Define the project The software development team translates the business

requirements into system specifications and put together into System SpecificationDocument.

3. Design the system The System Architecture Team designs the system and write

Functional Design Document. During design phase general solutions re

hypothesied and data and process structures are organied.4. Bild the system The System Specifications and design documents are given to

the development team code the modules by following the !equirements and Design

document.

!. Test the system " The test team develops the test plan following the requirements.

The software is build and installed on the test platform after developers havecompleted development and "nit Testing. The testers test the software by followingthe test plan.

#. Deploy the system After the user#acceptance testing and certification of the

software$ it is installed on the production platform. Demos and training are given

to the users.$. %pport the system "After the software is in production$ the maintenance phase of

the life begins. During this phase the development team wor%s with the

development document staff to modify and enhance the application and the testteam wor%s with the test documentation staff to verify and validate the changes

and enhancement to the application software.

What is software quality'?

OR

Define software quality for me, as you understand it?

&uality software is reasonably bug#free$ delivered on time and within budget$ meets

requirements and'or e(pectations$ and is maintainable. )owever$ quality is obviously a

sub*ective term. +t will depend on who the ,customer, is and their overall influence in the

scheme of things. -ach type of ,customer, will have their own slant on ,quality, # theaccounting department might define quality in terms of profits while an end#user might

define quality as user#friendly and bug#free.

What's the role of documentation in !?ritical. /0ote that documentation can be electronic$ not necessarily paper.1 &A

practices should be documented such that they are repeatable. Specifications$ designs$business rules$ inspection reports$ configurations$ code changes$ test plans$ test cases$

bug reports$ user manuals$ etc. should all be documented. There should ideally be a

system for easily finding and obtaining documents and determining what documentation

will have a particular piece of information. hange management for documentationshould be used if possible.


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!t what sta"e of the #D$% does testin" &e"in in your opinion?

&A process starts from the second phase of the Software Development 2ife ycle i.e.

Define the System. Actual 3roduct testing will be done on Test the system phase /3hase#41. During this phase test team will verify the actual results against e(pected results.

Explain the pre testin" phase, acceptance testin" and testin" phase.&re testing &hase'

5. !eview the requirements document for the testability6 Tester will use the

requirement document to write the test cases.7. -stablishing the hard freee date6 )ard freee date is a date after which system

test team will not accept any more software and documentation changes from

development team$ unless they are fi(es of severity 5 8!9s. The date is scheduled

so that product test team will have time for final regression.:. ;riting master test plan6 +t is written by the lead tester or test coordinator.

8aster test plan includes entire testing plan$ testing resources and testing

strategy.

. Setting up the test automation tool6 3lanning of test strategy on how to automate

the testing. ;hich test cases will be e(ecuted for regression testing. 0ot all the

test cases will be e(ecuted during regression testing.?. +dentify acceptance test cases6 Select subsets that are e(pected on the first day of

system test. These tests must pass to accept the product in the system test.

(cceptance testing phase'

5. ;hen the product enters system test$ chec% it has completed integration test and

must meet the integration test e(it criteria.7. hec% integration e(it criteria and product test entrance criteria in the master

test plan or test strategy documents.

:. hec% the integration testing sign off criteria sheet.


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4. )ow the code will be migrated from development environment to the test

environment.

=. +nstallation and acceptance testing.

&rodct testing phase'

5. !unning the test6 -(ecution of test cases and verify if actual functionality ofapplication matches the e(pected results.

7. +nitial manual testing is recommended to isolate une(pected system behavior.

@nce application is stable automated regression test could be generated.:. +ssue 8!9s upon detection of the bugs.

What is the value of a testin" "roup? ow do you (ustify your wor) and &ud"et?

All software products contain defects'bugs$ despite the best efforts of their developmentteams. +t is important for an outside party /one who is not developer1 to test the product

from a viewpoint that is more ob*ective and representative of the product user.

Testing group test the software from the requirements point of view or what is required by

the user. Testers *ob is to e(amine a program and see if it does not do what it issupposed to do and also see what it does what it is not supposed to do.

What is master test plan? What it contains? Who is responsi&le for writin" it?

OR

What is a test plan? Who is responsi&le for writin" it? What it contains.

OR

What's a 'test plan'? What did you include in a test plan?

A software pro*ect test plan is a document that describes the ob*ectives$ scope$ approach$

and focus of a software testing effort. The process of preparing a test plan is a useful wayto thin% through the efforts needed to validate the acceptability of a software product.

The completed document will help people outside the test group understand the ,why, and

,how, of product validation. +t should be thorough enough to be useful but not sothorough that no one outside the test group will read it. The following are some of the

items that might be included in a test plan$ depending on the particular pro*ect6

Title

+dentification of software including version'release numbers

!evision history of document including authors$ dates$ approvals

Table of ontents

3urpose of document$ intended audience

@b*ective of testing effort

Software product overview

!elevant related document list$ such as requirements$ design documents$ othertest plans$ etc.

!elevant standards or legal requirements

Trace ability requirements

!elevant naming conventions and identifier conventions

@verall software pro*ect organiation and personnel'contact#info'responsibilties

Test organiation and personnel'contact#info'responsibilities


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Assumptions and dependencies

3ro*ect ris% analysis

Testing priorities and focus

Scope and limitations of testing

Test outline # a decomposition of the test approach by test type$ feature$

functionality$ process$ system$ module$ etc. as applicable

@utline of data input equivalence classes$ boundary value analysis$ error classes

Test environment # hardware$ operating systems$ other required software$ data

configurations$ interfaces to other systems

Test environment validity analysis # differences between the test and production

systems and their impact on test validity.

Test environment setup and configuration issues

Software migration processes

Software 8 processes

Test data setup requirements

Database setup requirements

@utline of system#logging'error#logging'other capabilities$ and tools such as

screen capture software$ that will be used to help describe and report bugs

Discussion of any specialied software or hardware tools that will be used by

testers to help trac% the cause or source of bugs

Test automation # *ustification and overview

Test tools to be used$ including versions$ patches$ etc.

Test script'test code maintenance processes and version control

3roblem trac%ing and resolution # tools and processes

3ro*ect test metrics to be used

!eporting requirements and testing deliverables

Software entrance and e(it criteria

+nitial sanity testing period and criteria

Test suspension and restart criteria

3ersonnel allocation

3ersonnel pre#training needs

Test site'location

@utside test organiations to be utilied and their purpose$ responsibilties$

deliverables$ contact persons$ and coordination issues

!elevant proprietary$ classified$ security$ and licensing issues.

@pen issues

Appendi( # glossary$ acronyms$ etc.

The team#lead or a Sr. &A Analyst is responsible to write this document.

Why is test plan a controlled document?


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Because it controls the entire testing process. Testers have to follow this test plan during

the entire testing process.

What information you need to formulate test plan?

0eed the Business requirement document to prepare the test plan.

What is *R?

8! is a 8odification !equest also %nown as Defect !eport$ a request to modify the

program so that program does what it is supposed to do.

Why you write *R?

8! is written for reporting problems'errors or suggestions in the software.

What information does *R contain?

OR

Descri&e me to the &asic elements you put in a defect report?

ORWhat is the procedure for &u" reportin"?

The bug needs to be communicated and assigned to developers that can fi( it. After theproblem is resolved$ fi(es should be re#tested$ and determinations made regarding

requirements for regression testing to chec% that fi(es didn,t create problems elsewhere. +f

a problem#trac%ing system is in place$ it should encapsulate these processes. A variety of

commercial problem#trac%ing'management software tools are available.The following are items to consider in the trac%ing process6

omplete information such that developers can understand the bug$ get an idea

of its severity$ and reproduce it if necessary.

Bug identifier /number$ +D$ etc.1

urrent bug status /e.g.$ ,!eleased for !etest,$ ,0ew,$ etc.1 The application name or identifier and version

The function$ module$ feature$ ob*ect$ screen$ etc. where the bug occurred

-nvironment specifics$ system$ platform$ relevant hardware specifics

Test case name'number'identifier

@ne#line bug description

Full bug description

Description of steps needed to reproduce the bug if not covered by a test case or if

the developer doesn,t have easy access to the test case'test script'test tool

0ames and'or descriptions of file'data'messages'etc. used in test

File e(cerpts'error messages'log file e(cerpts'screen shots'test tool logs thatwould be helpful in finding the cause of the problem

Severity estimate /a 4#level range such as 5#4 or ,critical,#to#,low, is common1

;as the bug reproducible

Tester name

Test date

Bug reporting date


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0ame of developer'group'organiation the problem is assigned to

Description of problem cause

Description of fi(

ode section'file'module'class'method that was fi(ed

Date of fi(

Application version that contains the fi(

Tester responsible for retest

!etest date

!etest results

!egression testing requirements

Tester responsible for regression tests

!egression testing results

What is White &ox testin"+unit testin"?

)nit testing " The most ,micro, scale of testing to test particular functions or code

modules. Typically done by the programmer and not by testers$ as it requires detailed%nowledge of the internal program design and code. 0ot always easily done unless the

application has a well#designed architecture with tight code may require developing testdriver modules or test harnesses.

What is nte"ration testin"?

Integration testing " Testing of combined parts of an application to determine if they

function together correctly. The ,parts, can be code modules$ individual applications$

client and server applications on a networ%$ etc. This type of testing is especially relevant

to client'server and distributed systems.

What is -lac) &ox testin"?Blac% Bo( testing is also called system testing which is performed by the testers. )ere thefeatures and requirements of the product as described in the requirement document are

tested.

What )nowled"e you require to do white &ox, inte"ration and &lac) &ox testin"?

For white bo( testing you need to understand the internals of the module li%e data

structures and algorithms and have access to the source code and for blac% bo( testingonly understanding'functionality of the application.

What is Re"ression testin"?

*egression testing' !e#testing after fi(es or modifications of the software or itsenvironment. +t can be difficult to determine how much re#testing is needed$ especially

near the end of the development cycle. Automated testing tools can be especially useful

for this type of testing..

Why do we do re"ression testin"?

+n any application new functionalities can be added so the application has to be tested tosee whether the added functionalities have affected the e(isting functionalities or not.


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)ere instead of retesting all the e(isting functionalities baseline scripts created for these

can be rerun and tested.

ow do we re"ression testin"?

Carious automation testing tools can be used to perform regression testing li%e

;in!unner$ !ational !obot and Sil% Test.

What is nte"ration testin"?

Testing of combined parts of an application to determine if they function togethercorrectly. The ,parts, can be code modules$ individual applications$ client and server

applications on a networ%$ etc. This type of testing is especially relevant to client'server

and distributed systems.

What is the difference &etween exception and validation testin"?

Calidation testing aims to demonstrate that the software functions in a manner that can

be reasonably e(pected by the customer. Testing the software in conformance to the

Software !equirements Specifications.-(ception testing deals with handling the e(ceptions /une(pected events1 while the A"T

is run. Basically this testing involves how to change the control flow of the A"T when ane(ception arises.

What is the difference &etween re"ression automation tool and performance

automation tool?

!egression testing tools capture test and play them bac% at a later time. The capture and

playbac% feature is fundamental to regression testing.

3erformance testing tool determine the load a server can handle. And must have feature

to stimulate many users from one machine$ scheduling and synchronie different users$able to measure the networ% load under different number of simulated users.

What are the roles of "lass&ox and &lac)&ox testin" tools?

lass#bo( testing also called as white#bo( testing refers to testing$ with detailed

%nowledge of the modules internals. Thus these tools concentrate more on the algorithms$data structures used in development of modules. These tools perform testing on

individual modules more li%ely than the whole application. Blac%#Bo( testing tools refer

to testing the interface$ functionality and performance testing of the system module and

the whole system.

What was the test team hierarchy?3ro*ect 2eader&A lead

&A Analyst

Tester

Which *R tool you used to write *R?

Test Director


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!ational lear&uest.

3CS Trac%er

What are the different automation tools you )now?

Automation tools provided by 8ercury +nteractive # ;in!unner$ 2oad!unner !ational

!ational !obot Segue# Sil%Test.

What is the role of a &u" trac)in" system?

Bug trac%ing system captures$ manages and communicates changes$ issues and tas%s$

providing basic process control to ensure coordination and communication within and

across development and content teams at every step..

What is OD-%?

@pen Database onnectivity /@DB1 is an open standard application#programming

interface /A3+1 for accessing a database. @DB is based on Structured &uery 2anguage

/S&21 all#2evel +nterface. +t allows programs to use S&2 requests that will accessdatabases without having to %now the proprietary interfaces to the databases. @DB

handles the S&2 request and converts it into a request the individual database systemunderstands.

Did you ever have pro&lems wor)in" with developers?

0@. + had a good rapport with the developers.

Descri&e your experience with code analy/ers?

ode analyers generally chec% for bad synta($ logic$ and other language#specific

programming errors at the source level. This level of testing is often referred to as unit

testing and server component testing. + used code analyers as part of white bo( testing.

ow do you feel a&out cyclomatic complexity?

yclomatic comple(ity is a measure of the number of linearly independent paths through

a program module. yclomatic comple(ity is a measure for the comple(ity of code

related to the number of ways there are to traverse a piece of code. This determines theminimum number of inputs you need to test all ways to e(ecute the program.

Who should test your code?

&A Tester

ow do you survive chaos?+ survive by maintaining my calm and focusing on the wor%.

What 0rocess+*ethodolo"ies are you familiar with?

;aterfall methodology

Spiral methodology

E@r tal% about ustomied methodology of the specific client


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What you will do durin" the first day of (o&?

et acquainted with my team and application

1ell me a&out the worst &oss you2ve ever had.

Fortunately + always had the best bosses$ tal%ing in professional terms + had no

complains on my bosses.

What is a successful product?

A bug free product$ meeting the e(pectations of the user would ma%e the productsuccessful.

What do you li)e a&out Windows?

+nterface and "ser friendliness;indows is one the best software + ever used. +t is user friendly and very easy to learn.

What is "ood code?

These are some important qualities of good code+leanliness6 lean code is easy to read this lets people read it with minimum effort so

that they can understand it easily.

+onsistency6 onsistent code ma%es it easy for people to understand how a program

wor%s when reading consistent code one subconsciously forms a number

of assumptions and e(pectations about how the code wor%s$ so it is easier

and safer to ma%e modifications to it.,-tensiility6 eneral#purpose code is easier to reuse and modify than very specific code

with lots of hard coded assumptions. ;hen someone wants to add a new feature to a

program$ it will obviously be easier to do so if the code was designed to be e(tensiblefrom the beginning.

+orrectness6 Finally$ code that is designed to be correct lets people spend less timeworrying about bugs and more time enhancing the features of a program.

Who are 3ent -ec), Dr 4race opper, and Dennis Ritchie?

Gent Bec% is the author of -(treme 3rogramming -(plained and The Smalltal% Best3ractice 3atterns.

Dr. race 8urray )opper was a remar%able woman who grandly rose to the challenges

of programming the first computers. During her lifetime as a leader in the field of

software development concepts$ she contributed to the transition from primitiveprogramming techniques to the use of sophisticated compilers.

Dennis !itchie created the programming language.

ow you will &e"in improve the ! process?

By following &A methodologies li%e waterfall$ spiral instead of using ad#hoc procedures.

What is 5*$ and how it is used for testin"?

The "nified 8odeling 2anguage /"821 is the industry#standard language for specifying$

visualiing$ constructing$ and documenting the artifacts of software systems. +t simplifies

the comple( process of software design$ ma%ing a HblueprintH for construction. "82


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state charts provide a solid basis for test generation in a form that can be easily

manipulated. This technique includes coverage criteria that enable highly effective tests

to be developed. A tool has been developed that uses "82 state charts produced by!ational Software orporation,s !ational !ose tool to generate test data.


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What are %** and %**? What is the difference?

The apability 8aturity 8odel for Software /88 or S;#881 is a model for *udging

the maturity of the software processes of an organiation and for identifying the %eypractices that are required to increase the maturity of these processes.

The apability 8aturity 8odel +ntegration /88+1 provides the guidance for improvingyour organiation,s processes and your ability to manage the development$ acquisition$

and maintenance of products and services. 88+ntegration places proven practices into

a structure that helps your organiation assess its organiational maturity and processarea capability$ establish priorities for improvement$ and guide the implementation of

these improvements.

The new integrated model /88+1 uses 3rocess Areas /%nown as 3As1 which aredifferent to the previous model$ and covers as well systems as software processes$ rather

than only software processes as in the S;#88.

Do you have a favorite ! &oo)? Why?

-ffective 8ethods for Software Testing # 3erry$ ;illiam -.

+t covers the whole software lifecycle$ starting with testing the pro*ect plan and estimatesand ending with testing the effectiveness of the testing process. The boo% is pac%ed with

chec%lists$ wor%sheets and 0#step procedures for each stage of testing.

When should testin" &e stopped?

This can be difficult to determine. 8any modern software applications are so comple($

and run in such an interdependent environment$ that complete testing can never be done.

ommon factors in deciding when to stop are6

-Deadlines /release deadlines$ testing deadlines$ etc.1

- Test cases completed with certain percentage passed

- Test budget depleted

- overage of code'functionality'requirements reaches a specified point

- Bug rate falls below a certain level

- Beta or alpha testing period ends

When do you start developin" your automation tests?

First$ the application has to be manually tested. @nce the manual testing is over and

baseline is established.

What are positive scenarios?

Testing to see whether the application is doing what it is supposed to do.

What are ne"ative scenarios?

Testing to see whether the application is not doing what it is not suppose to do.


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What is quality assurance?

The set of support activities /including facilitation$ training$ measurement and analysis1

needed to provide adequate confidence that processes are established and continuouslyimproved in order to produce products that meet specifications and fit for use.

What is the purpose of the testin"?Testing provides information whether or not a certain product meets the requirements.

What is the difference &etween ! and testin"?

&uality Assurance is that set of activities that are carried out to set standards and to

monitor and improve performance so that the care provided is as effective and as safe as

possible. Testing provides information whether or not a certain product meets the

requirements. +t also provides information where the product fails to meet therequirements.

What are &enefits of the test automation?

5. Fast 7. !eliable

:. !epeatable


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Support for the applications +D-$ support for the application environment'platform.

What could &e wron" with automation testin"?

There are several things. For e(. Script errors can cause a genuine bug to go undetectedor report a bug in the application when the bug does not actually e(ist.

ow will you descri&e testin" activities?

Testing planning$ scripting$ e(ecution$ defect reporting and trac%ing$ regression testing.

What type of scriptin" techniques for test automation do you )now?

8odular tests and data driven test

What are "ood principles for test scripts?

5. 3ortable7. !epeatable

:. !eusable


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to test every possible aspect of an application$ every possible combination of events$

every dependency$ or everything that could go wrong$ ris% analysis is appropriate to most

software development pro*ects. This requires *udgment s%ills$ common sense$ ande(perience. /+f warranted$ formal methods are also available.1 onsiderations can

include6

;hich functionality is most important to the pro*ect,s intended purpose

;hich functionality is most visible to the user

;hich functionality has the largest safety impact

;hich functionality has the largest financial impact on users

;hich aspects of the application are most important to the customer

;hich aspects of the application can be tested early in the development cycle

;hich parts of the code are most comple($ and thus most sub*ect to errors

;hich parts of the application were developed in rush or panic mode

;hich aspects of similar'related previous pro*ects caused problems

;hich aspects of similar'related previous pro*ects had large maintenance

e(penses ;hich parts of the requirements and design are unclear or poorly thought out

;hat do the developers thin% are the highest#ris% aspects of the application

;hat %inds of problems would cause the worst publicity

;hat %inds of problems would cause the most customer service complaints

;hat %inds of tests could easily cover multiple functionalities

;hich tests will have the best high#ris%#coverage to time#required ratio

Where do you "et your expected results?

"ser requirement document

f automatin"what is your process for determinin" what to automate and in

what order? OR

%an you automate all the test scripts? Explain ? OR

ow do you plan test automation? OR

What criteria do you use when determinin" when to automate a test or leave it

manual?

5. Test that need to be run for every build of the application

7. Tests that use multiple data values for the same actions/ data driven tests1:. Tests that require detailed information from application internals


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Integration testing' An orderly progression of testing in which software components or

hardware components$ or both are combined and tested until the entire system has been

integrated.%ystem testing' The 3rocess of testing an integrated hardware and software system to

verify that the system meets its specified requirements.

ow do you "o a&out testin" a pro(ect?

5. Analye user requirement documents and other documents li%e software

specifications$ design document etc.7. ;rite master test plan which describe the scope$ ob*ective$ strategy$

ris%'contingencies$ resources

:. ;rite system test plan and detailed test cases

. @nce all the defects are closed and application is stabilied$ automate the test

scripts for regression and performance testing.

ow do you "o a&out testin" a we& application?

;e chec% for "ser interface$ Functionality$ +nterface testing$ ompatibility$ 2oad'Stress$

and Security.

Difference &etween -lac) and White &ox testin"?

Blac/ o- testing' Functional testing based on requirements with no %nowledge of the

internal program structure or data. Also %nown as closed#bo( testing.

0hite Bo- testing' Testing approaches that e(amine the program structure and devicetest data from the program logic.

What is confi"uration mana"ement? 1ools used?

+onfigration management' helps teams control their day#to#day management of

software development activities as software is created$ modified$ built and delivered.omprehensive software configuration management includes version control$ wor%space

management$ build management$ and process control to provide better pro*ect control

and predictability

What are ndividual test case and Wor)flow test case? Why we do wor)flow

scenariosAn individual test is one that is for a single features or requirement. )owever$ it is

important that related sequences of features be tested as well$ as these correspond tounits of wor% that user will typically perform. +t will be important for the system tester to

become familiar with what users intend to do with the product and how they intend to do

it. Such testing can reveal errors that might not ordinarily be caught otherwise. Fore(ample while each operations in a series might produce the correct results it is possible

that intermediate results get lost or corrupted between operations.


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What are the testin" tools are you familiar with?

TestDirector$ ;in!unner$ 2oad!unner$ !ational !equisit3ro$ !ational Test8anager$!ational !obot$ !ational lear&uest and Sil%Test.

ow did you use automatin" testin" tools in your (o&?Automating testing tools are used for preparing and managing regression test scripts and

load and perofromenance tests.

What is datadriven automation?

+f you want to perform the same operations with differnet set of data$ we can create data

driven test with loop. +n each iteration test is driven by differnet set of data. +n order for

automation to use data to drive the test$ we must subsitute the fi(ed values in the test withvariables.

Descri&e me the difference &etween validation and verification?

erification' typically involves reviews and meetings to evaluate documents$ plans$ code$requirements$ and specifications. This can be done with chec%lists$ issues lists$

wal%throughs$ and inspection meetings.

alidation' typically involves actual testing and ta%es place after verifications are

completed. The term ,+C J C, refers to +ndependent Cerification and Calidation

s codin" required in #! ro&ot?

Ies$ to enhance the script for testing the business logic$ and when we write the user

define the functions.

What do you mean &y 7set up the test environment and provide full platformsupport?

;e need to provide the following for setting up the environment51 !equired software

71 !equired hardware

:1 !equired testing tools


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What is the &u" reportin" tool used?

!ational lear&uest

TestDirectror3CS Trac%er

Did you use #! 1est*ana"er?Ies. For creating test plan and defect reporting'trac%ing.

8ou find a &u" and the developer says 7t2s not possi&le9 what do u do?

+9ll discuss with him under what conditions /wor%ing environment1 the bug wasproduced. +9ll provide him with more details and the snapshot of the bug.

ow do you help developer to trac) the fault s in the software?

By providing him with details of the defects that include the environment$ test data$ stepsfollowed etcK and helping him to reproduce the defect in his environment.

Were you a&le to meet deadlines?Absolutely.

What is 0olymorphism? 4ive example.

+n ob*ect#oriented programming$ polymorphism refers to a programming language,sability to process ob*ects differently depending on their data type or class. 8ore

specifically$ it is the ability to redefine methods for derived classes.

For e(ample$ given a base class shape$ polymorphism enables the programmer to definedifferent circumference methods for any number of derived classes$ such as circles$

rectangles and triangles.

0o matter what shape an ob*ect is$ applying the circumference method to it will returncorrect results. 3olymorphism is considered to be a requirement of any true ob*ect#

oriented programming language /@@321.

What are the different types of *Rs?

8! for suggestions$

8! for defect reports$

8! for documentations changes

What is test *etrics?

Test metrics contains follwoing details6

Total test

Test run

Test passed

Test failed

Tests deferred

Test passed the first time


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What is the use of *etrics?

3rovide the accurate measurement of test coverage.

f you have shorta"e of time, how would you prioriti/e you testin"?

"se ris% analysis to determine where testing should be focused. Since it,s rarely possible

to test every possible aspect of an application$ every possible combination of events$every dependency$ or everything that could go wrong$ ris% analysis is appropriate to most

software development pro*ects. onsiderations can include6

;hich functionality is most important to the pro*ect,s intended purpose

;hich functionality is most visible to the user

;hich functionality has the largest safety impact

;hich functionality has the largest financial impact on users

;hich aspects of the application are most important to the customer

;hich aspects of the application can be tested early in the development cycle

;hich parts of the code are most comple($ and thus most sub*ect to errors

;hich parts of the application were developed in rush or panic mode ;hich aspects of similar'related previous pro*ects caused problems

;hich aspects of similar'related previous pro*ects had large maintenance

e(penses

;hich parts of the requirements and design are unclear or poorly thought out

;hat do the developers thin% are the highest#ris% aspects of the application

;hat %inds of problems would cause the worst publicity

;hat %inds of problems would cause the most customer service complaints

;hat %inds of tests could easily cover multiple functionalities

;hich tests will have the best high#ris%#coverage to time#required ratio

What is the impact of environment on the actual results of performance

testin"?

-nvironment plays an important role in the results and effectiveness of test$ particularlyin the area of performance testing. Some of the factors will be under our control$ while

others will not be. These may involve the DB8S$ the operating system or the networ%.

Some of the items that we cannot control unless you can secure a stand#aloneenvironment /which will generally be unrealistic1 are6

- @ther traffic on the networ%

- @ther process running on the server

-@ther process running on the DB8S

What is stress testin", performance testin", #ecurity testin", Recovery testin" and

volume testin".

%tress testing' Testing the system if it can handle pea% usage period loads that result

from large number of simultaneous users$ transactions or devices. 8onitoring should beperformed for throughput and system stability.


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&erformance Testing' Testing the system whether the system functions are being

performed in an acceptable timeframe under simultaneous user load. Timings for both

read and update transactions should be gathered to determine whether. This should bedone stand#alone and then in a multi#user environment to determine the transaction

throughput.

%ecrity Testing' Testing the system for its security from unauthoried use and

unauthoried data access.

*ecovery Testing' Testing a system to see how it responds to errors and abnormal

conditions$ such as system crash$ loss of device$ communications$ or power.

olme Testing' Testing to the system to determine if it can correctly process largevolumes of data fed to the system. Systems can often respond unpredictably when large

volume causes files to overflow and need e(tensions.

What criteria you will follow to assi"n severity and due date to the *R?Defects /8!1 are assigned severity as follows6

+ritical6 show stoppers /the system is unusable1

igh6 The system is very hard to use and some cases are prone to convert to critical

issues if not ta%en care of.

edim6 The system functionality has a ma*or bug but is not too critical but needs to be

fi(ed in order for the A"T to go to production environment.ow6 cosmetic /"+ related1

What is user acceptance testin"?

+t is also called as Beta Testing. @nce System Testing is done and the system seems stable

to the developers and testers$ system engineers usually invite the end users of thesoftware to see if they li%e the software. +f the users li%e the software the way it is then

software will be delivered to the user. @therwise necessary changes will be made to thesoftware and software will pass through all phases of testing again.

What is manual testin" and what is automated testin"?

8anual testing involves testing of software application by manually performing the

actions on the A"T based on test plans.

Automated testing involves testing of a software application by performing the actions on

the A"T by using automated testing tool /such as ;in!unner$ 2oad!unner1 based on testplans

What are the entrance and exit criteria in the system test?

-ntrance and e(it criteria of each testing phase is written in the master test plan.

,nterence +riteria'

- +ntegration e(it criteria have been successfully met.

- All installation documents are completed.


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- All shippable software has been successfully built

- Syate$ test plan is baselined by completing the wal%through of the test plan.

- Test environment should be setup.

- All severity 5 8!9s of integration test phase should be closed.

,-it +riteria'

- All the test cases in the test plan should be e(ecuted.

- All 8!9s'defects are either closed or deferred.

- !egression testing cycle should be e(ecuted after closing the 8!9s.

- All documents are reviewed$ finilied and signed#off.

f there are no requirements, how will you write your test plan?

+f there are no requirements we try to gather as much details as possible from6

Business Analysts

Developers /+f accessible1

3revious Cersion documentation /if any1 Sta%e holders /+f accessible1

3rototypes.

What is smo)e testin"?

The smo%e test should e(ercise the entire system from end to end. +t does not have to be

e(haustive$ but it should be capable of e(posing ma*or problems. The smo%e test should

be thorough enough that if the build passes$ you can assume that it is stable enough to betested more thoroughly.

The daily build has little value without the smo%e test. The smo%e test is the sentry that

guards against deteriorating product quality and creeping integration problems. ;ithoutit$ the daily build becomes *ust a time#wasting e(ercise in ensuring that you have a clean

compile every day.

The smo%e test must evolve as the system evolves. At first$ the smo%e test will probably

test something simple$ such as whether the system can say$ H)ello$ ;orld.H As the system

develops$ the smo%e test will become more thorough. The first test might ta%e a matter ofseconds to run as the system grows$ the smo%e test can grow to :L minutes$ an hour$ or

more.

What is soa) testin"?

The software system will be run for a total of 5< hours continuously. +f the system is acontrol system$ it will be used to continuously move each of the instrument mechanisms

during this time. Any other system will be e(pected to perform its intended function

continuously during this period. The software system must not fail during this period.

What is a precondition data?

Data required to setup in the system before the test e(ecution.


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What are the different documents in !?

!equirements Document$ Test 3lan$ Test cases$ Test 8etrics$ Tas% Distribution Diagrams/ 3erformance1$ Transaction 8i($ "ser 3rofiles$ Test 2og$ Test +ncident !eport$ Test

Summary !eport

ow do you rate yourself in software testin"

e(cellent

What are the &est we& sites that you frequently visit to up"rade your !

s)ills?

http6''www.softwareqatest.com'

http6''sqp.asq.org'

s defect resolution a technical s)ill or interpersonal s)ill from ! view

point?

+t is a combination of both $ because it deals with the interaction with developer eitherdirectly or indirectly which needs interpersonal s%ills and is also based on the s%ills of

the &A personnel to provide a detailed proof to the developer li%e snap shots and system

resource utiliation and some suggestions which are little bit technical.

What is End to End &usiness lo"ic testin"?

Testing the integration of all the modules of the A"T.

What is an equivalence class?

A portion of a component,s input or output domains for which the component,s behaviour

is assumed to be the same from the component,s specification

What is the tas) &ar and where does it reside?

The tas% bar shows a tas% button for each open application. At a glance$ it shows you

which applications are running you can switch applications by clic%ing different tas%buttons. +n most cases the tas% bar is located at the very bottom of your des%top or

computer screen. )owever the tas% bar can be moved to the sides or top.

ow do you analy/e your test results? what metrics do you try to provide?

OR

ow do you view test results?

Test log is created for analying the test results.This is a chronological record of the Test

e(ecutions and events that happened during testing. +t includes the following sections6

Description6 ;hat9s being tested$ including Cersion +D$ where testing is being done$ what

hardware and all other configuration information.Activity and -vent -ntries6 ;hat happened including -(ecution Description6 The

procedure used.

3rocedure !esult6 ;hat happened. ;hat did you see and where did you store theoutput
http://www.softwareqatest.com/http://www.softwareqatest.com/


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-nvironment +nformation6 Any changes /hardware substitution1 made specifically for this

test.

"ne(pected -vents6 ;hat happened before and after problem'bug occurred.+ncident'Bug !eport +dentifiers6 3roblem !eport number

f you come on&oard, "ive me a "eneral idea of what your first overall tas)swill &e as far as as startin" a quality effort?

Try to learn about the application$ -nvironment and 3rototypes to have the better

understanding of application and e(isting testing efforts

ow do you differentiate the roles of uality !ssurance *ana"er and

0ro(ect *ana"er?

&uality assurance manager responsibilites includes seting up the standards$ the

methodology and the strategies for testing the application and providing guidelines to the&A team. 3ro*ect 8anager is reponsible to testing and development activities.

What do you li)e a&out !?&A is the field where in one will be wor%ing to multiple environments and can learn

more.

Who in the company is responsi&le for uality?

Both development and quality assurance departments are responsible for the final

product quality.

#hould we test every possi&le com&ination+scenario for a pro"ram?

+deally$ yes we should test every possible scenario$ but this may not always be possible. +t

depends on many factors vi.$ deadlines$ budget$ comple(ity of software and so on. +n

such cases$ we have to prioritie and thoroughly test the critical areas of the application.

What is clientserver architecture?

lient#server architecture$ a client is defined as a requester of services and a server isdefined as the provider of services. ommunication ta%es place in the form a request

message from the client to the server as%ing for some wor% to be done. Then the server

does the wor% and sends bac% the reply.

ow ntranet is different from clientserver?

+nternet applications are essentially client'server applications # with web servers and

,browser,

What is threetier and multitier architecture?

A design which separate /51 client$ /71 application$ and /:1 data each into their ownseparate areas which allows for more scalable$ robust solutions

A three#tier system is one that has presentation components$ business logic and dataaccess physically running on different platforms. ;eb applications are perfect for three#


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tier architecture$ as the presentation layer is necessarily separate$ and the business and

data components can be divided up much li%e a client#server application

What is nternet?

The +nternet$ sometimes called simply Hthe 0et$H is a worldwide system of computer

networ%s # a networ% of networ%s in which users at any one computer can$ if they havepermission$ get information from any other computer. 3hysically$ the +nternet uses a

portion of the total resources of the currently e(isting public telecommunication

networ%s. Technically$ what distinguishes the +nternet is its use of a set of protocolscalled T3'+3 /for Transmission ontrol 3rotocol'+nternet 3rotocol1. Two recent

adaptations of +nternet technology$ the intranet and the e(tranet$ also ma%e use of the

T3'+3 protocol.

What is ntranet?

An intranet is a private networ% that is contained within an enterprise. +t may consist of

many interlin%ed local area networ%s and also use leased lines in the ;ide Area 0etwor%.

The main purpose of an intranet is to share company information and computingresources among employees. An intranet can also be used to facilitate wor%ing in groups

and for teleconferences.

What is Extranet?

An e(tranet is a private networ% that uses the +nternet protocol and the public

telecommunication system to securely share part of a business,s information oroperations with suppliers$ vendors$ partners$ customers$ or other businesses. An e(tranet

can be viewed as part of a company,s intranet that is e(tended to users outside the

company. +t has also been described as a Hstate of mindH in which the +nternet is

perceived as a way to do business with other companies as well as to sell products to

customers.

What is a &yte code file?

8achine#independent code generated by the Mava/T81 compiler and e(ecuted by the

Mava interpreter

What is an applet?

A program written in the Mava/T81 programming language to run within a web browser

compatible with the Mava platform$ such as )ot Mava/T81 or 0etscape 0avigator/T81.

ow applet is different from application?

An applet is an application program that uses the client,s web browser to provide a userinterface while an application is a computer program with a user interface.

What is :ava ;irtual *achine?

Mava/T81 Cirtual 8achineN. The part of the Mava !untime -nvironment responsible for

interpreting bytecodes

What is #O


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A set of international standards for both quality management and quality assurance that

has been adopted by over OL countries worldwide. The +S@ OLLL standards apply to all

types of organiations$ large and small$ and in many industries. The +S@ OLLL seriesclassifies products into generic product categories6 hardware$ software$ processed

materials$ and services.


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What is *O?

The &8@ is a set of processes and guidelines that software systems pro*ects and

products that are built under a contract /with a customer 1 must follow to comply with+S@#OLLL standards. +S@#OLLL states that the guidelines for software development must

be documented.

What is O&(ect Oriented model?

+n a @b*ect @riented model each class is a separate module and has a position in a class

hierarchy. 8ethods or code in one class can be passed down the hierarchy to a subclassor inherited from a super class. This is called inheritance.

What is 0rocedural model?

A term used in contrast to declarative langage to describe a language where theprogrammer specifies an e(plicit sequence of steps to follow to produce a result.

ommon procedural languages include Basic and .

What is an O&(ect?

An ob*ect is a software bundle of related variables and methods. Software ob*ects are

often used to model real#world ob*ects you find in everyday life

What is class?

A class is a blueprint or prototype that defines the variables and the methods common to

all ob*ects of a certain %ind.

What is encapsulation? 4ive one example.

-ncapsulation is the ability to provide a well#defined interface to a set of functions in a

way which hides their internal wor%ings. +n ob*ect#oriented programming$ the technique

of %eeping together data structures and the methods /procedures1 which act on them.

What is inheritance? 4ive example.

+n ob*ect#oriented programming$ the ability to derive new classes from e(isting classes. Aderived class /or HsubclassH1 inherits the instance variables and methods of the Hbase

classH /or HsuperclassH1$ and may add new instance variables and methods. 0ew methods

may be defined with the same names as those in the base class$ in which case theyoverride the original one.

What is the difference a&out we&testin" and client server testin"?

;eb applications are essentially client'server applications # with web servers and,browser, clients. onsideration should be given to the interactions between html pages$

T3'+3 communications$ +nternet connections$ firewalls$ applications that run in web

pages /such as applets$ *avascript$ plug#in applications1$ and applications that run on the

server side /such as cgi scripts$ database interfaces$ logging applications$ dynamic pagegenerators$ asp$ etc.1. Additionally$ there are a wide variety of servers and browsers$

various versions of each$ small but sometimes significant differences between them$


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variations in connection speeds$ rapidly changing technologies$ and multiple standards

and protocols. The end result is that testing for web sites can become a ma*or ongoing

effort.

s a 7>ast data&ase retrieval rate9 a testa&le requirement?

This is not a testable requirement. PFast9 is a sub*ective term. +t could mean differentthings depending on a person9s perception. For a requirement to be testable$ it should be

quantified and repeatable$ so that the actual value could be measured against the

e(pected value.

What different type of test cases you wrote in the test plan?

Test cases for interface$ functionality$ security$ load and performance testing.

What development model should pro"rammers and the test "roup use?

A Development 8odel$ which helps adopt a structured approach in assessment$ design$

integration and implementation of a pro*ect and in e(tending relevant training and

support. -ach of these stages is necessarily accompanied with client inputs$ chec%pointsand reviews to ensure successful systems implementation.

Basically there are many types of development models to support the development ofhigh#quality software products. The two most widely used models are ;aterfall and

Spiral development model.

;aterfall development model encourages the development team to specify the business

functionality of the software prior to developing a system.Spiral development model combines the waterfall development model and the prototype

approach$ which is a series of partial implementations of the product.

A typical pro*ect may include some or all of the following phases6 requirements analysis

functional specifications

architectural design

detailed design

coding

unit testing

integration testing

deployment and

maintenance.

What are the )ey challen"es of load testin"?

The %ey challenges to load testing is handling various components from various vendors.

ave you done explanatory or specificationdriven testin"?

Ies$ specification#driven testing means chec%ing the product9s confirmance with every

statement in every spec$ requirements docuement$ etc.


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What is the role of ! in development pro(ect?

Deploy and enforce standards

ontinually improve standards$ &A process based on previous e(periences3romote effective means for reporting and communication.

ow do you promote the concept of phase containment and defectprevention?

3hase ontainment refers to detecting and correcting defects in the same phase in which

they9re created.

The purpose of Defect 3revention is to identify the cause of defects and prevent themfrom recurring.

What is inspection?

Inspection ' An inspection is more formalied than a ,wal%through,$ typically with :#?people including a moderator$ reader$ and a recorder to ta%e notes. The sub*ect of the

inspection is typically a document such as a requirements spec or a test plan$ and the

purpose is to find problems and see what,s missing$ not to fi( anything. Attendees shouldprepare for this type of meeting by reading thru the document most problems will be

found during this preparation. The result of the inspection meeting should be a written

report. Thorough preparation for inspections is difficult$ painsta%ing wor%$ but is one ofthe most cost effective methods of ensuring quality.

What is Wal)throu"h?

0al/throgh 'A ,wal%through, is an informal meeting for evaluation or informationalpurposes. 2ittle or no preparation is usually required.

What if the application has functionality that wasn't in the requirements?

+t may ta%e serious effort to determine if an application has significant une(pected orhidden functionality$ and it would indicate deeper problems in the software development

process. +f the functionality isn,t necessary to the purpose of the application$ it should be

removed$ as it may have un%nown impacts or dependencies that were not ta%en intoaccount by the designer or the customer. +f not removed$ design information will be

needed to determine added testing needs or regression testing needs. 8anagement should

be made aware of any significant added ris%s as a result of the une(pected functionality.+f the functionality only effects areas such as minor improvements in the user interface$

for e(ample$ it may not be a significant ris%.

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