Top 30 Manual Testing Interview Questions and Answers
In manual testing, testers perform test cases without using automated tools. Verifying a software application’s performance, usability, and functioning requires human involvement. Manual testing plays a significant part in the software development life cycle by guaranteeing the quality and dependability of the product before its deployment. In addition to automated testing methods, testers can find flaws, confirm user needs, give real-time feedback, and improve the overall user experience.
Given below are some of the most important manual testing interview questions.
Manual Testing Interview Questions for Freshers
Given below are some of the manual testing interview questions for freshers
1. What is manual testing, and how does it differ from automated testing?
When asking this question, HR professionals are interested in evaluating a candidate’s ability to understand and adapt to different testing methodologies. They aim to assess the candidate’s flexibility, problem-solving skills, and willingness to learn and utilize various tools and technologies.
Answer: While automated testing entails utilizing tools to perform tests automatically, manual testing requires carrying out tests manually to find software flaws.
2. What are the key phases of the software testing life cycle (STLC)?
HR professionals aim to assess a candidate’s ability to follow structured processes and work systematically. They want to determine if the candidate possesses organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage and prioritize tasks effectively.
Answer: Requirement analysis, test planning, test case development, test environment setup, test execution, and test closure are the major stages of the software testing life cycle (STLC).
3. Can you explain the difference between smoke testing and regression testing?
Hr evaluates a candidate’s analytical and critical thinking abilities. They want to assess if the candidate can differentiate between different types of testing and understand their purposes.
Answer: Regression testing ensures that modifications or improvements to the program do not introduce new flaws. Smoke testing is a preliminary test to see if the software’s fundamental features are operating.
4. What is the purpose of test cases, and how do you write effective test cases?
HR professionals aim to assess a candidate’s ability to think logically, plan, and communicate effectively. The question also helps gauge the candidate’s attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and ability to anticipate potential issues or bugs in software systems.
Answer: Test cases are utilized to ensure that the program satisfies the required specifications. Key components of well-written test cases are clear objectives, a mix of positive and negative scenarios, and test coverage.
5. What is the difference between functional testing and non-functional testing?
HR asks this question to understand a candidate’s ability to understand and differentiate between different aspects of software quality. They aim to determine if the candidate possesses a holistic perspective on software testing beyond just functional requirements.
Answer: While non-functional testing focuses on performance, security, usability, and compatibility, functional testing determines whether the product performs as intended.
6. How do you prioritize test cases when time is limited?
HR professionals aim to assess a candidate’s ability to manage time, prioritize tasks, and make informed decisions under pressure. They want to determine if the candidate can effectively evaluate risks and critical functionalities to ensure that testing efforts align with project goals and deadlines.
Answer: When you’re short on time, you can prioritize test cases by considering criticality, business effect, risk assessment, and usage frequency.
7. Can you explain the concept of boundary value analysis and give an example?
HR asks this question to evaluate a candidate’s attention to detail, analytical thinking, and ability to identify potential areas of failure or vulnerability in software systems.
Answer: Using the boundary values of input ranges, test cases are constructed using the test design approach known as boundary value analysis. For instance, input at the lower and higher bounds of acceptable ranges can be used to test a system.
8. What is the difference between validation and verification in software testing?
Employers aim to evaluate a candidate’s understanding of quality assurance principles and their ability to articulate technical concepts in a concise and accurate manner.
Answer: Verification entails determining whether the software complies with design and development standards, whereas validation is reviewing the software during or after the development process to see if it meets stated requirements.
9. What is the importance of a test plan, and what components should it include?
This question aims to gauge a candidate’s capacity for organizing, planning, and documenting their testing efforts..
Answer: To describe the testing strategy, goals, objectives, scope, resources, and timetable, a test plan is essential. It should have elements like a test execution schedule, test objectives, a test environment, and test deliverables.
10. How do you track and report defects during the testing process?
This question is intended to help HR professionals assess a candidate’s communication abilities, attention to detail, and teamwork capabilities. They are used to assess a candidate’s capacity to convey flaws both orally and in writing.
Answer: A defect tracking system or tool tracks and reports defects. Details like the defect description, how to recreate it, severity, priority, and status are frequently included in defect reports.
Manual Testing Interview Questions for Experienced
Given below are some of the manual testing interview questions for experienced candidates
11. Can you explain your process for test case design and execution?
HR professionals aim to determine if the candidate follows a systematic process, pays attention to detail, and understands the importance of comprehensive test coverage.
Answer: I use a process that includes requirements analysis, test scenario identification, test case creation, test case execution, and defect reporting for test case design and execution.
12. How do you approach and handle regression testing in your projects?
By asking about regression testing, HR professionals aim to evaluate a candidate’s understanding of maintaining software stability and ensuring that changes or updates do not introduce new defects.
Answer: When performing regression testing, I choose the most important test cases, rank them according to risk and impact, and then compile a regression test suite. To ensure effective execution, I automate repetitive test cases.
13. Can you describe the software defects you commonly encounter and how you classify them?
HRs aim to determine if the candidate possesses strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to distinguish between different defect types, such as functional, usability, performance, or security issues.
Answer: Functional flaws, usability concerns, performance hiccups, security vulnerabilities, and compatibility issues are a few common sorts of software errors. They are categorized according to their seriousness and systemic effect.
14. How do you prioritize and manage your testing activities when faced with tight deadlines?
HR professionals aim to assess a candidate’s ability to work under pressure and make effective decisions in time-constrained situations through this question. They want to determine if the candidate can prioritize testing efforts based on risk analysis, critical functionalities, and customer requirements.
Answer: When there are short deadlines, I rank testing tasks according to their importance to the business, potential impact, and level of risk. I work closely with stakeholders to control expectations and reach thoughtful conclusions.
15. Have you used test management tools or defect-tracking systems in previous projects? If yes, which ones?
By asking this question, HR professionals aim to evaluate a candidate’s technical skills and familiarity with industry-standard tools and systems. The question also helps assess the candidate’s adaptability to different tools and their ability to leverage technology for improved productivity and collaboration.
Answer: Yes, I have organized test cases, tracked defects, and produced reports using test management tools like TestRail and defect tracking systems like JIRA in previous projects.
16. Can you explain the concept of test coverage and how you ensure adequate coverage in your testing efforts?
When HR professionals ask about test coverage, they assess a candidate’s understanding of comprehensive testing and risk mitigation. They aim to determine if the candidate can explain test coverage in terms of requirements, functionalities, and risk areas.
Answer: Test coverage describes how thoroughly software requirements are tested. To ensure appropriate coverage, I undertake risk-based testing, equivalence partitioning, analysis of boundary value, and risk-based testing.
17. Have you ever encountered a situation where the development team did not consider a bug you reported important? How did you handle it?
By asking this question, HR professionals are evaluating a candidate’s interpersonal and problem-solving skills. The question also helps determine if the candidate can collaborate with the development team, negotiate priorities, and find mutually agreeable solutions.
Answer: In cases when a reported bug was deemed unimportant by the development team, I offer more proof, draw attention to the possible impact, and work with them to reach a consensus and find a solution.
18. What strategies do you employ for testing in different environments, such as web browsers, operating systems, or mobile devices?
HR professionals ask this question to assess a candidate’s adaptability and technical skills in testing across various environments.
Answer: I use a mix of manual testing and test automation to test in various scenarios. I keep a matrix of compatible browsers, operating systems, and hardware to ensure complete coverage.
19. How do you handle and report test results and defects to project stakeholders?
When HR professionals ask this question, they aim to assess a candidate’s communication and documentation skills. They want to determine if the candidate can provide clear and concise test reports, including test results, defect summaries, and relevant metrics.
Answer: I manage and communicate test findings and defects to project stakeholders by creating concise and understandable reports that contain details like the status of the test execution, descriptions of the flaws, severity ratings, and recommendations.
20. Have you worked on any automation testing projects? If yes, can you explain how you combined manual and automated testing in your approach?
By asking about automation testing projects, HR professionals aim to evaluate a candidate’s technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and understanding of leveraging automation for efficient testing.
Answer: Yes, I have experience working on testing automation projects. I blended manual and automated testing by manually selecting repeatable and stable test cases for automation while concentrating on exploratory testing and edge cases.
Basic manual testing interview questions
Given below are some of the basic manual testing interview questions
21. What is manual testing, and how does it differ from automated testing?
When HR professionals ask about manual testing, they want to assess a candidate’s understanding of the fundamental testing process and their ability to perform testing tasks manually.
Answer: Executing tests manually is known as manual testing, whereas automated testing involves using tools to perform tests automatically, which saves time and effort.
22. What is the difference between functional testing and non-functional testing?
HRs want to determine if the candidate recognizes that functional testing focuses on validating the system’s behavior against specified requirements. In contrast, non-functional testing assesses aspects like performance, usability, security, and reliability.
Answer: While non-functional testing looks at things like performance, security, and usability, functional testing concentrates on making sure the product satisfies the requirements.
23. What are the key steps involved in the manual testing process?
By asking about the key steps in manual testing, HR professionals aim to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge of the testing lifecycle and their ability to follow a systematic approach.
Answer: Test case development, execution, defect reporting, and test closure procedures, including test summaries and documentation, are crucial manual testing phases.
24. What is a test case? How do you create and execute test cases?
The interviewer wants to determine if the candidate can explain that a test case is a detailed test scenario description, including input data, expected results, and test steps.
Answer: A test case is a group of circumstances and inputs with predetermined results. Following test steps, test cases are conducted after being created by analyzing requirements and constructing scenarios.
25. How do you prioritize test cases when you have limited time for testing?
Through this question, HR professionals aim to assess a candidate’s ability to make efficient decisions and manage time effectively. They want to determine if the candidate can prioritize test cases based on factors like business criticality, risk assessment, and requirement coverage.
Answer: Prioritising test cases in a time-constrained manner entails putting the most important functionality, business implications, risk assessments, and high-risk areas first.
26. What is the purpose of regression testing, and when is it performed?
By asking about regression testing, HR professionals want to assess a candidate’s understanding of the importance of maintaining software stability.
Answer: Regression testing is done to ensure that the program does not acquire new flaws due to upgrades or improvements. Usually, it is carried out following system modifications or updates.
27. How important are boundary value analysis and equivalence partitioning in testing?
HRs want to determine if the candidate recognizes the significance of boundary value analysis in identifying defects at the edges of input ranges and equivalence partitioning in reducing redundant test cases.
Answer: Testing methods include equivalence partitioning and boundary value analysis. Equivalence partitioning divides inputs into equivalent classes to eliminate redundancy and increase efficiency, whereas boundary value analysis verifies input values at boundaries.
28. How do you log defects in a bug-tracking system? What information should be included in a defect report?
Employers want to determine if the candidate can explain the process of logging defects, including capturing accurate and reproducible steps, attaching relevant documentation or screenshots, and assigning appropriate severity or priority levels.
Answer: In a bug-tracking system, defects are recorded by giving information such as the defect description, methods to replicate it, predicted and actual outcomes, priority, severity, and pertinent attachments.
29. What is smoke testing, and when is it performed?
By asking about smoke testing, HR professionals aim to assess a candidate’s understanding of the initial level of testing performed to verify basic functionality before conducting deeper testing.
Answer: Smoke testing is a rapid preliminary test to see whether the software’s essential features are operational. It is conducted at the start of testing or following builds or releases.
30. How do you ensure proper test coverage in a software application?
The question helps assess the candidate’s ability to identify suitable test scenarios and prioritize risk-based testing efforts.
Answer: Equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, risk-based testing, mapping test cases to requirements, and maintaining a balance between positive and negative test cases are all methods for guaranteeing test coverage.
Tips to Prepare for Manual Testing Interview
Along with practicing your responses to numerous interview questions, performing extensive research is crucial to improving your preparedness.
- Spend some quality time researching the company you are applying to.
- Investigate internet sources that list the best businesses in your industry; these resources can reveal a company’s commitment to its clients and its track record in software testing.
- Connect with current or former employees via LinkedIn or other professional networks to get a more in-depth insight into the workplace atmosphere.
- You can even mimic the interview process by making a friend or family member ask you questions in a suitable environment.
- To raise your performance, ask for comments, particularly from someone in the business.
- To learn important lessons, if an interview doesn’t go well, kindly ask for feedback afterward.
Red Flags
Constant rescheduling: Constantly changing the date and time of interviews without good cause shows that you are not respected for your time and that your organization needs to be improved.
Disrespecting others: Colleagues that exhibit contempt or derogatory behavior towards one another during interviews may be working in a toxic or siloed environment.
Conflicting values: If your values and those of the company are in harmony, it may be easier for you to land your job and feel satisfied.
Lack of clarity or consistency in responses: Inadequate communication and lack of openness might indicate vague or inconsistent answers to your queries.
Bait and switch: When a job description dramatically changes without enough justification, it shows poor communication and could imply organizational instability.
Questions or comments that are inappropriate: If you come across questions or comments that are offensive or illegal, it likely means that the organization has inadequate training, is tolerant of improper conduct, or is biased in some way.
Lack of connection: Interviewers with little excitement, interest, or warmth may already have a favorite or need help communicating.
Resistance to change: If the organization rejects change even though it wants to improve, it may cause friction and prevent you from making the required changes to your function.
An excessive number of interviews or protracted procedures: An unnecessarily drawn-out interview process may indicate indecision, consensus-based decision-making, or an unwillingness to move things forward.
Exploding offers: Job offers with tight deadlines put you under undue strain and prevent you from making well-informed choices, which may subsequently cause you to feel regret or discontent.
