How to prepare for Software Testing Interview
Most Common Beginners Level Software Testing Interview Questions & Tips
There are some common misconceptions that software testing is easy, whereas it’s a technical skill that demands preparation. This is especially true if you’ve never worked in software testing before.
If you’re looking for a new testing opportunity right now or you’re switching your career to software testing, then this post is for you.
What I’m sharing here is a handful of best practices that will help you excel at your interview. I also made a list of common questions asked during entry-level interviews for the testing position.
What questions will you be asked?
There are a few types of questions that a software tester may be asked:
Questions about experience & background
Questions about testing tools
Questions about your testing approach
Questions about your software testing knowledge
Behavioural questions (a stressful situation, teamwork)
General questions
The first part of the interview typically consists of general questions. Below I’ve listed 10 questions I was asked during my Software Testing Interviews:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why do you want to be a tester?
- What qualities should a tester have? Which ones do you have?
- Tell us about your projects? (freelancing, crowdsourced testing, beta testing, open-source projects)
- Why do you want to work for us?
- How do you work with other members of your team?
- Describe the biggest challenge you faced in software testing.
- How did you get into software testing?
- How do you improve your testing skills?
- Do you have any questions for us?
Testing theory
Some interview questions may be asked to determine your testing terminology knowledge. Below you will find 10 questions that check the understanding of fundamental concepts of software testing.
- What is the difference between functional and non-functional testing? Give some examples.
- What is the difference between bug severity and bug priority? Give some examples.
- What is the difference between regression testing and retesting?
- What should a bug report/test case contain?
- What do you do if you find a bug in a test case during its execution?
- What levels of testing do you know?
- Tell me what you know about Agile methodologies.
- How would you test…a pen / a toy from McDonald’s?
- Print out a contact form with errors. You need to correct them and describe them as if you were creating a bug report.
- Questions related to the position you are applying for such as tester of mobile apps, games, IoT devices and systems.
Testing Interview Tips
Brush up on the testing terminology & definitions
If you don’t have a foundational knowledge of software testing, get hold of the ISTQB syllabus. Reading it will cover most of the basic testing concepts that they can ask you during your interview.
List your major skills
Write down the major skills the company is looking for.
If you don’t have experience in some of them, think about what you read and research about it.
Study your resume and know everything about it
Your resume is all the interviewer has to go by to get to know you, review your skills, knowledge, and past work experience. They may pick things out from it and ask you to elaborate.
Show your purpose and passion for testing
Highlight any extracurricular testing activities you’re up to such as a testing book, blogs, YouTube tutorials. This will show that you keep up to date with the current testing culture and give some depth to your current learning.
Research the company and the job position you are applying for
Take a look at the company website, make some notes about their products, their industry, and who their biggest customers are.
Spend some time on their LinkedIn profile, their latest social media posts, and see what their company is talking about.
Take a quick look at company reviewing websites, sites where employees can review their own company. This will give you a better idea of the culture within that company.
Be communicative
Try and lean into the conversational aspect of this interview. This is not an interrogation, but a conversation with your new prospective boss about the role and also what you currently do.
During an interview, even if you don’t know the answer to a question, try to show your train of thought, ask questions.
Prepare 3–4 questions that you want to ask at the end
It always looks nice when you go into an interview with intelligent questions. It shows you put effort into preparing for the interview. Ask smart, insightful questions that help you stand out as a candidate.
To help you along, here are some examples:
What would my day-to-day look like if I’m successful?
What do you expect from team members in this position?
Would there be an opportunity to progress further down the line?
Prepare yourself with specific testing scenarios for a bug report.
Some technology interviewers will ask you to complete a task during the interview process. Remembering what can go into a bug report can be difficult, especially if you have little to no experience in software testing.
Take a few minutes and think about what a good bug report has within it. Write these items down. After you try to complete this exercise, click on the below link and go through the answer.
Practise being interviewed
Prepare answers for the questions you are most likely to be asked. Next, find somebody willing to do a mock interview with you. It can be your friend, colleague or mentor.
Conclusion
Remember, that even if you’ve invested time and effort into the preparation, it isn’t a guarantee you’ll get this job. And that’s fine too. You can use all this experience to strengthen your next interview.
Every interview is an opportunity to practise. And practice helps you to improve your skills.
