Software QA Testing Interview Questions And Answers

Software QA involves the entire software development PROCESS - monitoring and improving the process, making sure that any agreed-upon standards and procedures are followed, and ensuring that problems are found and dealt with. It is oriented to 'prevention'.

(1)The planned systematic activities necessary to ensure that a component, module, or system conforms to established technical requirements.
(2) All actions that are taken to ensure that a development organization delivers products that meet performance requirements and adhere to standards and procedures.
(3) The policy, procedures, and systematic actions established in an enterprise for the purpose of providing and maintaining some degree of confidence in data integrity and accuracy throughout the life cycle of the data, which includes input, update, manipulation, and output.
(4) (QA) The actions, planned and performed, to provide confidence that all systems and components that influence the quality of the product are working as expected individually and collectively.

The operational techniques and procedures used to achieve quality requirements.

Test methodology is up to the end client, and can be used, reused, and molded to your end client's needs. Rob Davis believes that using the right test methodology is important in the development and ongoing maintenance of his clients' applications.

The test schedule is a schedule that identifies all tasks required for a successful testing effort, a schedule of all test activities and resource requirements.

Grey box testing is a software testing technique that uses a combination of black box testing and white box testing. Gray box testing is not black box testing, because the tester does know some of the internal workings of the software under test. In grey box testing, the tester applies a limited number of test cases to the internal workings of the software under test. In the remaining part of the grey box testing, one takes a black box approach in applying inputs to the software under test and observing the outputs.

That part of software testing that requires operator input, analysis, or evaluation.
or
A manual test is a test for which there is no automation. Instead, test steps are outlined in a document for the tester to complete. The tester can then report test results and submit bugs as appropriate.

1. Acceptance testing performed by the customer in a controlled environment at the developer's site. The software is used by the customer in a setting approximating the target environment with the developer observing and recording errors and usage problems.
Testing of a software product or system conducted at the developer’s site by the end user.

2. Alpha testing is testing of an application when development is nearing completion. Minor design changes can still be made as a result of alpha testing. Alpha testing is typically performed by a group that is independent of the design team, but still within the company, e.g. in-house software test engineers, or software QA engineers.

3. Alpha testing is final testing before the software is released to the general public. First, (and this is called the first phase of alpha testing), the software is tested by in-house developers. They use either debugger software, or hardware-assisted debuggers. The goal is to catch bugs quickly. Then, (and this is called second stage of alpha testing), the software is handed over to us, the software QA staff, for additional testing in an environment that is similar to the intended use.

Incremental testing is partial testing of an incomplete product. The goal of incremental testing is to provide an early feedback to software developers.

This strategy involves testing the classes as they are integrated into the system. The traditional approach would test each operation separately as they are implemented into a class. In OO system this approach is not viable because of the "direct and indirect interactions of the components that make up the class"
. Integration testing in OO can be performed in two basic ways :
- Thread-based - Takes all the classes needed to react to a given input. Each class is unit tested and then thread constructed from these classes tested as a set.
- Uses-based - Tests classes in groups. Once the group is tested, the next group that uses the first group (dependent classes) is tested. Then the group that uses the second group and so on. Use of stubs or drivers may be necessary. Cluster testing is similar to testing builds in the traditional model. Basically collaborating classes are tested in clusters.

Testing conducted to evaluate whether systems or components pass data and control correctly to one another. Contrast with testing, unit; testing, system.

Executing the program with all possible combinations of values for program variables. Feasible only for small, simple programs.

(1)Acceptance testing performed by the customer in a live application of the software, at one or more end user sites, in an environment not controlled by the developer.
(2) For medical device software such use may require an Investigational Device Exemption [IDE] or Institutional Review Board [IRB] approval.
Testing conducted at one or more end user sites by the end user of a delivered software product or system.

Beta testing is testing an application when development and testing are essentially completed and final bugs and problems need to be found before the final release. Beta testing is typically performed by end-users or others, not programmers, software engineers, or test engineers.

Following alpha testing, "beta versions" of the software are released to a group of people, and limited public tests are performed, so that further testing can ensure the product has few bugs. Other times, beta versions are made available to the general public, in order to receive as much feedback as possible. The goal is to benefit the maximum number of future users.

Verification or validation performed which executes the system’s code.

Glass box testing is the same as white box testing. It's a testing approach that examines the application's program structure, and derives test cases from the application's program logic.

In well-run projects, the mission of the test team is not merely to perform testing, but to help minimise the risk of product failure. Testers look for manifest problems in the product, potential problems, and the absence of problems. They explore, assess, track, and report product quality, so that others in the project can make informed decisions about product development. It's important to recognise that testers are not out to "break the code." We are not out to embarrass or complain, just to inform. We are human meters of product quality.

A strategy for software testing integrates software test case design techniques into a well - planned series of steps that result in the successful construction of software.

Common Characteristics of Software Testing Strategies
-Testing begins at module level and works outward towards the integration of the entire system.
-Different testing techniques are appropriate at different points in time.
-Testing is conducted by the developer of the software and for large projects by an independent test group.
-Testing and debugging are different activities, but debugging must be accommodated in any testing strategy.

1. Functional testing based on requirements with no knowledge of the internal program structure or data. Also known as closed-box testing.

2. Black box testing indicates whether or not a program meets required specifications by spotting faults of omission -- places where the specification is not fulfilled.

3. Black-box testing relies on the specification of the system or the component that is being tested to derive test cases. The system is a black-box whose behavior can only be determined by studying its inputs and the related outputs

4. Black box testing is functional testing, not based on any knowledge of internal software design or code. Black box testing are based on requirements and functionality.

Clear box testing is the same as white box testing. It is a testing approach that examines the application's program structure, and derives test cases from the application's program logic.
Another term for white-box testing. Structural testing is sometimes referred to as clear-box testing, since “white boxes” are considered opaque and do not really permit visibility into the code. This is also known as glass-box or open-box testing.

Open box testing is same as white box testing. It's a testing approach that examines the application's program structure, and derives test cases from the application's program logic.

Unit testing is the first level of dynamic testing and is first the responsibility of developers and then that of the test engineers. Unit testing is performed after the expected test results are met or differences are explainable/acceptable.

A test method satisfying coverage criteria that requires each decision point at each possible branch to be executed at least once.

Testing technique to satisfy coverage criteria which require that for each decision point, each possible branch [outcome] be executed at least once. Contrast with testing, path; testing, statement.

A dynamic analysis technique which inserts assertions about the relationship between program variables into the program code. The truth of the assertions is determined as the program executes.

Compatibility testing is testing how well software performs in a particular hardware, software, operating system, or network environment.