QA Fundamentals Junior interview questions and answers

75 questions for a QA Fundamentals (Junior) interview - with correct answers, explanations and links to the docs.

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  1. 1.What is the main purpose of software testing?
  2. 2.How do QA, QC and testing relate to each other?
  3. 3.What is the difference between an error, a defect and a failure?
  4. 4.Which statement matches the testing principle 'exhaustive testing is impossible'?
  5. 5.What does the principle 'defects cluster together' mean?
  6. 6.What is the 'pesticide paradox' in testing?
  7. 7.What does 'absence-of-errors fallacy' warn about?
  8. 8.Why is early testing ('shift left') valuable?
  9. 9.What is verification?
  10. 10.What is validation?
  11. 11.Which list shows the four classic test levels from smallest to largest?
  12. 12.What does a unit (component) test check?
  13. 13.What does integration testing focus on?
  14. 14.What is system testing?
  15. 15.What is user acceptance testing (UAT)?
  16. 16.What is the difference between alpha and beta testing?
  17. 17.What is functional testing?
  18. 18.Which of these is non-functional testing?
  19. 19.What is black-box testing?
  20. 20.What is white-box testing?
  21. 21.What is grey-box testing?
  22. 22.What is a test case?
  23. 23.How does a checklist differ from a detailed test case?
  24. 24.What is a test suite?
  25. 25.What is a test plan?
  26. 26.What are exit criteria?
  27. 27.What are entry criteria?
  28. 28.Which fields does a good bug report contain?
  29. 29.What makes a good bug report title?
  30. 30.What is the difference between severity and priority?
  31. 31.A crash happens in a feature used by one admin once a year. What is a fair assessment?
  32. 32.Which is a typical bug life cycle?
  33. 33.What is retesting (confirmation testing)?
  34. 34.What is regression testing?
  35. 35.What is smoke testing?
  36. 36.What is sanity testing usually understood as?
  37. 37.What is exploratory testing?
  38. 38.What is ad hoc testing?
  39. 39.What is a positive test?
  40. 40.Which is an example of a negative test for an age field (18 to 99)?
  41. 41.What is equivalence partitioning?
  42. 42.A field accepts 18 to 99. Which values does boundary value analysis focus on?
  43. 43.Why are boundary values a good place to look for bugs?
  44. 44.What is a test environment?
  45. 45.Why should test data be prepared deliberately?
  46. 46.What is static testing?
  47. 47.What is dynamic testing?
  48. 48.Why do testers review requirements?
  49. 49.What does a requirements traceability matrix show?
  50. 50.What does the test pyramid suggest?
  51. 51.Which tests are the best first candidates for automation?
  52. 52.What is a flaky test?
  53. 53.Which HTTP status code class means a client error?
  54. 54.An API returns 500 when you send an empty name. What does that suggest?
  55. 55.What can the browser DevTools Network tab help a tester find?
  56. 56.What is the client-server model?
  57. 57.Why do testers use tools like Postman?
  58. 58.What does usability testing evaluate?
  59. 59.What is compatibility testing?
  60. 60.What is localization testing?
  61. 61.Why is a 'works on my machine' reply not the end of a bug?
  62. 62.What should a tester do when a bug can't be reproduced reliably?
  63. 63.What is a test oracle?
  64. 64.What does the V-model show?
  65. 65.How is testing organized in Agile teams?
  66. 66.What are acceptance criteria in a user story?
  67. 67.What is the Definition of Done?
  68. 68.Which is an example of a security check a tester can do?
  69. 69.What is performance testing?
  70. 70.What is the difference between load and stress testing?
  71. 71.What should a tester check about cookies when testing login?
  72. 72.What is crowd testing or beta feedback useful for?
  73. 73.Why should a tester think about edge cases like empty lists or very long text?
  74. 74.What is the main value of a tester asking 'what could go wrong?' early?
  75. 75.Who is responsible for quality in a modern team?