Manual Testing Interview Questions and Answers

Prepare confidently for your Manual Testing interviews with these top questions and answers for freshers and experienced candidates. This guide covers core manual testing concepts, test case design, defect lifecycle, SDLC/STLC, and real-time scenarios to crack your next QA interview.

Manual Testing Interview Questions and Answers

Crack your next QA interview with these 100 Manual Testing Interview Questions and Answers. Perfect for freshers and experienced candidates, covering core manual testing concepts, test case design, defect lifecycle, and real-time testing scenarios.

1. What is manual testing?
It is the process of manually executing test cases without using automation tools to find defects in the software.

2. What are the advantages of manual testing?
Manual testing allows for human observation and flexibility in exploratory testing and usability testing.

3. What is the difference between verification and validation?
Verification ensures the product is being built correctly, while validation ensures the correct product is being built.

4. What is SDLC?
The Software Development Life Cycle is a framework defining tasks performed at each stage of software development.

5. What is STLC?
The Software Testing Life Cycle defines the testing phases to ensure software quality.

6. What is a test case?
A test case is a set of conditions used to determine if a feature is working as intended.

7. What is a test plan?
A document outlining the testing approach, scope, resources, schedule, and activities for a project.

8. What is defect life cycle?
The stages a defect goes through, including identification, assignment, fixing, retesting, and closure.

9. What is black-box testing?
Testing without looking into the internal code, focusing on inputs and outputs.

10. What is white-box testing?
Testing that involves looking into the code and the structure of the application.

11. What is exploratory testing?
Simultaneous learning, test design, and execution to find defects quickly.

12. What is regression testing?
Re-testing unchanged parts of the application to ensure new changes haven’t broken existing functionality.

13. What is UAT?
User Acceptance Testing, performed by the end-user to validate the application meets requirements.

14. What is smoke testing?
A basic test to ensure the major functionalities of the application work after a build.

15. What is sanity testing?
A quick check to ensure specific functionalities work after changes.

16. What is functional testing?
Testing the functional aspects of an application based on requirements.

17. What is non-functional testing?
Testing non-functional aspects like performance, usability, reliability, etc.

18. What is severity and priority in testing?
Severity is the impact of the defect on the system; priority is the urgency to fix it.

19. What is compatibility testing?
Testing the application on different devices, operating systems, and browsers.

20. What is ad-hoc testing?
Unplanned testing to find defects randomly without test cases.

21. What is the difference between test case and test scenario?
A test scenario is a high-level idea of what to test; a test case has detailed steps for execution.

22. What is boundary value analysis?
A testing technique where test cases are designed using the boundary values of input domains.

23. What is equivalence partitioning?
A testing technique that divides input data into valid and invalid partitions for effective testing.

24. What is usability testing?
Testing how user-friendly, efficient, and intuitive the application is for end users.

25. What is test environment?
The setup of hardware and software where testing is performed.

26. What is defect leakage?
A defect that was missed during testing and found by the end-user.

27. What is alpha testing?
Testing done by the development team internally before releasing to testers or users.

28. What is beta testing?
Testing performed by real users in a real environment before the final release.

29. What is traceability matrix?
A document mapping requirements to test cases to ensure complete coverage.

30. Why choose a career in manual testing?
Manual testing helps build a strong foundation in testing principles and understanding applications deeply, which is essential for QA careers.

31. What is test execution?
Running test cases and comparing actual results with expected results.

32. What is defect density?
The number of defects identified in a software component relative to its size.

33. What is recovery testing?
Testing how well an application recovers from crashes and failures.

34. What is load testing?
Testing how a system behaves under expected user loads.

35. What is stress testing?
Testing how a system behaves under extreme conditions.

36. What is performance testing?
Testing to determine the speed, scalability, and stability of an application under load.

37. What is installation testing?
Testing the installation and uninstallation processes of software.

38. What is maintenance testing?
Testing performed on modifications to ensure they do not introduce new defects.

39. What is configuration testing?
Testing an application with different software and hardware configurations.

40. What is compliance testing?
Testing to ensure software complies with standards and regulations.

41. What is test summary report?
A document summarizing testing activities and results.

42. What is defect retesting?
Re-testing a defect once it has been fixed to confirm it is resolved.

43. What is the difference between error, defect, and failure?
Error: a mistake by a developer; Defect: an issue in the software; Failure: when the system does not perform as expected.

44. What is a walk-through in testing?
A review process where documents are presented to stakeholders for feedback.

45. What is a review in software testing?
A systematic examination of documents and code to find errors.

46. What is test estimation?
Estimating the effort and resources required for testing activities.

47. What is end-to-end testing?
Testing the complete flow of an application from start to finish.

48. What is interface testing?
Testing interactions between different modules or systems.

49. What is database testing?
Testing the integrity, consistency, and accuracy of data in a database.

50. What is a defect report?
A document that includes information about a defect, its severity, and status.

51. What is a bug report?
A detailed document describing a defect found during testing.

52. What is test data?
Data created or selected to test the software.

53. What is the difference between static and dynamic testing?
Static testing is performed without executing code, while dynamic testing involves execution.

54. What is exploratory testing?
A testing approach involving simultaneous learning, test design, and test execution.

55. What is usability testing?
Testing to ensure the software is user-friendly and easy to use.

56. What is system testing?
Testing the complete system as a whole to verify that it meets requirements.

57. What is integration testing?
Testing combined parts of an application to ensure they work together.

58. What is unit testing?
Testing individual components or modules of a system.

59. What is acceptance testing?
Testing performed to determine if the system meets user needs.

60. What is smoke testing?
A quick test to ensure that the major functions of a software application are working.

61. What is sanity testing?
A quick round of testing to verify that a specific function works after changes.

62. What is ad-hoc testing?
Unstructured testing to find defects randomly without test cases.

63. What is regression testing?
Testing to ensure new code changes have not affected existing functionalities.

64. What is re-testing?
Testing the functionality that was not working earlier to check if the defects are fixed.

65. What is defect severity?
It defines the impact of a defect on the application.

66. What is defect priority?
It defines the urgency to fix the defect.

67. What is test coverage?
A measure of the amount of testing performed by a set of tests.

68. What is a test scenario?
A high-level description of what to test.

69. What is an entry criterion in testing?
Conditions that must be met before testing can begin.

70. What is an exit criterion in testing?
Conditions that must be met to conclude testing.

71. What is an inspection in testing?
A formal review process to find defects in documents.

72. What is a walk-through?
A review process in which the author presents the document to a group for feedback.

73. What is test management?
The process of managing testing activities to ensure quality and timelines.

74. What is a test strategy?
A high-level document that defines the approach to testing.

75. What is a test suite?
A collection of test cases.

76. What is a test script?
A set of instructions to be executed during testing.

77. What is exploratory testing?
Simultaneous learning, test design, and execution.

78. What is localization testing?
Testing to ensure the software is adapted for a specific region or language.

79. What is globalization testing?
Testing to ensure the software works across different cultures and regions.

80. What is compatibility testing?
Testing to ensure the software works on different devices and environments.

81. What is reliability testing?
Testing to check the reliability and stability of the system under different conditions.

82. What is maintainability testing?
Testing to check how easy it is to maintain the system.

83. What is portability testing?
Testing to ensure the software can be moved to different environments easily.

84. What is installation testing?
Testing the installation and uninstallation process of the software.

85. What is recovery testing?
Testing how well the system recovers from crashes and failures.

86. What is volume testing?
Testing the system with a large volume of data.

87. What is load testing?
Testing the system under expected user loads.

88. What is stress testing?
Testing under extreme conditions to check stability.

89. What is scalability testing?
Testing to check how well the system scales with increasing load.

90. What is security testing?
Testing to identify vulnerabilities and security weaknesses.

91. What is performance testing?
Testing to check speed, responsiveness, and stability.

92. What is agile testing?
Testing practices aligned with agile methodologies.

93. What is the role of a QA in agile?
Participating in sprint planning, writing test cases, executing tests, and ensuring quality.

94. What is continuous testing?
Testing integrated with the CI/CD pipeline for quick feedback.

95. What is defect triage?
Prioritizing defects based on severity and priority.

96. What is a use case?
A document describing the interactions between a user and the system.

97. What is test optimization?
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of testing.

98. What is risk-based testing?
Prioritizing testing based on the risk of failure.

99. What is pair testing?
Two people testing the application together to find defects.

100. What is a test closure report?
A document prepared at the end of testing summarizing testing activities and results.

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