The realm of testing encompasses a wide variety of aspects and this is what makes it so fascinating. As soon as you develop a software application, it goes through several stages of testing, which are all integral to its success. Depending on the requirements, tests can be functional or non-functional. Testing can be performed in two ways, either manually by executing test cases as stated in the written test plan or automated by using frameworks such as Selenium WebDriver.

Even though agile software development increasingly demands test automation, manual testing cannot be avoided. A manual test refers to a process in which a Quality Assurance specialist manually tests a software application in order to detect bugs. Any test strategy should include manual testing since it helps QAs gain a deeper understanding of the end user's perspective.

The most important metric in manual testing is user experience, as it is carried out by a human instead of an automated test framework. Manual testing can be a good way to determine how well web elements render, whether an application is easily navigable, and other aesthetic aspects relevant to end users.

Here, we will outline and discuss the most commonly asked real-time interview questions on manual testing provided by practitioners in the field of Manual Testing. This article will also provide readers with a better understanding of why manual testing can never be completely avoided.

Real-Time Manual Testing Interview Questions

Q1. How should test cases be written?

Sol: Here are the best practices for writing test cases:

• Create test cases from the end user's perspective.
• Test steps should be written in a way that anyone can easily follow.
• Create reusable test cases.
• Set a priority for the task.
• Include a test case description, test data, expected result, preconditions, and postconditions.
• The invalid test cases should be written along with the valid test cases.
• Ensure proper naming conventions are followed.
• Regularly review and update the test cases.

Q2. When should manual testing be preferred over automation testing?

Sol: In many cases, manual testing is more suitable than automation testing, such as:

• Projects with a short deadline: Although automated tests are designed to save time and resources, they require effort and resources to design and maintain. In the case of a small promotional website, manual testing can be more efficient than automated testing.
• Exploratory Test: It is important for a tester to possess knowledge, analytical skills, logical skills, creativity, experience, and intuition for this type of testing. It is therefore important for exploratory testing to involve human involvement.
• Ad-hoc Testing: Ad-hoc testing does not follow a specific approach. An ad-hoc testing method is completely unplanned and relies completely on the knowledge and insight of the tester. Manual testing can be used to achieve this.
• Usability Testing: In usability testing, the tester determines whether a product or software is user-friendly, efficient, or convenient for end users. Since human observation is the most important factor, manual testing seems the most appropriate method.

Q3. Is there a way to test software if it is so buggy that it cannot be tried at all?

Sol: Many times, testers encounter a bug that cannot be fixed. The best course of action is for testers to report any bugs or blocking-type problems that appear at the beginning, concentrating on critical bugs. Managers should be informed and provided with proof of the problem, as this type of issue can result in serious issues such as inadequate integration testing or insufficient unit testing, improper build, poor design, release procedures, etc.

Q4. When the requirements have not been frozen, how should a product be tested?

Sol: For some products, a requirement stack may not be available. Identifying unexpected functionality in an application may take some effort, and it would indicate deeper issues. It is advisable to remove functionality if it is not necessary for the application's purpose. Alternatively, create a test plan based on the assumptions you have made about the product. It is important, however, that all assumptions in the test plan are well documented.

Q5. How do you handle the situation when an organization is growing too fast to allow for fixed testing processes? In such cases, what should be done?

Sol: This is an increasingly common problem in the software industry, especially with the introduction of new technologies in product development. A simple solution to this problem would be to:

• Invest in good and skilled employees.
• Maintain an intense focus on the customer while 'ruthlessly prioritizing' quality issues.
• There should be a clear understanding among all employees of what "quality" means to the end user.

Q6. How do you decide whether automated testing is better than manual testing?

Sol: In the following circumstances, automated testing is more appropriate than manual testing:

• Periodic testing is required.
• Standard runtime environments are required for testing.
• Tests involve repetitive steps.
• The testing phase must be completed within a shorter timeframe.
• In situations where a large amount of code needs to be tested repeatedly.
• All executions require reports.

Q7. Is automation testing capable of replacing manual testing?

Sol: Neither automation testing nor manual testing can replace the other. Even if automated tests are good, you can't automate everything. Software development relies heavily on manual tests, which are useful whenever automation is not possible. Each method of testing, whether automated or manual, has its own strengths and weaknesses. By conducting manual tests, we can gain a better understanding of the entire problem and be more flexible in exploring other angles of tests. Meanwhile, automated testing saves time in the long run by automating a large number of surface-level tests quickly.

Q8. In manual testing, what role does documentation play?

Sol: To achieve effective software testing, documentation is essential. Detailed information such as requirements specifications, designs, business rules, configurations, code changes, test plans, bug reports, test cases, user manuals, and more should all be documented. Having the test cases documented will enable you to estimate the amount of testing effort that will be needed, along with coverage and tracking requirements. The following artifacts make up software testing documentation:

• Test Plan
• Test Scenario
• Test Case
• Traceability Matrix

Q9. Describe the concept of test closure.

Sol: The Test Closure document summarizes all the tests that were performed during the software development life cycle, as well as gives a detailed analysis of the bugs that were fixed and errors that were discovered. Among the information included in this memo are the aggregate number of experiments, the total number of experiments executed, the number of imperfections settled, discovered, and rejected, as well as the number of bugs not settled.

Q10. What method will you use to determine when the testing should be stopped?

Sol: It can be challenging to determine when to stop testing. The complexity of many modern software applications and the interdependency of their environments make it impossible to test them thoroughly. Among the factors to consider when deciding to stop testing are:

• The deadlines (such as the release date, the testing deadline, etc.)
• Test cases passed with a certain percentage.
• The testing budget has run out.
• The code coverage or functionality coverage reaches a specified point.
• Bug rates drop below a certain threshold.
• Upon completion of Beta or Alpha testing.

Q11. Can you explain black box testing and the various approaches it uses?

Sol: Known also as specification-based testing, black-box testing analyzes software/application functionality without knowing much about its internal structure or design. It is designed to verify that the system works properly and meets the user's needs as a whole. There are various black-box testing techniques, including:

• Equivalence Partitioning
• Use Case Testing
• Decision Table-Based Technique
• Boundary Value Analysis
• Cause-effect Graphing

Q12. Can you explain what experience-based testing is?

Sol: As the name implies, experience-based testing is all about discovering, investigating, and learning from the experience. As a tester, you constantly study and analyze the product, and accordingly develop test strategies and test cases based on your experience, traits, and skills. Among the various techniques used for experience-based testing are:

• Exploratory Testing
• Error Guessing

Conclusion

Let's wrap it up, folks! Having covered the majority of the ‘Manual Testing Interview Questions, we have come to the end of this article. After you have read all these manual testing interview questions, you will have a clear idea of what most candidates will face during the interview. Therefore, we suggest you go through all those questions and try to answer them as much as you can.

Having prior knowledge of various manual testing or software testing concepts is highly recommended. Most of these manual testing interview questions focus on fundamental concepts, such as testing case development, black-box testing, and error guessing.