QA Interview Questions and Sample Answers

When looking for an employee, business owners usually go through numerous CVs and interviews before they spot a suitable candidate. However, it still happens that a seemingly skilled employee doesn’t fit your company values and can’t work in the team. That’s when QA engineer interview questions step into the game. There are different types of these questions, depending on the expected outcome, but based on our experience, Qubit Labs has decided to divide them into four major areas, including:

• hard skills;
• soft skills;
• logical;
• behavioral.

You need someone to analyze quality, prepare and set standards, prevent mistakes, and improve the project. The person has to be able to say when something’s wrong even when others can’t see that. An experienced QA understands the product logic and knows all the nitty-gritty of the project, like requirements and current status.  

A typical working day of a QA engineer includes:

• testing, creating test cases, and bugs documentation;
• checking the bug-tracking systems on fixed bugs;
• meetings;
• going through the requirements and clarifying them with the clients;
• communication with the developers;
• designing test documentation.

The issue is the following: what QA interview questions will help identify a perfect candidate right away and help to understand that he/she fits the company? This article is your cheat sheet on asking the right QA test interview questions and hiring the right people.

Questions to Check Hard skills

Please explain what a software life cycle is.

Why ask this question?

A QA specialist has to understand that when developing products, there have to be certain deadlines to make it easier to spread the load for the team and let the client know when the work will be finished. By asking such interview questions for QA engineers, you will see the candidate’s readiness to meet the deadlines and the overall understanding of the development cycle. 

Besides, the interviewee can also explain the related concepts, like methodologies, and it will be a huge advantage both for him/her and you as an employer because the candidate has a significant level of knowledge.  

Example: a software life cycle is a time period starting from the moment when the concept of software appears and finishing right when using the software is no longer possible. It includes several stages, like a concept, requirements clarification, design, launch, testing, installation, and maintenance. Also, various methodologies are applied for software development, such as the Waterfall model, V-model, Agile model, and Scrum model.

Please describe the verification process and explain it.

Why ask this question?

Similar QA testing interview questions and answers help to see whether the candidate understands the real meaning hidden behind the mentioned wording. One should identify whether the product is being built correctly. The verification process ensures that each stage of the software life cycle follows the predefined requirements and specifications and doesn’t deviate from them.  

Example: the verification process helps to ensure that all the product functions perform smoothly and are logically correct. The verification structure includes several components, like reconciliation of validated requirements, technical documentation, and correct implementation of the program code at any software development and testing stage.  

What is functional testing and what types do you know?

Why ask this question?

This is one of the most common QA technical interview questions. Functional testing is one of the types of testing, which is aimed at checking whether the functional requirements of the software correspond with its actual characteristics. Suppose the candidate understands the goal of functional testing. In that case, one will be able to define if the software has the ability to solve the tasks set by users in certain circumstances. 

Example: usually, functional testing includes black box testing and isn’t applied to the initial code of the product. Its goal is to check each function of the software product, ensuring the relevant input and assessing the output per the functional requirements. This activity focuses on four essential elements: core functions, basic usability, accessibility, and error conditions.

Also, there are some other additional QA testing interview questions you can consider asking:

• What is non-functional testing?
• Explain the bug priority.
• Explain the code coverage.
• What is the validation process?
• What is a test case?
• Explain the testing matrix.
• What is risk analysis in resting?
• Walk us through the process of writing a bug report.
• Walk us through the testing process.
• What is performance testing?

In case you are looking for senior-level developers, you might look for other QA interview questions and answers for experienced professionals. Their areas of expertise are more advanced, and they can deal with more complex issues. 

Questions to Check Soft skills

Have you ever resolved software production issues before?

Why ask this question?

This is one of the interview questions for QA tester that offers more insight into the candidate’s attitude towards handling tasks. It helps to evaluate the level of responsibility and the potential problem-solving skills that might arise. In case the candidate has never been in such a situation, he/she will tell you about the possible ways of dealing with the mentioned issue, and you can evaluate one’s readiness to handle unexpected problems. 

Example: the candidate shows an in-depth understanding of the issues that might arise and offers several ways of dealing with them. He/she considers several points of view and demonstrates the ability to foresee the possible issues, and discusses how to prevent them from happening in the first place. 

Why did you choose quality assurance and this company above others?

Why ask this question?

Such QA analyst interview questions are great for ensuring whether the candidate is truly passionate about working in the area of quality assurance and what values matter for him/her. You will clearly see what the person can bring to your company and how you can benefit from his/her knowledge, expertise, and desire to work. Besides, if the candidate shows a genuine interest in the position, you can be confident he/she will be careful and thorough while handling the tasks and be engaged in their work. 

Example: the candidate shares what values matter to him/her, and you can see whether the person has an in-depth understanding of your company’s goals and objectives. He/she tells how the aspects of quality assurance can improve the product and make it more useful for the end-user.

What do you think about dealing with project management or production-related issues?

Why ask this question?

The project includes several elements, it’s like a puzzle with different pieces, and quality assurance is one of them. If changes have to be implemented in the process, coordination between the employees is required. It allows for better and more effective product development and prevents multiple issues from happening.

Example: this is one of those QA automation engineer interview questions when the candidate tells whether it’s more comfortable for him/her to work alone or in the team. And if a person prefers the second option, then you ask whether he/she can collaborate with the colleagues from time to time to ensure they are on the same page. Also, the candidate will prove one’s ability to see a larger picture, and you can check if he/she understands where their work fits in.  

Other QA testing interview questions to check the soft skills are the following:

• Describe what you would do if other team members preferred the approach that is contrasting to the one you’ve selected and don’t want to change their opinions?
• How do you feel about delegating the tasks between employees?
• Tell us about a time when you had to prioritize specific tasks over others? Describe your tactics.
• Share the experience of the situation when you had to learn quickly.
• Describe your short and long-term career goals.

Logical QA test interview questions

QA specialist interview questions can be in different forms, like solving brainteasers or various riddles. They help you, as an interviewer, to assess the candidates’ critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills. Logical QA interview questions as riddles imply that a candidate has to give a specific answer by utilizing one’s creativity and unique problem-solving approaches. 

Also, there are numeracy problems that are considered QA engineer interview questions as well. They require mathematical computations, and you can see how fast the candidate can come up with a correct solution.

Finding amounts are similar to the previous numeracy QA analyst interview questions because they involve mathematical and critical thinking skills. You will see how the interviewee approaches unfamiliar situations and solves problems.

Typical logic-oriented QA tester interview questions also include the following:

• utility hole covers;
• ping pong balls on a plane;
• stacking pennies; 
• filling the jugs;
• rolling the dice.

Behavioral QA analyst interview questions

Describe your experience of working with the team in the situation when you faced a tight deadline. How did you handle it and what were the outcomes?

Why ask this question?

Several activities often overlap, creating additional load on the teams, which results in right up close product delivery and lower quality. Your QA engineer has to understand how to emphasize efficiency and guarantee timely results without jeopardizing the quality of the work.

Example: the candidate describes how he/she prioritizes the tasks and what criteria help in deciding what activities have to be handled first. He/she discusses how to build trusting relationships within the team and bring about open communication. Also, the candidate should show his/her ability to evaluate productivity accurately and analyze the results.  

Share an example of a time when you implemented changes that increased organizational efficiency and performance.

Why ask this question?

This is one of those QA interview questions that demonstrate whether the candidate has the right mindset for performing the task their role implies in your company. It provides several clues on their personality and shows how proactive they are.

Example: the candidate tells you about the successes and failures and how he/she learned from them. The person explains how and why he/she decided that a specific procedural change will positively affect the output quality.

Other behavioral interview questions for QA analyst to consider:

• Tell us about the best time you’ve collaborated with someone and what the results were.
• Describe a time when you made a mistake and corrected it.
• Share with us the experience of working under pressure.
• Tell us about the biggest professional goal you achieved and how you managed to reach it.

To Wrap Up

Here we go, the most popular and effective QA interview questions and answers that will help you spot the right candidate within a couple of minutes. However, if you don’t want to bother with the interviews and analyze the candidates’ answers, you can entrust this to Qubit Labs. We will handle all the recruitment and management-related processes, and you will work with a team of vetted employees without additional headaches. 

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