Q1
Walk me through how you would design a comprehensive test strategy for a REST API that handles user authentication and payment processing. What tools and frameworks would you use, and how would you prioritize your test cases?
Why they ask this:* Assesses your ability to architect testing solutions, understand risk-based testing priorities, and select appropriate tools for complex domains. This reveals depth of QA methodology knowledge.
Q2
Explain the difference between unit, integration, and end-to-end testing. How do you decide which tests to automate versus keep manual, and what metrics do you use to measure test effectiveness?
Why they ask this:* Evaluates your understanding of the testing pyramid, ROI thinking around automation, and ability to balance testing approaches—critical for mid-level engineers optimizing test suites.
Q3
Describe your experience with CI/CD pipelines. How have you integrated automated tests into a pipeline, and how did you handle flaky tests that were causing false failures?
Why they ask this:* Tests practical experience with modern DevOps practices and your ability to maintain reliable automated test infrastructure—a key expectation at the mid-level.
Q4
Walk through your approach to testing a mobile application with geolocation features. What edge cases would you consider, and what testing challenges specific to mobile would you address?