What Questions Are Asked in a QA Interview?
From “Can you describe how you encountered and solved a difficult testing issue?” to “How do you ensure that your testing is thorough?”, here are nine answers to the question, “What are some important questions asked in a QA interview?”
- Describe How You Encountered and Solved a Difficult Testing Issue
- What is the Difference Between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?
- How Do You Speed Up Regression Testing?
- What is Your Thought Process When Troubleshooting a Problem?
- What is the Most Important Step in the QA Testing Cycle?
- Have You Ever Identified a Critical Issue?
- What is Your Experience With Automated Testing?
- What is Your Approach to Testing?
- How Do You Ensure That Your Testing is Thorough?
Describe How You Encountered and Solved a Difficult Testing Issue
While the applicant briefly explains the problem and solution to this question, it will help the interviewer assess the prospect’s communication skills.
Furthermore, the interviewer hopes to learn more about the candidate’s approach to solving problems, their capacity to resolve complex issue analysis, and their expertise in creating successful testing procedures.
In general, this questioning aims to help the interviewer in assessing the applicant’s practical expertise and problem-solving abilities, which are essential for a QA professional to find and report errors, cooperate with programmers and other team members, and guarantee the quality of the software developed.
Peter Bryla, Community Manager, ResumeLab
What is the Difference Between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?
As an employer, when I conduct a Quality Assurance (QA) interview, one question I like to ask is “What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?” Knowing the distinction between these two distinct but equally important aspects of quality management will help me understand an applicant’s aptitude in this field.
Additionally, this question also helps me determine how much a potential hire values quality and how effectively they can work in a team to ensure that our products meet the highest standards. This question allows me to distinguish between candidates who have a good understanding of QA and those who do not.
Lorien Strydom, Executive Country Manager, Financer.com
How Do You Speed Up Regression Testing?
Regression testing is so important, but it takes so long. This is the paradox at the heart of many important things in business. Important things take time. I like to ask QA interviewees about how they best speed up their regression testing process.
Some go for automation, others have a delegation process, still, others recognize where patterns are in the application, and how they can de-duplicate some of their regression work.
Trevor Ewen, COO, QBench
What is Your Thought Process When Troubleshooting a Problem?
During a QA interview, an important question that we often ask is, “Can you walk me through your thought process when troubleshooting a problem?” This question assesses the candidate’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as their ability to communicate their thought process effectively.
The answer to this question can provide valuable insight into the candidate’s technical expertise and ability to handle complex issues. It can also help to evaluate their attention to detail, their ability to remain calm under pressure, and their willingness to work collaboratively with other team members.
In addition, it allows us to see how the candidate approaches problem-solving and to evaluate whether their approach is in line with the company’s culture and values.
Luciano Colos, Founder and CEO, PitchGrade
What is the Most Important Step in the QA Testing Cycle?
As a recruiter, I’ve prepared many quality assurance specialists for interviews. One question I always ask candidates is: “What’s the most important step in the QA testing cycle?”
They’re usually relieved to discover that this question doesn’t have one right answer! Companies are looking to see familiarity with the basic stages involved in quality assurance testing, of course, but beyond that, they want to know that applicants truly understand the value of the process.
Looking at the testing cycle as a checklist to get through is a red flag that underestimates the care required for the position.
So whichever step a candidate chooses as most important, the crucial thing is to be prepared to defend the answer.
Linn Atiyeh, CEO, Bemana
Have You Ever Identified a Critical Issue?
As a QA, your job is preventive by nature, so employers need to know what practical auditing and testing experience you have.
Asking you about your experience identifying critical issues is an invitation to share how you’ve applied your analytical skills and your previous industry knowledge. Therefore, employers will be interested in your understanding of regulatory requirements and the reasoning behind your actions. Mention any industry-standard tools or procedures you used to demonstrate your technical knowledge.
Using the STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is an effective strategy for developing this information into an impressive and memorable interview answer. If possible, include hard numbers in your answer to show the value you offer the employer. For example, by identifying a bug in a mobile app, you “helped improve user experience and achieve a $500,000 revenue increase.”
Samuel Johns, CPRW and Career Counselor, Resume Genius
What is Your Experience With Automated Testing?
If you want to stand out in a Quality Assurance (QA) interview, you need to be prepared for the kinds of questions you’ll be asked. One question that is often asked in QA interviews is “What is your experience with automated testing?”
This question tests a candidate’s technical skills and experience with automated testing tools and frameworks. The interviewer wants to know if the candidate has experience with automated testing, how they approach it, and what tools and frameworks they have used.
A strong answer will demonstrate the candidate’s technical skills and experience with automated testing, as well as their ability to work collaboratively with the development team.
Himanshu Sharma, CEO and Founder, Academy of Digital Marketing
What is Your Approach to Testing?
I have been in the software industry for 4+ years. This question is critical because it helps the employer understand the thought process of the candidate and their overall approach to testing.
The candidate should be able to articulate their approach and strategies for testing, including how they would handle risk analysis, define test scenarios, develop test cases, and execute them. The answer should also demonstrate the candidate’s understanding of the SDLC and the importance of collaborating with development teams to ensure quality outcomes.
Employers look for candidates who can think critically and provide a structured approach to testing while also being flexible and adaptable to changing requirements.
Jefferson McCall, Co-founder and HR Head, TechBullish
How Do You Ensure That Your Testing is Thorough?
This question helps interviewers assess a candidate’s attention to detail and their ability to think critically about testing. Candidates should be able to explain how they would ensure that their testing covers all the functionality of the software, as well as any edge cases or scenarios that may not be immediately obvious.
They should also be able to describe how they would design their tests to minimize the risk of false positives or false negatives.
Hamza Usmani, Head of Content, Believe Money
