Top 100 Manual Testing Interview Questions and Answers 2026

Why Manual Testing Skills Are Still Crucial in 2026

Despite the rapid growth of automation, manual testing is irreplaceable for exploratory testing, usability assessment, and ad-hoc scenarios. A strong grasp of manual testing principles demonstrates your analytical thinking and attention to detail—qualities every hiring manager seeks. Preparing for these software testing questions ensures you can validate functionality from a real user's perspective, a skill that forms the backbone of effective quality assurance.

Core Concepts & Fundamentals (Fresher to Intermediate)

These questions test your understanding of the basic building blocks of software testing.

1. Basic Terminology & SDLC

Q1: What is Software Testing?
A: Software testing is the process of evaluating and verifying that a software application or product meets the specified business requirements, is bug-free, and provides a good user experience. The primary objective is to identify defects and ensure quality.
Q2: Differentiate between Verification and Validation.
A: Verification is the process of checking if the product is being built correctly according to specifications (e.g., reviews, walkthroughs). Validation is the process of checking if the right product is being built, i.e., if it meets the user's actual needs (e.g., testing, demo). Simply put: "Verification: Are we building the product right? Validation: Are we building the right product?"
Q3: Explain the different levels of testing.
A:
- Unit Testing: Testing individual components or modules by developers.
- Integration Testing: Testing the interfaces and interaction between integrated units/modules.
- System Testing: Testing the complete, integrated system against the SRS (System Requirements Specification).
- Acceptance Testing: Conducted by end-users/customers to determine if the system is ready for release (UAT - User Acceptance Testing).

2. Testing Types & Techniques

Q4: What is the difference between Functional and Non-Functional Testing?
A: Functional testing validates *what* the system does (e.g., login, search, calculations). Non-functional testing evaluates *how well* the system performs (e.g., performance, security, usability, compatibility).
Q5: What is Exploratory Testing?
A: It is an unscripted, simultaneous approach where the tester learns, designs tests, and executes them in real-time. It relies heavily on the tester's creativity, intuition, and experience to uncover unexpected defects.
Q6: Explain Smoke Testing and Sanity Testing.
A: Smoke Testing is a shallow, broad test of the major functionalities to ensure the build is stable enough for further testing. Sanity Testing is a narrow, deep test on a specific feature or bug fix after a new build to ensure the reported defects are fixed and no new issues are introduced in that area.

Pro Tip: When asked to define a testing type, always follow up with a real-world example. For instance, for "Regression Testing," you could say, "After fixing the login button color, I would re-test the login functionality and also check related features like password reset and logout to ensure nothing else broke."

Intermediate to Advanced Scenario-Based Questions

These questions assess your practical application of knowledge and problem-solving skills.

3. Bug Lifecycle & Reporting

Q7: Walk me through the complete Bug Life Cycle.
A: The typical stages are: New -> Assigned -> Open (Developer starts fixing) -> Fixed -> Retest (Tester verifies the fix) -> Verified -> Closed. A bug can also be Reopened if the fix fails or Deferred/Rejected based on priority.
Q8: What are the key components of a good bug report?
A: A clear, concise bug report should include:
1. Unique Bug ID and Title
2. Detailed Description and Steps to Reproduce
3. Expected vs. Actual Result
4. Environment Details (OS, Browser, Version)
5. Severity (Impact on the system) and Priority (Urgency of fix)
6. Attachments (Screenshots, Videos, Logs)
Q9: How do you determine Severity vs. Priority? Give an example.
A: Severity is the technical impact of the bug on the application's functionality (e.g., Crash, Major, Minor, Cosmetic). Priority is the business urgency to fix it.
Example: A misspelled company logo on the homepage (High Priority for business reputation, Low Severity functionally). An application crash in a rarely used report (High Severity, but potentially Low Priority if it affects few users).

4. Test Case Design & Documentation

Q10: What is a Test Case? What are its key fields?
A: A test case is a set of conditions or variables under which a tester determines whether an application is working correctly. Key fields include: Test Case ID, Description, Preconditions, Test Steps, Test Data, Expected Result, Actual Result, Status (Pass/Fail/Blocked).
Q11: Explain Boundary Value Analysis (BVA) with an example.
A: BVA is a black-box testing technique where test cases are designed based on boundary values. For an input field accepting values from 1 to 100, test cases would be: 0, 1, 2, 99, 100, 101. The idea is that errors often occur at the boundaries of input domains.
Q12: Scenario: You have to test a login page. What are the key test cases you would write?
A:
1. Valid username and valid password.
2. Valid username, invalid password.
3. Invalid username, valid password.
4. Both fields empty and click 'Login'.
5. Check for SQL injection attempts (e.g., entering ' OR '1'='1).
6. Password field masking.
7. "Remember Me" functionality.
8. Forgot Password link navigation.
9. Performance with very long username/password.
10. UI alignment and responsiveness.

Building a strong foundation in these areas is critical. If you're looking to systematically master these concepts and more, consider our structured Manual Testing Fundamentals course, which covers everything from SDLC to defect reporting with hands-on projects.

Advanced & Leadership-Oriented Questions

For senior QA roles, expect questions on strategy, process, and mentorship.

5. Test Planning & Strategy

Q13: What is a Test Plan? What does it include?
A: A Test Plan is a comprehensive document outlining the strategy, objectives, resources, schedule, and deliverables for testing a project. It includes Test Objectives, Scope (In & Out), Test Approach, Entry/Exit Criteria, Resource Planning, Risk Analysis, and Deliverables.
Q14: How do you decide what to test when time is limited?
A: I prioritize based on:
- Risk: Focus on core features and areas with frequent changes.
- Impact: Features with the highest user traffic and business criticality.
- Past Defect Data: Modules that have been historically bug-prone.
- Employ techniques like Risk-Based Testing (RBT) and focus on Smoke and Sanity suites first.
Q15: Explain the difference between Retesting and Regression Testing.
A: Retesting is executing a test case that previously failed to verify if the defect is fixed. It is planned for specific defects. Regression Testing is re-executing a set of test cases (both passed and failed) to ensure that new code changes haven't adversely affected the existing functionality. It is much broader in scope.

6. Agile & DevOps Context

Q16: What is the role of a QA in an Agile/Scrum team?
A: QA is an integrated team member from the start of the sprint. Responsibilities include: participating in sprint planning and story grooming, writing test cases early (Shift-Left), performing continuous testing during the sprint, collaborating closely with developers, automating repetitive tests, and providing fast feedback on the build quality.
Q17: How do you handle testing in continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD)?
A: In CI/CD, testing must be fast and automated. The strategy involves:
1. A robust suite of unit and integration tests run by developers.
2. A set of automated smoke/regression tests triggered on every build.
3. Manual testing focused on exploratory, usability, and ad-hoc scenarios.
4. Performance and security tests integrated into the pipeline at defined stages.
5. Clear pass/fail gates (quality gates) to promote builds to the next environment.

Career Path Insight: The modern QA professional is expected to bridge manual and automation skills. To become a versatile and high-demand tester, explore our comprehensive Manual and Full-Stack Automation Testing program, which equips you with end-to-end testing expertise.

Behavioral & Situational Questions

These questions evaluate your soft skills and professional judgment.

Q18: Describe a time you found a critical bug close to release. What did you do?
A: (Use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result). Example: "In my previous project, during final regression, I discovered a data corruption issue in the export feature. I immediately documented the bug with clear steps and evidence, highlighted its severity and business impact, and escalated it to the QA lead and product owner. We had a triage meeting, decided the bug was a release-blocker, and the developer fixed it. I retested the fix and a focused regression suite around the module. The release was delayed by a day, but we prevented a major customer-facing issue."
Q19: How do you handle a situation where a developer disagrees with your bug, calling it 'by design'?
A: I would first ensure my bug report clearly states the expected behavior as per the requirement document or user story. I would then have a calm, fact-based discussion with the developer, referring to the documented requirements. If ambiguity persists, I would escalate the question to the Business Analyst or Product Owner for clarification. The goal is not to 'win' but to ensure the final product aligns with business needs.
Q20: What do you do when you have ambiguous or incomplete requirements?
A: I proactively seek clarification. I would schedule a meeting with the Business Analyst, Product Owner, and developer to walk through the ambiguous areas and document the agreed-upon behavior. I might also create mockups or suggest multiple scenarios to help define the requirement. I would never make assumptions, as they lead to gaps in testing.

FAQs: Common Queries from Aspiring Testers

Is manual testing still a good career in 2026 with all the focus on automation?

Absolutely. Automation handles repetitive tasks, but human intuition, exploratory skills, and user experience evaluation are irreplaceable. Most teams seek a blend of skills, and strong manual testing fundamentals are the prerequisite for effective automation.

What's the most common mistake freshers make in manual testing interviews?

Giving vague, theoretical answers without examples. Interviewers want to see your thought process. Always contextualize your answer. For example, don't just define "Regression Testing"; describe how you would perform it for a specific feature change.

How many manual testing interview questions should I prepare for?

Quality over quantity. Understand the concepts behind the top 50-100 questions thoroughly. Focus on being able to explain, differentiate, and apply concepts to real scenarios rather than rote memorization.

Are there specific QA interview questions for non-functional testing roles?

Yes. For performance testing roles, expect questions on load/stress testing tools (like JMeter), metrics (response time, throughput), and analysis. For security testing, prepare for questions on OWASP Top 10, SQL injection, XSS, and basic penetration testing concepts.

How important is domain knowledge (e.g., Banking, Healthcare) for a testing interview?

For senior or specialized roles, it's very important as it helps you understand business logic and compliance requirements. For entry-level roles, your testing methodology and aptitude are more critical, but showing an interest in learning the domain is a plus.

What are some good resources to practice scenario-based software testing questions?

Beyond this list, practice by testing real-world applications (websites, mobile apps). Think of test cases for features like Amazon's checkout, Gmail's compose, or a banking app's fund transfer. Online QA communities like Ministry of Testing are also excellent.

Should I learn a test management tool before an interview

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