SDET (Selenium / Java / Cucumber / API) Interview Preparation Course Day2

SDET (Selenium / Java / Cucumber / API) Interview Preparation Course

(A practical, interview-focused SDET preparation course covering Java, Selenium, Cucumber, API Testing & System Design. Designed to help you confidently clear top-tier automation testing interviews.)

 

This comprehensive SDET Interview Preparation Course is designed to help you master every key skill required to crack Automation Testing and SDET interviews with confidence. The program covers Java programming, Data Structures, Selenium automation frameworks, API testing using RestAssured, and essential system design concepts—mapped exactly to the weightage and patterns asked in real interviews.

Through structured modules, practical coding challenges, scenario-based questions, and framework-level discussions, you will learn how to answer both technical and behavioral questions effectively. Whether you are a beginner transitioning into automation or an experienced tester preparing for product-based company interviews, this course gives you the clarity, depth, and hands-on practice needed to succeed.

 

About the Instructor:

Ali, our lead trainer for the SDET (Selenium / Java / Cucumber / API) Interview Preparation Program, is a highly accomplished QA & Automation Specialist with 16+ years of deep industry experience across automation engineering, API testing, framework design, DevOps workflows, and enterprise-level test architecture. With strong hands-on expertise in Selenium Java, Cucumber BDD, RestAssured, Hybrid/POM frameworks, SQL, Jenkins, Git, CI/CD, and Agile delivery, Ali has built scalable automation solutions for global clients across e-commerce, telecom, insurance, and logistics domains. Throughout his career, Ali has worked with leading organizations including Medallia, Concentrix Catalyst (ProKarma), Oman Insurance – Dubai, OTIS ISRC, and GlobalStep, along with on-site experience in the UAE and USA. He has designed and maintained end-to-end automation frameworks using TestNG, Maven, Selenium Grid, Docker Zalenium, Apache POI, Log4j, and advanced reporting tools like Extent Reports, while also contributing to major API and database testing initiatives. Over the years, Ali has successfully trained 20+ batches and 300+ learners, helping manual testers, freshers, QA engineers, and automation developers transition into high-demand SDET and Automation roles. Ali is also an experienced technical interviewer and has evaluated numerous SDET candidates—giving him precise insight into how companies assess automation engineers. His training style is practical, structured, and interview-oriented, focusing on Java coding & DSA, Selenium framework building, API automation strategies, debugging skills, system design thinking, and real-world automation scenarios. With his strong mentorship approach and deep industry expertise, Ali empowers every learner with the skills, clarity, and confidence needed to crack SDET interviews and excel in modern automation engineering roles.

Sample Videos:

“SDET (Selenium / Java / Cucumber / API) Interview Preparation Course”-Demo Video

“SDET (Selenium / Java / Cucumber / API) Interview Preparation Course”-Day1 Video

 

Live Sessions  Price:

For LIVE sessions – Offer price after discount is 300 USD 259 USD 89 USD Or 13000 INR 12900 INR 6900 Rupees

Enroll For Free Demo

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Free Day2 On:

Indian Timings: 11th December @ 9 PM – 10 PM (IST)/

U.S Timings: 11th December @ 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (EST)/

U.K Timings: 11th December@ 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (BST)

 

Class Schedule:

For Participants in India: Monday to Friday @ 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM (IST)

For Participants in the US: Monday to Friday @ 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (EST)

For Participants in the UK: Monday to Friday @ 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (BST)

 

What students have to say about Ali:

👨 Rohan Kulkarni: Ali’s SDET training sessions were outstanding! He explained Java concepts, Selenium automation, and API testing with so much clarity that even complex topics felt easy. His real-time scenarios—especially around framework design and debugging—helped me understand how things work in real projects. Truly a top-class automation trainer! 👩 Sneha Patankar: I really appreciate Ali’s way of teaching. He simplifies tough subjects like RestAssured API automation, Hybrid frameworks, and Cucumber BDD in a step-by-step manner. His practical assignments boosted my confidence, and I now feel ready to face SDET interviews. A fantastic mentor for anyone moving into automation! 👨 Abdul Rahman: Ali brings immense industry experience into his sessions. His explanations on Selenium waits, cross-browser testing, Git branching, and CI/CD integration were extremely practical. What I liked most is how he always shared interview tips during every module. One of the best trainers I’ve learned from! 👩 Harshita: Ali’s training approach is very structured and easy to follow. The way he teaches Java DSA, test frameworks, and API validations helped me understand the complete SDET workflow. His guidance during mock interviews was extremely valuable. Highly recommended for anyone aiming for automation roles! 👨 Vishal Kumar: Ali is an exceptional SDET trainer! His hands-on examples on POM design, TestNG framework, and automation best practices gave me great clarity. He always makes sure every student understands the concept before moving ahead. Thanks to his training, I’m much more confident in my Selenium and API skills.

 

Salient Features:

• 40 Hours of Live Training along with recorded videos
• Lifetime access to the recorded videos
• Course Completion Certificate

 

Who can enroll for this course?

• Any Testers (Manual or Automation) who want to transition into high-demand SDET roles.
• QA Engineers & Software Testers looking to strengthen Java, Selenium, API, and framework-building skills.
• Freshers & Entry-Level Graduates aiming to start their career in Automation Testing or SDET.
• Automation Engineers / SDETs who want to improve their interview preparation, DSA, and system design skills.
• Developers or Programmers who want to explore test automation and enhance their testing expertise.
• Test Leads & Senior QA Professionals planning to upgrade to full-stack automation roles.
• Anyone preparing for Product-Based or Service-Based Company SDET Interviews.

 

What will I learn by the end of this course?

• Strong command over Core Java & DSA, including strings, arrays, collections, LinkedList, HashMap, multithreading, and common interview coding patterns.
• Ability to solve real Java coding interview questions and approach problem-solving confidently.
• Complete understanding of Selenium WebDriver, automation strategies, and handling dynamic UI elements.
• Hands-on skills in building POM / Hybrid / Cucumber BDD frameworks from scratch with TestNG, Maven, Git, and reporting.
• Expertise in API Testing using RestAssured, including schema validation, authentication, API mocking, and end-to-end automation.
• Knowledge of CI/CD integration (Jenkins, GitHub/GitLab pipelines) and how automation fits into DevOps workflows.
• Understanding of System Design for Test Automation, scalability, test strategy design, and best practices.
• Strong grasp of testing principles, microservices testing challenges, and the Testing Pyramid.
• Ability to answer both technical and behavioral interview questions with clarity and confidence.
• Practical exposure to real-time scenarios, debugging techniques, framework enhancements, and industry-level standards.

 

Course syllabus:

Day 1: Course Introduction & SDET Role Overview

Understanding SDET vs QA vs Developer roles

• How would you explain the differences between an SDET, a QA engineer, and a software developer in terms of responsibilities and required skills?
• In your view, where should an SDET be involved in the software development lifecycle compared to a traditional QA, and why?

Career path and salary expectations (4L–30L India)

• How does the career path typically progress for an SDET in India, from entry-level to senior or lead roles, and what skills are expected at each stage? ​
• What salary range can SDETs expect at different experience levels in India, and what factors help someone move from 4 LPA towards 30 LPA or more?

Setting up development environment

• If you join a new project as an SDET, how would you set up your local development and automation environment from scratch, and what key tools or configurations would you include?
• What common issues can occur during environment setup for automation (e.g., path, dependencies, versions), and how would you troubleshoot them?

Lab: Install Java, IDE, Git

• How would you guide a junior engineer to install and configure Java, an IDE, and Git on their machine so they are ready to write and run automation tests?
• After installing Java, IDE, and Git, what steps do you take to verify everything is correctly configured (e.g., environment variables, sample project, first commit)?

 

Day 2: Object-Oriented Programming – Part 1

Classes, Objects, Constructors

• How would you explain the difference between a class and an object in Java, and how are they related at runtime?
• What is a constructor in Java, what are its key rules, and how is it different from a regular method?

Encapsulation and Access Modifiers

• What is encapsulation in object-oriented programming, and how do access modifiers help achieve it in Java?
• Explain the four access modifiers in Java (public, private, protected, default) with examples of when you would use each.

Coding: Create test utility classes

• If you were designing a reusable test utility class for Selenium-based UI tests, how would you structure it in terms of fields, methods, and constructors?
• How would you design and use a utility class in Java that should not be instantiated, and what OOP concepts or language features would you apply?

Interview Prep: OOP concepts with real-world examples

• Can you explain the four main OOP principles (encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction) using real-world analogies relevant to testing or e-commerce domains?
• Describe a real project where applying OOP concepts (like inheritance or polymorphism) improved your test automation framework’s maintainability and scalability.

 

Day 3: Object-Oriented Programming – Part 2

Inheritance and Polymorphism

• How does inheritance enable code reusability in Java, and what are some limitations or pitfalls of using inheritance in large test automation frameworks?
• Explain compile-time and runtime polymorphism in Java with examples, and describe how you have used polymorphism in your test automation framework (e.g., WebDriver or page classes).

Abstract classes vs Interfaces

• What are the key differences between an abstract class and an interface in Java in terms of methods, state, inheritance, and typical use cases?
• In a real project, how would you decide whether to use an abstract class or an interface when designing a hierarchy of test-related classes?

Coding: Design reusable test components

• How would you design reusable Selenium test components (for example, for login or checkout) using OOP principles like inheritance, composition, and interfaces?
• What patterns or practices do you follow to make your test components modular and reusable across multiple test cases and suites?

Interview Prep: When to use interface vs abstract class

• In the context of designing an automation framework, when would you prefer an interface over an abstract class for defining contracts like DriverManager, Logger, or Reporting components, and why?
• Can you give a concrete example from your experience where you initially used an abstract class and later refactored to an interface (or vice versa) to improve flexibility or maintainability?

 

Day 4: Collections Framework – Part 1

ArrayList vs LinkedList

• What are the main differences between ArrayList and LinkedList in terms of internal data structure, performance for add/remove/search operations, and memory usage?
• In a real project, when would you prefer ArrayList over LinkedList and vice versa, and why?

HashMap internals and collision handling

• Explain how a HashMap works internally in Java, starting from calling put (key, value) to storing the entry in a bucket.
• What is a collision in HashMap, and how does Java handle collisions before and after Java 8?

Coding: Character frequency counter

• How would you implement a character frequency counter in Java using the Collections Framework, and which Map implementation would you choose and why?
• How would you modify your character frequency counter to return characters sorted by their frequency or by natural order, and which collection types would you use?

Interview Q: Difference between HashMap and TreeMap

• What are the key differences between HashMap and TreeMap in terms of ordering, time complexity, null-handling, and typical use cases?
• If your requirement is fast lookups without caring about order versus maintaining sorted keys for range queries or ordered traversal, how would you decide between HashMap and TreeMap?

 

Day 5: Collections Framework – Part 2

HashSet, TreeSet operations

• What are the main differences between HashSet and TreeSet in terms of internal implementation, ordering, performance of add/search/remove operations, and typical use cases?
• In which scenarios would you choose TreeSet over HashSet, even though TreeSet is slower for basic operations?

ConcurrentHashMap vs HashMap

• What are the key differences between HashMap and ConcurrentHashMap with respect to thread-safety, locking strategy, performance, and behavior during iteration?
• In a multithreaded application, when would you prefer ConcurrentHashMap instead of HashMap (or Collections.synchronizedMap), and why?

Coding: Remove duplicates from ArrayList

• How would you remove duplicate elements from an ArrayList in Java while preserving insertion order, and which collection types or approaches would you use?
• What are the time and space trade-offs between different approaches for removing duplicates from an ArrayList, such as using a Set, streams, or manual iteration?

Interview Q: CopyOnWriteArrayList use cases

• What is CopyOnWriteArrayList in Java, how does it work internally, and how is it different from a regular ArrayList in terms of modification and iteration behavior?
• In what kind of real-world scenarios is CopyOnWriteArrayList an appropriate choice, and when should it be avoided due to performance concerns?

 

Day 6: String Manipulation

String vs StringBuilder vs StringBuffer

• What are the key differences between String, StringBuilder, and StringBuffer in terms of mutability, thread-safety, performance, and typical use cases?
• In a real project, how do you decide whether to use String, StringBuilder, or StringBuffer when building or manipulating large text content?

String immutability concept

• What does it mean that String is immutable in Java, and how does this immutability affect memory usage and object creation when performing concatenation operations?
• What are the main reasons Java designers made String immutable, and how does this decision help with security, caching, and multithreading?

Coding: Reverse string, Palindrome check, Anagram detection

• How would you implement a function to reverse a string and another to check if a given string is a palindrome, and what edge cases would you consider?
• Given two strings, how would you check if they are anagrams of each other, and what time and space complexities would your solution have?

Interview Q: Why is String immutable in Java?

• Why is String immutable in Java, and how does this relate to the concept of the String pool and reuse of String objects?
• How does String immutability improve application security and thread-safety, especially when Strings are used for sensitive data like URLs, file paths, or credentials?

 

Day 7: Week 1 Assessment & Review

Coding challenge: 5 problems

• Here are five common SDET-style coding problems you may be asked to solve in Java: implement string reversal and palindrome check, remove duplicates from an array or list, find the first non-repeating character in a string, compute character or word frequency, and validate balanced parentheses.
• You are given a list of API response times; write code to calculate min, max, average, and 95th percentile, and then discuss how you would use this in a test automation context.

Mock interview: OOP concepts

• In a mock interview focused on OOP, how would you explain and demonstrate the four pillars of OOP (encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction) with Java code examples relevant to a test automation framework?
• Design a simple test automation framework structure using OOP concepts: which classes, interfaces, and relationships would you define for drivers, page objects, test data, and utilities, and why?

Q&A session on topics covered

• Looking back at Week 1 (SDET role, OOP basics, collections, strings), what areas do you feel least confident about, and what clarifying questions would you ask to close those gaps before moving on?
• If an interviewer asks you to connect Java concepts (OOP, collections, strings) with real SDET work using Selenium, Cucumber, and API testing, how would you structure your explanation and which examples would you highlight from your experience?

 

Day 8: Arrays & Searching Algorithms

Binary Search implementation

• Implement binary search in Java to find a target element in a sorted array; what are the key conditions for the while loop and how do you handle the mid calculation to avoid integer overflow?
• What happens if the target is not found in a binary search implementation, and how would you modify it to return all occurrences of the target if duplicates exist?

Two-pointer technique

• Explain the two-pointer technique and demonstrate how it works for finding a pair in a sorted array that sums to a target value.
• How does the two-pointer approach solve the palindrome check problem for a string while ignoring non-alphanumeric characters and case sensitivity?

Coding: Find missing number, Two Sum problem

• Given an array containing numbers from 1 to n with exactly one missing number, find the missing number using O(1) extra space.
• Given an array of integers and a target sum, return indices of two numbers that add up to the target (Two Sum problem) with O(n) time complexity.

Interview Q: Time complexity analysis

• Compare the time complexity of linear search versus binary search on sorted arrays, and explain when each is appropriate.
• For array operations like access, insertion, deletion, and search, what are the time complexities and how do they change for sorted vs unsorted arrays?

 

Day 9: Arrays – Advanced Problems

Subarray with given sum

• Given an array of positive integers and a target sum, find the starting and ending indices of the subarray that sums to the target (efficient solution using sliding window).
• How would you modify the subarray sum algorithm to handle arrays with both positive and negative numbers?

Rotate array by 90 degrees

• Implement an algorithm to rotate a square matrix by 90 degrees clockwise in-place (without extra space).
• Explain the step-by-step process for rotating a matrix 90 degrees and how you would verify the rotation is correct.

Coding: Find first non-repeating character

• Given a string, find and return the first non-repeating character (use optimal time/space complexity).
• How would you solve the first non-repeating character problem using a LinkedHashMap to preserve insertion order? ​

 

Day 10: LinkedList Operations

Singly vs Doubly LinkedList

• Compare singly linked list vs doubly linked list in terms of memory usage, traversal capabilities, insertion/deletion complexity, and use cases.
• When would you prefer a doubly linked list over a singly linked list in a test automation framework context?

Reversal algorithms

• Implement both iterative and recursive algorithms to reverse a singly linked list.
• How does the reversal algorithm differ between singly and doubly linked lists? ​

Coding: Check if LinkedList is palindrome (no extra space)

• Given the head of a singly linked list, determine if it represents a palindrome without using extra space.
• Explain the two-pointer + reversal approach to check palindrome in a linked list with O(1) space complexity.

Interview Q: Amazon SDET favorite

• Amazon SDET interviews frequently ask: “Design a test framework using linked lists” or “Implement these 3 linked list problems: reverse, detect cycle, palindrome”.
• What linked list problems are Amazon SDETs most commonly asked, and how do they relate to test data structures or automation frameworks? ​

 

Day 11: Stack & Queue Applications

Implement stack using queues

• Implement a Stack using two Queues with push, pop, peek, and empty operations, maintaining O(1) amortized time for push.
• What are the time complexities for push/pop operations when implementing Stack using a single Queue versus two Queues?

Valid parentheses problem

• Given a string containing just parentheses ‘()’, ‘[]’ ‘{}’, determine if the input string is valid (all brackets properly closed).
• How would you extend the valid parentheses problem to handle multiple bracket types with proper nesting order?

Coding: Browser back-forward navigation simulation

• Design a browser history system using two Stacks (back and forward) to simulate navigation with goBack(), goForward(), and visit() operations.
• Implement a browser tab system where each tab maintains its own back/forward history stacks.

Interview Q: Real-world testing scenarios

• In test automation, how do Stack/Queue data structures help with managing test execution order, handling retries, or processing test results?

 

Day 12: Tree Data Structures

Binary Tree traversals (inorder, preorder, postorder)

• Implement iterative versions of inorder, preorder, and postorder traversals for a binary tree using Stack (no recursion).
• What are the practical differences in output and use cases for inorder vs preorder vs postorder traversals in testing scenarios?

Level order traversal

• Implement level order traversal (BFS) of a binary tree using Queue, and print nodes level by level.
• How would you modify level order traversal to print zigzag order (right-to-left on even levels)?

Coding: Mirror tree, Find height

• Check if two binary trees are mirror images of each other (symmetric tree).
• Find the maximum height/depth of a binary tree and handle unbalanced trees efficiently. ​

Interview Q: Amazon SDET coding round

• Amazon SDETs frequently ask tree problems like “Validate BST”, “Lowest Common Ancestor”, or “Maximum depth” – which traversal would you use?

 

Day 13: Week 2 Assessment & Mock Coding Interview

3 coding problems (60 minutes) – LeetCode style

• Solve 3 LeetCode medium problems: Valid Parentheses, Binary Tree Level Order Traversal, Implement Stack using Queues.
• During whiteboard session, explain your approach, time/space complexity, and edge cases before coding.

Whiteboard coding session

• Walk through your code verbally: data structures chosen, why this algorithm, test cases covered.

Code review and optimization discussion

• After solving, discuss optimizations: can you reduce space from O(n) to O(1), or time from O(n log n) to O(n)?

 

Day 14: Software Testing Fundamentals

SDLC vs STLC

• Compare SDLC phases with corresponding STLC activities and explain entry/exit criteria for each testing phase.
• How does shift-left testing change the traditional SDLC vs STLC relationship?

Types of testing (Unit, Integration, E2E)

• Explain differences between Unit, Integration, System, and E2E testing with real-world examples from e-commerce testing.
• When would you write automated tests for each testing type in your automation pyramid?

Testing Pyramid concept

• Draw and explain the Testing Pyramid: how many tests at each layer (UI < API < Unit) and why this ratio matters.
• How does the Testing Pyramid apply to modern microservices and SPA architectures?

Interview Q: Manual vs Automated testing decision

• Given a new feature, how do you decide what to test manually vs automate, considering ROI and maintenance cost?

 

Day 15: Selenium WebDriver Setup & Basics

WebDriver architecture

• Explain Selenium WebDriver architecture: JSON Wire Protocol, browser drivers, and how commands flow from test to browser.
• What changed in Selenium 4 with W3C protocol vs legacy JSON Wire Protocol?

Locator strategies (ID, XPath, CSS)

• Rank locator strategies by reliability/speed: ID > CSS > XPath > others, and explain why.
• Write XPath/CSS for complex scenarios: nth child, contains text, parent/child relationships.

Lab: First Selenium script

• Write your first Selenium script: launch Chrome, navigate to URL, find element, perform action, close browser.

Interview Q: XPath vs CSS selector advantages

• Compare XPath vs CSS: bidirectional navigation, attribute support, performance, browser compatibility.

 

Day 16: Advanced Locators & Element Interactions

Dynamic element handling

• How do you handle dynamically generated IDs/classes using partial matches, regex, or other attributes? ​
• Write XPath for elements inside shadow DOM or within dynamically loaded content.

XPath axes (following, preceding, ancestor)

• Demonstrate XPath axes: find all links following a specific header, or siblings preceding a button.

Lab: Handle dropdowns, checkboxes, radio buttons

• Implement Select class for dropdowns, handle multiple selection, custom scrolling for checkboxes.

Interview Q: How to handle stale element exception?

• Explain StaleElementReferenceException cause and solutions: explicit waits, page object refresh, retry logic.

 

Day 17: Synchronization Strategies

Implicit vs Explicit vs Fluent waits

• Compare three wait types: global vs targeted vs custom polling with conditions.
• Write ExplicitWait for element to be clickable vs visible vs text present.

Custom wait conditions

• Create custom ExpectedCondition: wait until table row count > 5, or specific text appears in dropdown.

Lab: Implement robust wait framework

• Design WaitUtils class with reusable wait methods for common scenarios.

Interview Q: When to use which wait type?

• Never use implicit waits in production frameworks; always prefer explicit waits – explain why with examples.

 

Day 18: Handling Complex UI Elements

Frames and iFrames

• How do you switch to an iframe using different locators (index, name/id, WebElement) and handle nested frames in Selenium WebDriver?
• What exception occurs when trying to locate elements inside a frame without switching context, and how do you switch back to default content or parent frame?

Multiple windows/tabs

• Explain the complete flow: get all window handles before clicking a link → click → get new handles → switch to new window by title or handle.
• How would you iterate through all open windows, perform actions in each, then close all child windows and return to the original parent window?

Alerts and popups

• Demonstrate handling JavaScript alerts: switch to alert → accept() vs dismiss() vs sendKeys(“text”) → accept(), and handle timeout scenarios.
• How do you automate browser authentication popups (username/password dialogs) vs JavaScript alerts in Selenium?

Lab: File upload/download automation

• How do you automate <input type=”file”> upload with absolute/relative paths, and what are common pitfalls with file path separators?
• Configure ChromeOptions for automatic file downloads to a specific folder without prompts, and verify the downloaded file checksum/size.

Interview Q: Window handle management

• Design a reusable WindowManager utility class with methods: switchByTitle(), switchByURL(), closeAllExceptParent(), getAllWindowTitles().

 

Day 19: Actions Class & JavaScript Executor

Mouse and keyboard actions

• How do you perform mouse hover, right-click (context click), double-click, and keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C) using Selenium’s Actions class?
• What is the difference between build().perform() and perform() methods when chaining multiple Actions in Selenium?

Drag and drop, hover actions

• How do you automate HTML5 drag-and-drop actions using Selenium’s Actions class, and what are some challenges compared to traditional drag-and-drop?
• Demonstrate how to automate mouse hover to reveal a dropdown menu and click a submenu item using Actions class.

Lab: Automate complex UI interactions

• How do you automate slider movement by dragging it to a specific position and scrolling an element into view with scrollIntoView()?

Interview Q: When to use JavaScriptExecutor?

• List scenarios where WebElement methods fail and JavaScriptExecutor is needed, such as clicking hidden elements, scrolling, or executing asynchronous JavaScript.

 

Day 20: Week 3 Assessment & Framework Planning

Practical test: Automate e-commerce checkout flow

• Automate complete e-commerce checkout flow: login → search product → add to cart → apply coupon → select shipping → payment → order confirmation with proper waits and validations.
• What challenges occur during e-commerce checkout automation (dynamic pricing, payment gateways, inventory sync) and how do you handle session timeouts or CAPTCHA?

Design discussion: Framework architecture

• Design a 5-layer test automation framework architecture: config → utilities → page objects → test classes → reporting/CI integration, explain each layer’s responsibility.
• How do you ensure thread-safety, scalability, and maintainability when designing framework for 1000+ test cases across multiple teams?

Weekend Assignment: Automate 5 real-world scenarios

• Automate 5 critical e-commerce scenarios: user registration, product search with filters, cart abandonment recovery, wishlist functionality, order tracking.
• How do you prioritize which real-world scenarios to automate first based on business impact, stability, and maintenance cost?

 

Day 21: Page Object Model (POM) Design

POM principles and benefits

• What are the core principles of Page Object Model (encapsulation, abstraction, reusability) and how do they improve test maintainability when UI elements change?
• Explain how POM reduces code duplication across test cases that interact with the same page elements and improves test readability.

Page Factory implementation

• How do you implement PageFactory using @FindBy annotations and PageFactory.initElements() method, including lazy initialization with AjaxElementLocatorFactory?
• What are the performance benefits of PageFactory’s element caching (@CacheLookup) vs manual WebElement initialization in large test suites?

Lab: Convert scripts to POM structure

• Walk through refactoring flat Selenium test scripts into Page classes: identify elements → create page methods → update test calls.

Interview Q: Explain POM advantages (Microsoft favorite)

• Microsoft asks: “How does POM handle a UI change that breaks 50+ tests?” (Update one Page class locator → all tests fixed automatically).

 

Day 22: TestNG Framework Deep Dive

Annotations and execution order

• What is the complete execution order of TestNG annotations from @BeforeSuite to @AfterSuite when all are present in a test class?
• How do you use the ‘priority’ attribute in @Test annotation to control execution order within the same class, and what happens when priorities are equal?

Parallel execution configuration

• How do you configure testng.xml for parallel=”methods” thread-count=”5″ vs parallel=”classes”, and what thread-safety measures are needed for WebDriver?
• Explain the four parallel modes in TestNG (methods, classes, tests, instances) and when you would choose each for Selenium automation.

Data providers for data-driven testing

• How do you create a @DataProvider method returning Object[][] for multiple test data sets, and link it to @Test(dataProvider=”name”)?
• What are the advantages of TestNG @DataProvider over @Parameters for complex data-driven testing with external sources like Excel/JSON?

Lab: Configure TestNG suite

• Create testng.xml with <groups>, <dependencies>, <listeners>, parallel execution, and include/exclude test patterns for selective execution.

Interview Q: TestNG vs JUnit comparison

• Compare TestNG vs JUnit: parallel execution, data providers, test grouping/dependencies, reporting, and suite-level annotations – why TestNG for SDET?

 

Day 23: Data-Driven Testing

Excel integration with Apache POI

• How do you read data from an Excel (.xlsx) file using Apache POI, and how do you handle different cell types (String, Numeric, Date)?
• Explain how to write test results back to an Excel sheet using Apache POI in a data-driven test framework.

JSON/YAML data files

• How do you parse JSON test data files using Jackson or Gson libraries in Java for data-driven tests?
• What are best practices for reading YAML test data files using SnakeYAML, and how do you convert the data into usable test parameters?

Lab: Implement data-driven login tests

• How do you design a data-driven login test that reads multiple user credentials from Excel/JSON and runs automated login attempts?
• Describe how you validate success/failure for each login attempt and log results in a data-driven test design.

Interview Q: Test data management strategies

• What are the best practices for managing test data in automated tests, including externalization, version control, and environment-specific data?
• How do you handle sensitive test data (credentials, tokens) securely while maintaining automation test data usability?

 

Day 24: Keyword-Driven & Hybrid Framework

Framework architecture patterns

• What are the differences between keyword-driven, data-driven, and hybrid test automation frameworks, and when would you choose each?
• How do you design a hybrid framework integrating POM, keyword-driven approach, and data-driven testing effectively?

Utility classes design

• What utility classes (DriverFactory, WaitUtils, ExcelReader, ReportUtils) are essential for a scalable test automation framework?
• How do you design utility classes to ensure thread-safety and reusability across parallel test executions?

Lab: Build hybrid framework skeleton

• Describe the steps to build a hybrid framework skeleton with BaseTest, Page Objects, keyword action classes, and TestNG integration.
• How do you implement keyword-driven test execution by mapping Excel keywords to Selenium WebDriver actions in the framework?

Interview Q: Design framework from scratch

• Given a new project, how would you design a test automation framework from scratch, detailing layers like configuration, utilities, page objects, test cases, and CI/CD integration?
• What design principles ensure your framework is maintainable, scalable, and easy for new team members to use?

 

Day 25: Reporting & Logging

ExtentReports integration

• How do you integrate ExtentReports v5 with TestNG using ITestListener to generate interactive HTML reports with screenshots and test steps?
• Explain how to create ExtentReports dashboard with test trends, categories, device/browser info, and pass/fail pie charts in a Selenium framework.

Allure Reports setup

• How do you configure Allure Reports with TestNG using @Step, @Attachment, @TmsLink annotations and generate reports with execution history and trends?
• What are the advantages of Allure Reports over ExtentReports for CI/CD integration and test result analysis in team environments?

Log4j configuration

• How do you configure log4j2.xml with multiple appenders (ConsoleAppender, RollingFileAppender), pattern layouts, and different log levels per package?
• Explain log4j2 rolling file strategy and how to implement daily log rotation with maximum file size limits for test automation projects.

Lab: Generate comprehensive test reports

• Demonstrate generating both ExtentReports and Allure reports in the same framework with screenshots, logs, test hierarchy, and execution trends attached.

Interview Q: How to implement custom reporting?

• How would you extend ExtentReports with custom listeners for database logging, email notifications on failure, and Slack/Teams integration?

 

Day 26: Exception Handling & Best Practices

Custom exception classes

• How do you create custom exceptions like TestAutomationException or ElementNotInteractableException extending RuntimeException for better error handling in test frameworks?
• When would you use checked vs unchecked custom exceptions in Selenium automation, and how do you propagate meaningful error messages up the call stack?

Screenshot on failure

• Implement ITestListener.onTestFailure() method to capture screenshot, convert to Base64, and attach to ExtentReports with timestamp and test name.
• How do you design a reusable ScreenshotUtils class that captures full-page vs element screenshots on any exception (not just test failure)?

Retry mechanism for flaky tests

• Implement IRetryAnalyzer interface to retry failed tests up to 3 times with exponential backoff (1s, 2s, 4s) between retries.
• How do you combine IRetryAnalyzer with ITestListener to retry only specific failures (timeout, stale element) while logging all attempts?

Lab: Implement robust error handling

• Design global exception handler using Thread.setDefaultUncaughtExceptionHandler() + screenshot + detailed logging + recovery scenarios.

Interview Q: How do you handle flaky tests?

• Explain your systematic approach: identify root cause (timing→waits, env→retry, data→providers), implement retries, run tests 3x, achieve >95% stability.

 

Day 27: Week 4 Assessment & Framework Review

Code review: Framework implementation

• What key aspects do you focus on when reviewing a test automation framework’s code for maintainability, readability, and scalability?
• How do you ensure best practices such as DRY, SOLID principles, and meaningful naming conventions are followed in automation code reviews?

Demo: End-to-end framework walkthrough

• How do you prepare and present a live demo showcasing your automation framework running tests, generating reports, and integrating with CI/CD pipelines?
• What information do you highlight during the demo to convince stakeholders of the framework’s robustness, reusability, and ease of maintenance?

Weekend Assignment: Complete automation framework project

• What critical checklist items do you cover to ensure your complete automation framework is production-ready, including logging, error handling, and documentation?
• How do you plan to validate your framework’s effectiveness through regression runs, cross-browser testing, and real-world scenarios?

 

Day 28: API Testing Fundamentals

REST API concepts

• What are the core principles of RESTful APIs (statelessness, resource-based, uniform interface, HATEOAS) and how do they differ from traditional RPC-style services?
• Explain REST architectural constraints: client-server separation, cacheability, layered system, and code on demand (optional).

HTTP methods and status codes

• Describe the semantics and idempotency of HTTP methods: GET (safe/idempotent), POST (non-idempotent), PUT (idempotent), DELETE (idempotent), PATCH.
• List common HTTP status codes by category: 200/201 (success), 400/401/403/404 (client errors), 500/502/503 (server errors) with real API testing examples.

Request/Response structure

• Break down HTTP request structure: Method + URI + Version + Headers + Query Params + Body, and explain Content-Type negotiation.
• Analyze HTTP response: Status Code + Headers (Content-Type, Cache-Control) + Body (JSON/XML), and explain response time vs latency measurement.

Lab: Postman basics

• How do you create Postman collections with environment variables, pre-request scripts, and test scripts for automated API validation?
• Demonstrate Postman features: chaining requests (use response from one → next request), mock servers, and Newman CLI for CI integration.

Interview Q: REST vs SOAP

• Compare REST vs SOAP: protocol vs architectural style, JSON vs XML, HTTP verbs vs SOAP actions, stateless vs stateful operations.

 

Day 29: API Automation with RestAssured

RestAssured setup and configuration

• How do you configure RestAssured with baseURI, RequestSpecification, ResponseSpecification, and global settings like timeouts and content-type?
• Explain how to set up reusable specifications for different environments (dev/staging/prod) using configuration files or properties in RestAssured.

GET, POST, PUT, DELETE requests

• Demonstrate the complete syntax for GET (query params), POST (JSON body), PUT (full update), DELETE requests with validation using RestAssured fluent API.
• How do you chain requests in RestAssured: extract response data from one API call and use it as input for the next API call?

Lab: Automate CRUD operations

• Write RestAssured code to perform complete CRUD operations: POST(create user) → GET(retrieve) → PUT(update) → DELETE with status code and response validation.

Interview Q: JSON schema validation

• How do you validate API response against JSON schema using RestAssured’s matchesJsonSchemaInClasspath(“schema.json”) and handle schema validation failures?

 

Day 30: Advanced API Testing

Authentication (OAuth 2.0, JWT)

• How do you handle OAuth 2.0 authentication in RestAssured using .auth().oauth2(accessToken) and manage token refresh logic automatically?
• Explain JWT token validation in API tests: extract token from login response → add Authorization: Bearer header → validate 401 on expiry.

API chaining and data correlation

• Demonstrate API chaining: POST(create user) → extract userId from response → GET(/users/{userId}) → PUT update → verify changes.
• How do you extract dynamic values like bookingId from one API response and use them as path/query params in subsequent chained requests?

Lab: Automate authenticated APIs

• Automate complete authenticated flow: POST login → extract JWT → GET protected resource → POST create data → verify with token.

Interview Q: How to mock APIs? (Microsoft favorite)

• Microsoft asks: How do you use WireMock/MockServer with RestAssured to mock external APIs during integration testing without hitting real endpoints?

 

Day 31: CI/CD with Jenkins

Jenkins pipeline basics

• What is the difference between declarative and scripted Jenkins pipelines, and when would you choose each for test automation projects?
• Explain Jenkinsfile structure with stages, steps, agents, post actions, and environment variables for a typical test automation pipeline.

Integrating Selenium tests

• How do you configure Jenkins to run Selenium Grid tests with multiple browsers/nodes and publish ExtentReports/Allure results?
• What plugins are required for Selenium integration (HTML Publisher, JUnit, ExtentReports) and how do you handle WebDriver setup in headless mode?

Lab: Create CI pipeline for tests

• Write a complete Jenkinsfile with stages: checkout → mvn clean test → publish reports → notify Slack/Email on failure.

 

Day 32: Git & Version Control

Git workflow for test automation

• Explain a typical Git workflow for test automation projects including feature branching, pull requests, code reviews, and merging.
• How do you manage versioning and tagging for test automation framework releases in Git?

Branching strategies

• Compare GitFlow vs trunk-based branching strategies and their pros/cons for collaborative test automation development.
• How do you handle hotfix branches and long-lived feature branches in test automation projects?

Lab: Collaborative framework development

• How do you collaborate with multiple testers/automation engineers on a shared Git repo to avoid merge conflicts and ensure code quality?
• What practices do you follow to keep the main branch stable and clean while actively developing automation features?

Interview Q: Git merge vs rebase

• What are the fundamental differences between Git merge and rebase, and when would you prefer one over the other in a test automation project?
• How does rebasing affect commit history, and why is it important to avoid rebasing public/shared branches?

 

Day 33: Week 6 Assessment & Pipeline Demo

End-to-end CI/CD pipeline demonstration

• Walk through a complete CI/CD pipeline demo: Git push → Jenkins build → Selenium/API tests → reports → notifications → deployment triggers.
• How do you demonstrate pipeline resilience: handling test failures, retry logic, partial success, and rollback scenarios during live demo? ​

API test automation review

• Review your RestAssured framework: authentication flows, API chaining, schema validation, error handling, and CI integration points.
• What metrics do you track for API test success (response time < 2s, 99% pass rate, schema compliance) and how do you present them in reports?

Weekend Assignment: Complete API testing project

• What checklist ensures your complete API testing project is production-ready: coverage, documentation, CI/CD, monitoring, and maintenance plan?

 

Day 34: AI/GenAI in Testing (CRITICAL 2025 TREND)

Using ChatGPT/Claude for test case generation

• How do you craft effective prompts for ChatGPT/Claude to generate comprehensive test cases including positive, negative, and edge cases for e-commerce checkout flow?
• What techniques do you use to validate AI-generated test cases and convert them into executable TestNG/Selenium tests?

AI-powered test tools overview

• Compare AI testing tools: Testim (self-healing), Applitools (visual AI), Mabl (low-code AI), Healenium (open-source self-healing) – strengths and use cases.
• How do AI-powered tools like Functionize or Test.ai reduce test maintenance compared to traditional Selenium frameworks?

Self-healing test scripts concept

• Explain self-healing tests: when locators break (UI changes), AI finds alternative locators automatically using ML models trained on DOM patterns.
• How do tools like Healenium integrate with Selenium to provide self-healing capabilities during test execution?

Lab: Generate tests using AI prompts

• Demonstrate generating 50 test cases for login functionality using ChatGPT prompts, then importing into TestNG data providers.

Interview Q: How do you use AI in testing?

• Practical AI applications in SDET role: test case generation (ChatGPT), self-healing locators (Healenium), visual validation (Applitools), root cause analysis.

 

Day 35: Most Commonly Asked Interview Questions (From Microsoft SDET Interviews)

Day 36: Most Commonly Asked Interview Questions (From Amazon SDET Interviews)

Day 37: Buffer slots

Day 38: Buffer slots

Day 39: Buffer slots

Day 40: Buffer slots