Top 50 Selenium interview questions for identifying and hiring top talent

Selenium is a robust open-source framework that plays an important role in software and application testing processes. Selenium does not require licensing, supports a wide range of programming languages, and offers the ability to automate browsers. It helps perform functional testing and ensure the quality and reliability of web applications. Organizations across the globe are relying more and more on Selenium to meet their testing requirements, leading to rising demands for skilled software developers with experience in Selenium.

Technical skills

• Proficiency in programming languages, including languages like Python, C#, Java, and JavaScript
• Deep knowledge of the Selenium framework, its capabilities, components, and architecture
• Relevant experience in automation testing
• Knowledge of testing frameworks, concepts, and tools
• Understanding of various web technologies, like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
• Familiarity with version control systems that collaborate with team members and manage source code, like Git
• Understanding of various testing methodologies, like Scrum and Agile

Soft skills

• Strong problem-solving skills for analyzing issues and identifying effective solutions
• Excellent communication skills that allow effective collaboration within teams
• Strong team player skills, including the ability to work in collaboration to achieve project goals and knowledge sharing
• Willingness to understand and learn new technologies to ensure updated knowledge as industry standards
• Strong time management skills for prioritizing tasks in an effective and efficient manner and delivering high-quality work while meeting deadlines

When recruiting Selenium developers, it is important to structure the Selenium interview questions in a manner that allows recruiters to assess the skills and proficiency of candidates in using the framework and its capabilities. The right set of Selenium automation testing interview questions can be used to evaluate the knowledge, practical experience, problem-solving approach, and familiarity with best practices for candidates. Asking these Selenium interview questions can help the interviewer gauge how well candidates understand the concepts of Selenium, their troubleshooting skills when faced with challenges, and how well they are able to apply those concepts in real-world situations.

1. List some of the limitations of Selenium testing.
2. Define Selenese and its classifications.
3. How is Selenium 3.0 different from Selenium 2.0?
4. What types of testing does Selenium support?
5. Which types of annotations are used in Selenium?
6. Explain the same-origin policy and how it is handled.
7. Which types of waits are supported by WebDriver?
8. Differentiate between driver.close() and driver.quit().
9. What are exception tests in Selenium?
10. How to test web services or APIs using Selenium WebDriver?

1. Which command is used to click on a hyperlink in Selenium?
2. How to use Selenium to automate captcha?
3. Define the Page Object Module (POM).
4. How are Windows-based popups handled by Selenium?
5. What are the differences between Selenium and QTP?
6. Define keyword-driven and data-driven frameworks.
7. Define Object Repository.
8. What is a WebElement, and how is it used in Selenium?
9. In Selenium, what are the four parameters to pass?
10. Can screen coordinate be used while using the click command?

1. What is the function of the switchTo() command?
2. What is the method to upload a file in Selenium WebDriver?
3. How to set the window size in Selenium?
4. When are the findElement() and findElements() commands used?
5. In Selenium IDE, what is a pause on an exception?
6. Differentiate between double and single slash in XPath.
7. If a website has an authentication popup for entering the username and password, how to log in using Selenium?
8. How to select a value from a dropdown in Selenium WebDriver?
9. What are the different types of testing frameworks
10. What are star points and breakpoints in Selenium?

1. How to identify broken links in Selenium WebDriver?
2. Name some common automation testing tools that are used for functional automation.
3. Name common automation testing tools that are used for non-functional automation.
4. Which tools can be integrated with Selenium to facilitate continuous testing?
5. What is an assertion in Selenium?
6. Differentiate between the assert and verify commands.
7. Define XPath Absolute and XPath attributes.
8. Which mobile testing drivers are supported by WebDriver?
9. Differentiate between type commands and type keys.
10. Are there any disadvantages of implicit wait?

1. Which of the following browsers does not support Selenium?

• Internet Explorer
• Safari
• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• None of the Above

2. Which of the following operating systems are not supported by Selenium IDE?

• Solaris
• Windows
• Linux
• Unix

3. What is the purpose of Selenium RC?

• Running tests against various browsers (except HtmlUnit), across different operating systems.
• Creating tests, regardless of whether one has prior knowledge in programming or not.
• Testing web applications, but only on the Firefox browser.
• Running an expansive test suite, which can be executed across multiple devices and operating systems.

4. Which of the following components is not a part of the Selenium Suite?

• Selenium IDE
• Selenium RC
• SeleniumGrid
• Selenium Web

5. What is WebDriver used for?

• Executing tests on HtmlUnit browsers.
• Designing tests with Selenese.
• Quickly building tests.
• Testing web applications on Firefox.

6. Which of the following testing frameworks is used with Selenium?

• TestNG
• JUnit
• Cucumber
• All of the above.

7. Which of the following can be used to interact with webpage elements in Selenium?

• TestNG
• Cucumber
• WebDriver
• None of the above.

8. Which of the following statements holds true for WebDriver?

• It is an abstract class.
• It is an interface.
• It is a platform.
• None of the above.

9. Which of the following is the correct format for writing custom paths?

• tag-name[@attribute=’attribute value’]
• //tag-name[@attribute=’attribute value’]
• tag-name(@attribute=’attribute value’)
• None of the above.

10. Which of the following statements is correct about driver.quit() and driver.close()?

• Both commands can be used interchangeably and are basically the same.
• The current window closes when driver.close() is used.
• Using driver.quit() quits the driver while driver.close() is used to close the window.
• Using driver.quit() closes all the windows associated with its driver, and it also quits the driver.

1. How is a frame managed in Selenium WebDriver?
2. Can Selenium be used independently for responsive web application design testing?
3. Explain the Silk Test.
4. Define the different Selenium navigation commands and explain how they help users.
5. In Selenium, what is Page Factory?
6. How to handle the dynamic elements of a web application that are designed to change their IDs and/or attributes every time the page loads?
7. How to manage stale element exceptions?
8. How to use Selenium to simulate clicking the browser back button?
9. How are browser cookies handled in Selenium WebDriver, and list some other scenarios where the same applies?
10. How are drag-and-drop operations performed in Selenium?

Mercer | Mettl offers a suite of scientifically validated assessments, including a comprehensive Java Selenium Test. Explore a wide library of assessments for personality tests, skills tests, cognitive abilities tests, leadership skills tests, and many more. Each test offered by Mercer | Mettl has been designed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and reliability. The intuitive insights offered after assessments help hiring managers identify candidates with relevant technical skills, behavioral attributes, and personality types.

A well-defined, effective approach to recruitment should include a blend of pre-employment assessments and structured Selenium interview questions and answers rounds. Though asking candidates Selenium automation testing interview questions to gain insights into their experience, background, skills, etc., is important, a comprehensive assessment process is necessary to identify top talent. Therefore, Selenium interview questions should be preceded by domain-based skills tests and personality tests, creating a comprehensive overview of the technical and soft skills of candidates.