Automation Testing Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Automation Testing facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What is the purpose of WebDriverWait in Selenium? → To pause execution until an expected condition is met
2. Which file is used to configure TestNG test execution, specifying suites, tests, and classes? → testng.xml
3. In TDD, when must unit tests be written relative to the production code? → Before writing the production code
4. Which of the following tabs in QTP allows you to run a script line to change the current value of a variable in a function library? → Command
5. What is Explicit Wait in Selenium? → Waiting for a specific condition on a specific element before proceeding
6. Which Selenium component provides a grid for running tests in parallel across multiple machines and browsers? → Selenium Grid
7. Which ExpectedCondition should you use to wait until an element is clickable? → elementToBeClickable()
8. Which HTTP header indicates the content format of an API response body? → Content-Type
9. In API testing, what is a JSON schema used for? → Validating the structure and data types of an API response
10. What does 'test coverage' measure in functional automation? → The amount of code or requirements exercised by tests
11. What does the Appium Inspector tool help testers do? → Inspect and identify UI element locators (like accessibility IDs) in mobile apps
12. What does BDD stand for in software development methodology? → Behavior-Driven Development
13. To make a list of recovery scenarios the default for all new tests, which of the following parameters would you choose? → Selecting Set as Default button at Recovery pane of test setting
14. In GitLab CI, what keyword defines the sequence of execution phases in a pipeline? → stages
15. The type of checkpoints in QTP is determined by elements such as screen resolution, operating systems, and RG8 settings. → Bitmap
16. What is the primary purpose of an explicit wait in functional UI automation? → Wait for a specific condition before proceeding
17. Any QTP user can access the test's active screen information. → Both A & B
18. What does 'test coverage' measure in automation testing? → The percentage of application code or requirements exercised by automated tests
19. What problem does a flaky test most directly cause for a CI pipeline? → Loss of trust in test results
20. Which HTTP status code indicates that the requested API resource was not found? → 404 Not Found
21. What is a common use of mocking or stubbing in functional automation? → To replace unstable external dependencies with controlled responses
22. Which checkpoint type is used to verify the property values of an object in a test application and is supported by all add-in environments in QTP? → Standard
23. What is the purpose of a test fixture in an automation framework? → To set up and tear down the environment needed for test execution
24. Which class in Selenium allows you to perform keyboard and mouse actions like drag-and-drop? → Actions
25. Which approach helps automated tests handle dynamic element IDs? → Use stable attributes like data-test or partial matches
26. In mobile automation, what does 'context switching' in Appium mean? → Switching between NATIVE_APP and WEBVIEW contexts to interact with hybrid app layers
27. What does the term 'flaky test' mean in automation? → A test that passes and fails intermittently without code changes
28. To add an object to the local object repository, which of the following is used? → Object Spy
29. Which command-line tool is used to list connected Android devices for Appium testing? → adb devices
30. What is the purpose of an API authentication header like Authorization: Bearer ? → To provide credentials proving the caller is allowed to access the API resource