13 Selenium Interview Questions and Answers

Selenium removes the tedium of manual testing and lets automation do most of the web and application testing for you. But if you want to ace Selenium interview questions, you’ll need to put some manual work into creating and testing your answers.

You can expect to get a lot of interview practice when you apply to jobs as a Selenium tester. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that web developer jobs will increase by 23% over the next decade. Additionally, jobs for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers will grow by 25%.

Want to land a developer or tester job? Learn how to create compelling answers to the Selenium interview questions outlined in this article.

Selenium Interview Questions

1. Tell Me What You Know About Selenium.
2. What Are the Key Advantages of Using Selenium?
3. Describe the Different Types of Locators in Selenium.
4. What Are Exceptions in Selenium and How Do You Handle Them?
5. What Are the Different Types of Elements in Selenium?
6. How Do You Handle Dynamic Elements in Selenium?
7. What Is the Difference Between Selenium RC and Selenium WebDriver?
8. What Are the Different Types of Commands in Selenium WebDriver?
9. Describe the Difference Between driver.findElement() and driver.findElements() in Selenium WebDriver.
10. What Is the Page Object Model (POM) in Selenium WebDriver and How Does It Work?
11. Why Is Java Used With Selenium?
12. How Do You Run a Selenium Test Script in Java?

Basic Selenium Interview Questions and Answers

The first four Selenium interview questions will cover the basics of Selenium, including your understanding of locators and exceptions.

Question #1: Tell Me What You Know About Selenium.

Expect to be asked introductory Selenium interview questions to gauge your knowledge of the platform. When telling your interviewer what you know about Selenium, include the following details in your answer:

• A brief definition of Selenium.
• What Selenium does.
• Programming languages and browsers Selenium is compatible with.

How You Could Answer

“Selenium is an open-source automation testing tool used for functional testing of web applications. Thoughtworks developed Selenium and released it in 2002. Today, there are many different versions of Selenium, including Selenium Remote Control (RC), Selenium WebDriver, and Selenium Grid.

One of Selenium’s key features is the record and playback tool for authoring tests across web browsers without the need for test scripting. It also provides a set of libraries and tools testers use to automate web browsers. Additionally, it’s compatible with programming languages such as Java, Python, and C#. It also supports multiple browsers, including Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Opera.”

Question #2: What Are the Key Advantages of Using Selenium?

This question gives you the opportunity to show that you understand how Selenium works. Here’s what to include in your answer:

• The advantages that set Selenium apart from other testing tools.
• A brief description of its key advantages.

How You Could Answer

“Selenium offers many advantages when compared to similar tools such as Cucumber, Appium, and Katalon Studios. For example:

• Cross-browser compatibility allows testers to test web applications on a variety of browsers and operating systems.
• Selenium is a free and downloadable open-source tool, making it cost-effective.
• Its easy-to-use interface allows testers to automate tests with little effort.
• The record and playback feature allows testers to record test scenarios and play them back, making it easy to create automated tests without writing any code.
• It’s easy to use with Continuous Integration tools such as Jenkins and Azure Pipelines.”

Question #3: Describe the Different Types of Locators in Selenium.

Locators are integral to automation testing in Selenium. Demonstrate your understanding of locators by:

• Naming the most popular locators in Selenium.
• Briefly describing what each locator does.

How You Could Answer

“In Selenium, locators identify and locate web elements within a webpage. Selenium uses several different locators including:

• ID is a unique identifier that locates web elements.
• Name allows testers to locate web elements by their name attributes.
• Class Name is the value of the CSS class attribute on a web element.
• Tag Name is a web element’s HTML tag name.
• Link Text locates web elements by their links or link text.
• Partial Link Text is a partial link text locator used when the link text of a web element is too long.
• CSS Selector locates web elements by their CSS attributes.
• XPath locates web elements by their tags, attributes, text, and relationships with other elements in the Document Object Model (DOM).”

Question #4: What Are Exceptions in Selenium and How Do You Handle Them?

To demonstrate how you handle exceptions in Selenium, include these details in your answer:

• A definition of exceptions in Selenium.
• Common types of exceptions.
• The method you would use to handle an exception.

How You Could Answer

“Exceptions are errors or issues that occur during the execution of Selenium scripts. They’re often caused by browser issues, network problems, incorrect syntax, and other factors. The most common exceptions in Selenium include:

• NoSuchElementException occurs when an element specified in a script is not found on a web page.
• ElementNotVisibleException occurs when an element is present on a web page, but not visible to users.
• TimeoutException occurs when the execution of a script exceeds a specific time limit.
• NoSuchWindowException occurs when there is an attempt to switch to a window that doesn’t exist.
• StateElementReferenceException occurs when an element on a web page changes before the script can interact with it.
• WebDriverException is a generic exception that occurs due to network issues or unexpected errors.

I handle exceptions by using the try-catch block, which is a combination of try and catch keywords that identify exceptions. Here’s an example of what a try-catch block would look like:

try

{

// Some code

}

catch(Exception1)

{

// Code for Handling Exception1

}”

How to Handle Dynamic Elements in Selenium Interview Questions

Selenium has built-in functionality to identify and manage a variety of web page elements. The next two Selenium interview questions will help you put your knowledge of dynamic elements into words.

Question #5: What Are the Different Types of Elements in Selenium?

HTML objects are called “elements” in Selenium. As a Selenium tester, you’ll test a wide variety of elements from buttons to dropdown menus. When you answer Selenium interview questions about elements, describe the following in your answer:

• What elements do on web pages.
• The most common types of elements in Selenium.
• The purpose of each element.

How You Could Answer

“Selenium tests several types of fixed and dynamic elements that users interact with on web pages. Testers use Selenium commands to access and manipulate elements. This allows automated tests to simulate user behavior on web pages.

Common elements include:

• Text boxes that input text data and fields.
• Buttons that perform an action when clicked.
• Links that allow users to navigate to other pages or sections within the same page.
• Radio buttons that allow users to select one option from a group of options.
• Checkboxes that allow users to select multiple options from a group of options.
• Drop-down lists that provide a menu of options.
• Images that testers check for sources, dimensions, or links to other pages.
• Alerts that notify users to confirm an action or that an error has occurred.”

Question #6: How Do You Handle Dynamic Elements in Selenium?

Here’s what to include in your answer to demonstrate that you know how to handle dynamic elements in Selenium:

• Describe what dynamic elements are in Selenium.
• Explain why you need to manage dynamic elements.
• Discuss the methods you use to handle dynamic elements.

How You Could Answer

“In Selenium, a dynamic element is a web element whose IDs, attributes, class names, and values are not fixed. That means they change in response to user actions or events such as clicking a button, scrolling a page, or submitting a form. Because they change, dynamic elements are often difficult to automate.

I test dynamic elements using implicit and explicit waits. An implicit wait instructs Selenium to wait for a certain amount of time to locate an element. It can be set globally and applied to all elements. However, an implicit wait isn’t always effective because the wait time is not specific to a particular element.

That’s where an explicit wait comes in. An explicit wait involves waiting for a specific condition to be met before proceeding with a test. It allows testers to set a waiting time for one element instead of all elements globally.

I also use XPath to locate elements in a web page by navigating through the HTML structure. I particularly like XPath because I can wait for it to display a loaded element on a page before proceeding with a test.”

Selenium WebDriver Interview Questions and Answers

Selenium WebDriver is a popular, modern version of Selenium. The next four Selenium interview questions and answers will help you:

• Differentiate between WebDriver and previous versions.
• Describe common types of WebDriver commands.
• Explain the difference between driver.findElement() and driver.findElements().
• Describe the Page Object Model (POM) and its uses.

Question #7: What Is the Difference Between Selenium RC and Selenium WebDriver?

Selenium RC and Selenium WebDriver are two popular versions of Selenium. Here’s how to prove that you’re up to date on the latest versions of Selenium:

• Describe both Selenium RC and Selenium WebDriver.
• Discuss the key differences between the two programs.
• Explain why Selenium WebDriver is superior to Selenium RC.

How You Could Answer

“Selenium RC and Selenium WebDriver are two popular Selenium programs. Selenium RC is an older version also known as Selenium 1. It’s now outdated and not actively maintained.

Selenium WebDriver is an improved version of Selenium RC with a simpler programming interface. It uses native drivers to control web browsers and automate web applications. It also allows testers to write code in a variety of programming languages and provides seamless integration with popular testing frameworks such as TestNG and JUnit.

Selenium WebDriver is faster and more reliable than Selenium RC. It doesn’t require a separate server process like Selenium RC does, and it has a more natural and intuitive programming interface for writing automation scripts.”

Question #8: What Are the Different Types of Commands in Selenium WebDriver?

As a Selenium tester, you’ll use commands to automate tests and dynamic elements on web apps. When answering Selenium interview questions about commands, include the following information:

• A brief definition of commands.
• An explanation of the three types of commands.
• A description of each type of command.

How You Could Answer

“Commands are actions performed on web pages when browser activity occurs. Selenium WebDriver works with three types of commands: navigation commands, web element commands, and browser control commands.

Navigation commands navigate to specific URLs, refresh web pages, or move backward or forward in browser histories. These include driver.get(URL), driver.navigate().refresh(), driver.navigate().back(), and driver.navigate().forward().

Web element commands interact with web elements such as buttons or forms. Examples include element.click(), element.sendKeys(“text”), element.getText(), and element.getAttribute(“attributename”).

Browser control commands manage browser windows during actions such as minimizing and maximizing, switching, or closing browser windows. These include driver.manage().window().maximize(), driver.switchTo().window(“window handle”), and driver.close().”

Question #9: Describe the Difference Between driver.findElement() and driver.findElements() in Selenium WebDriver.

You can answer Selenium interview questions about driver.findElement() and driver.findElements() by:

• Defining both driver.findElement() and driver.findElements().
• Explaining how both methods work in Selenium WebDriver.

How You Could Answer

“Both driver.findElement() and driver.findElements() are Selenium methods in WebDriver that locate elements on web pages by ID, name, class name, and CSS selector.

The driver.findElement() method finds and returns the first element matching a specified locator strategy. It returns a single WebElement object and provides a ‘NoSuchElementException’ if no match is found.

On the other hand, driver.findElements() finds and returns a list of all matching elements for a given locator strategy. It also returns an empty list if it can’t locate any matches.”

Question #10: What Is the Page Object Model (POM) in Selenium WebDriver and How Does It Work?

The POM is a key feature in Maven, a build automation tool used in a variety of web and app development and testing programs. When answering Selenium interview questions about the POM, demonstrate your understanding of how it works with Selenium with:

• A brief definition of the POM.
• A description of what the POM does.
• The benefits of using the POM in Selenium WebDriver.

How You Could Answer

“The Page Object Model (POM) is a fundamental unit of work in Maven that creates object-oriented page classes that represent the web pages of an application. It’s used in Selenium WebDriver to manage web elements and their interactions on different web pages and allow for more readable, maintainable, and reusable test code.

Additionally, it reduces the need for lengthy and complex test scripts and improves test coverage by storing all user interface elements into an object depository.”

Selenium Java Interview Questions and Answers

Next, you’ll find two sample interview questions on Selenium Java. Here, you’ll learn how to explain why Java and Selenium work together and how to run a Selenium test script in Java.

Question #11: Why Is Java Used With Selenium?

Java is one of the most widely used programming languages for automating testing in Selenium. To demonstrate your understanding of how to use Java:

• Explain why Java and Selenium are compatible.
• Describe how they work together to automate testing.

How You Could Answer

“Java works in tandem with Selenium to automate testing. Since Java is platform-independent, it works on a variety of operating systems. Plus, Java is easy to use in comparison to other programming languages.

Java works well with Selenium because of the advanced testing frameworks, plugins, and APIs it provides such as JUnit and TestNG. Selenium uses these frameworks to effectively automate application testing.”

Question #12: How Do You Run a Selenium Test Script in Java?

Demonstrate that you know how to run a Selenium test script in Java by doing the following in your answer:

• Briefly describe why you would run a Selenium test script in Java.
• Provide a list of steps to take to run a Selenium test script in Java.

How You Could Answer

“It’s faster to run Selenium test scripts in Java than in other programming languages such as Python. These are the steps I follow when running a Selenium test script in Java:

1. Install Java and set up the environment variables.
2. Download and install an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) such as Eclipse or IntelliJ IDEA.
3. Configure Selenium with an IDE.
4. Add Selenium libraries to your project.
5. Use the WebDriver API to write test scripts in Java.
6. Run the test script using an IDE or command line.”

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