Write good tests and define integration tests

Q: Write good tests and define integration tests

This question evaluates test-design skills and competencies in automated testing, including understanding of unit, integration, and end-to-end tests, test fixtures, determinism, common causes of flaky tests, and trade-offs between isolation and realism within the Software Engineering Fundamentals domain.

Q: How do I approach Software Engineering Fundamentals interview questions?

Software Engineering Fundamentals questions require understanding of core concepts and practice. PracHub provides solutions with explanations to help you master software engineering fundamentals interviews.

Question

Test Design: Definitions, Trade-offs, and Best Practices

Context

You're building a small service for a take-home project (e.g., a REST API with a database and a third-party dependency like a payment gateway). Explain how you would design a reliable test suite.

Tasks

Define the layers of automated testing:
- Unit tests
- Integration tests
- End-to-end (E2E) tests
Explain the purpose and scope of integration testing (what to include/avoid, boundaries, and when to use it).
Discuss isolation vs. realism in tests and how to balance them.
Describe test fixtures (what they are, types, and good practices).
Explain determinism in tests and how to ensure it.
List common causes of flaky tests and how to prevent/fix them.
Provide concrete examples throughout.

Write good tests and define integration tests

Test Design: Definitions, Trade-offs, and Best Practices

Context

Tasks

Solution

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Write good tests and define integration tests

Overview

Test Design: Definitions, Trade-offs, and Best Practices

Context

Tasks

Solution

Comments (0)