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