If you're preparing for QA roles, this definitive guide on Selenium Python interview questions will help you crack interviews confidently. Whether you're a fresher or an experienced professional, we've compiled a comprehensive list of python selenium automation interview questions that are frequently asked in top companies.
From basic syntax to advanced automation scenarios, this collection covers the most important selenium python interview questions to enhance your preparation. This post is also ideal for those looking for selenium interview questions for freshers who want to break into the test automation field.
Selenium with Python Interview Questions and Answers
1. What is Python and why is it used in automation?
Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language known for its simplicity and versatility. In automation, especially with Selenium, Python is preferred due to its easy syntax, open-source availability, and vast support libraries.
2. How is Python used in Selenium automation testing?
Python is used to write test scripts in Selenium for automating browser actions. It helps in test data generation, report creation, test execution, API testing, and continuous integration
3. Name some popular Python frameworks used in test automation.
Some commonly used frameworks include:
- unittest (built-in Python testing framework)
- pytest
- Robot Framework
- Behave (for BDD)
4. What are some essential tools that support Python development?
Popular tools for Python development include:
- PyCharm IDE
- VS Code
- Eclipse with PyDev
- Jupyter Notebooks
- Notepad++ with PyNPP
5. What is unittest in Python?
unittest is a unit testing framework in Python that provides features like test automation, sharing setup and shutdown code, aggregating tests into test suites, and more.
6. How do you install Selenium for Python?
Use the following pip command:
pip install selenium
Ensure Python is properly installed by checking:
python --version
pip --version
7. What are different locators used in Selenium with Python?
Common locators include:
- ID
- Name
- Class Name
- Tag Name
- Link Text
- Partial Link Text
- CSS Selector
- XPath
8. Which locator is the fastest and which is the slowest?
- Fastest: ID
- Slowest: XPath
9. What are implicit and explicit waits?
Implicit Wait: Applies a wait time to all elements
Explicit Wait: Waits for a specific condition before proceeding.
10. How do you perform mouse and keyboard actions in Selenium?
Use the ActionChains class and Keys module:
from selenium.webdriver.common.action_chains import ActionChains
from selenium.webdriver.common.keys import Keys
11. What is Selenium WebDriver?
Selenium WebDriver is a tool used to automate web application testing by simulating user actions in a browser.
12. What are different drivers in Selenium?
Supported drivers include:
- ChromeDriver
- GeckoDriver (Firefox)
- IEDriver
- SafariDriver
- EdgeDriver
13. Can Selenium handle dynamic elements?
Yes, using dynamic XPath or CSS selectors.
Example:
driver.find_element_by_xpath("//input[contains(@id, 'user')]")
14. What is the difference between close() and quit()?
close() – Closes the current browser window.
quit() – Closes all browser windows and ends the session.
These selenium python interview questions help assess your understanding of locators and commands
15. How do you handle alerts in Selenium?
alert = driver.switch_to.alert
alert.accept() # To accept
alert.dismiss() # To dismiss
16. How do you perform drag and drop using Selenium?
action = ActionChains(driver)
action.drag_and_drop(source, target).perform()
17. How do you handle dropdowns?
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import Select
dropdown = Select(driver.find_element_by_id("dropdownId"))
dropdown.select_by_visible_text("OptionText")
18. Can Selenium automate desktop apps?
No. Selenium only supports web application testing.
19. Can Selenium be used for data-driven testing?
Yes. By integrating with Excel, CSV, or databases, you can pass test data dynamically.
These are basic selenium interview questions for freshers that cover locators and browser actions
20. Why choose Python for Selenium automation?
Python is concise, readable, and has a rich ecosystem. It simplifies the process of writing and maintaining test scripts, making it ideal for selenium python interview questions.
For a detailed and practical guide on setup and scripting, check out this Selenium Python tutorial - a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced testers.
21. How do you take screenshots?
driver.save_screenshot("screenshot.png")
22. How do you open a browser and navigate to a URL using Selenium with Python?
Example:
from selenium import webdriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://example.com"
23. How do you retrieve text from a web element?
element.text
element.get_attribute("innerText")
24. How do you navigate using Selenium?
driver.back()
driver.forward()
driver.refresh()
25. How do you define a function in Python?
def function_name():
# function body
26. What is indentation in Python?
Python uses indentation (whitespace) to define blocks of code instead of braces.
27. What are some default unittest methods in Python?
def setUp(self): pass
@classmethod
def setUpClass(cls): pass
def tearDown(self): pass
@classmethod
def tearDownClass(cls): pass
28. What is the role of the Action class?
The Action class allows you to simulate complex user gestures like mouse movement, hover, drag-and-drop, etc.
29. Can Selenium handle browser popups?
Selenium cannot handle OS-level popups but can handle web-based JavaScript alerts using switch_to.alert.
30. How do you read data from a web table?
def get_data(row, col):
table = driver.find_element_by_id("table_id")
rows = table.find_elements_by_tag_name("tr")
cells = rows[row].find_elements_by_tag_name("td")
return cells[col].text
These are basic selenium interview questions for freshers that cover locators and browser actions
31. What is the Page Object Model (POM) in Selenium?
POM is a design pattern that creates an object repository for web UI elements. It enhances test maintenance and reduces code duplication by separating the test scripts from the page-specific code.
32. How do you handle dynamic web elements in Selenium?
Dynamic elements can be handled using dynamic XPath expressions, CSS selectors, or by implementing explicit waits to wait for elements to become available.
33. What is the difference between driver.find_element() and driver.find_elements()?
find_element() returns the first matching web element, whereas find_elements() returns a list of all matching elements.
34. How can you perform mouse hover action in Selenium using Python?
By using the ActionChains class:
from selenium.webdriver.common.action_chains import ActionChains
action = ActionChains(driver)
element = driver.find_element(By.ID, "element_id")
action.move_to_element(element).perform()
35. Explain the use of unittest in Python Selenium automation.
unittest is a built-in Python module that supports test automation, sharing of setups, aggregation of tests, and independence of the tests from the reporting framework.
36. How do you handle JavaScript alerts in Selenium?
By switching to the alert using driver.switch_to.alert and then using methods like accept(), dismiss(), or send_keys().
37. What is the purpose of implicitly_wait() in Selenium?
It tells the WebDriver to wait for a certain amount of time before throwing a NoSuchElementException. It applies to all elements in the script.
38. How can you capture screenshots in Selenium WebDriver?
Using the get_screenshot_as_file() method:
driver.get_screenshot_as_file("screenshot.png")
39. What are the different types of waits available in Selenium?
- Implicit Wait: Tells WebDriver to poll the DOM for a certain time when trying to find an element before throwing an exception.
- Explicit Wait: Waits for a specific condition to occur before proceeding further in the code.
- Fluent Wait: Waits for a condition with a custom polling frequency and can ignore specific exceptions during the wait period.
40. How do you handle frames in Selenium?
By switching to the frame using driver.switch_to.frame() and switching back using driver.switch_to.default_content().
Here’s a complete list of python selenium automation interview questions covering all levels of expertise.
41. What is the difference between close() and quit() methods?
close(): Closes the current browser window.
quit(): Closes all browser windows and ends the WebDriver session.
42. How can you upload a file using Selenium WebDriver?
By sending the file path to the file input element:
driver.find_element(By.ID, "upload").send_keys("C:\path\to\file.txt")
43. What is the use of Select class in Selenium?
The Select class is used to handle dropdowns in Selenium. It provides methods like select_by_visible_text(), select_by_index(), and select_by_value()
44. How do you perform drag and drop in Selenium?
Using ActionChains:
from selenium.webdriver.common.action_chains import ActionChains
action = ActionChains(driver)
source = driver.find_element(By.ID, "source")
target = driver.find_element(By.ID, "target")
action.drag_and_drop(source, target).perform()
45. What is XPath, and how is it used in Selenium?
XPath is a language used to locate nodes in XML documents. In Selenium, it's used to locate elements on a web page.
46. How do you handle multiple windows in Selenium?
By using driver.window_handles to get the list of window handles and driver.switch_to.window() to switch between them.
47. What is the difference between absolute and relative XPath?
Absolute XPath: Starts from the root node and follows a complete path.
Relative XPath: Starts from the current node and is more flexible.
48. How can you maximize the browser window in Selenium?
Using driver.maximize_window() method.
49. What are the advantages of using Selenium with Python?
- Easy to learn and use
- Extensive support libraries
- Integration with other tools
- Mid-level candidates should be familiar with these selenium python interview questions to demonstrate practical skills.
50. How do you handle SSL certificate errors in Selenium?
By setting desired capabilities to accept insecure certificates.
51. What is the use of is_displayed() method in Selenium?
It checks if a web element is visible to the user.
52. How can you scroll a web page using Selenium?
Using JavaScript executor:
driver.execute_script("window.scrollTo(0, document.body.scrollHeight);")
53. What is the difference between get_attribute() and text in Selenium?
get_attribute(): Retrieves the value of an element's attribute.
text: Retrieves the visible text of an element.
54. How do you handle cookies in Selenium?
Using methods like add_cookie(), get_cookies(), and delete_all_cookies().
55. What is the purpose of driver.page_source?
It returns the HTML source of the current page
56. How can you handle AJAX calls in Selenium?
By implementing explicit waits to wait for elements to load after AJAX calls.
57. What is the use of clear() method in Selenium?
It clears the text from input fields.
58. How do you verify the title of a web page in Selenium?
Using driver.title and asserting it against the expected title.
59. What is Fluent Wait in Selenium?
Fluent Wait defines the maximum amount of time to wait for a condition, as well as the frequency with which to check the condition before throwing an exception.
Here are practical python automation interview questions involving navigation, locators, and element checks
60. How do you handle dropdowns without using the Select class?
By clicking on the dropdown and then selecting the desired option using XPath or CSS selectors.
61. What is the difference between assert and verify in Selenium?
assert: Stops the test execution if the condition is false.
verify: Continues the test execution even if the condition is false.
62. How can you run Selenium tests in headless mode?
By setting browser options to headless. For Chrome:
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
options = Options()
options.headless = True
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
63. What is the use of driver.current_url?
It returns the URL of the current page.
64. How do you handle timeouts in Selenium?
By setting implicit, explicit, or page load timeouts using WebDriver methods.
65. What are desired capabilities in Selenium?
They are a set of key-value pairs used to configure the WebDriver instance.
66. How can you take a screenshot of a specific element in Selenium?
By capturing the entire page and cropping the desired element using image processing libraries like PIL.
67. What is the use of driver.quit()?
It closes all browser windows and ends the WebDriver session.
68. How do you handle browser navigation in Selenium?
Using methods like driver.back(), driver.forward(), and driver.refresh().
69. What is the difference between find_element_by_xpath() and find_element(By.XPATH, value)?
The former is a deprecated method; the latter is the recommended approach using the By class.
70. How can you perform right-click action in Selenium?
Using ActionChains class:
from selenium.webdriver.common.action_chains import ActionChains
action = ActionChains(driver)
element = driver.find_element(By.ID, "element_id")
action.context_click(element).perform()
71. What is the use of driver.get() method?
It navigates to a specified URL.
72. How do you handle broken links in Selenium?
By collecting all link elements and sending HTTP requests to check their response status codes.
73. What is the difference between driver.get() and driver.navigate().to()?
In Selenium with Python, driver.get() is used
Mastering these selenium python interview questions ensures you're job-ready for automation projects
74. How do you check if a checkbox or radio button is selected in Selenium?
You can use the .is_selected() method:
checkbox = driver.find_element(By.ID, "check1")
print(checkbox.is_selected())
75. How can you verify if an element exists on a page in Selenium?
Use a try-except block with NoSuchElementException:
from selenium.common.exceptions import NoSuchElementException
try:
driver.find_element(By.ID, "element_id")
print("Element exists")
except NoSuchElementException:
print("Element does not exist")
76. What is WebDriverWait and how do you use it?
WebDriverWait is used for explicit waits. It waits until a certain condition is met before proceeding:
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC
element = WebDriverWait(driver, 10).until(
EC.presence_of_element_located((By.ID, "element_id"))
)
77. How do you run Selenium tests in parallel?
You can use tools like pytest-xdist, unittest with threading, or Selenium Grid to run tests in parallel and speed up execution.
78. How do you close a specific tab in Selenium if multiple tabs are open?
Switch to the tab using window_handles and then use close():
handles = driver.window_handles
driver.switch_to.window(handles[1]) # Switch to second tab
driver.close()
79. How can you simulate pressing keyboard keys in Selenium?
Use send_keys() method with Keys class:
from selenium.webdriver.common.keys import Keys
driver.find_element(By.ID, "input").send_keys(Keys.ENTER)
80. What are some limitations of Selenium WebDriver?
No built-in reporting
Cannot handle CAPTCHAs
Limited to web applications only
Needs third-party tools for image comparison and test management
Wrap Up
Mastering Selenium with Python is a valuable skill for any QA or automation testing professional. These 80+ carefully written by our engineers, Selenium Python interview questions and answers provide a solid foundation for fresher and experienced candidates alike. From basic browser automation to advanced topics like parallel execution, waits, and dynamic element handling, this guide ensures you're well-prepared for technical interviews.
Whether you're targeting manual-to-automation transitions, entry-level jobs, or senior QA roles, revisiting these Python Selenium questions can significantly boost your confidence and interview success rate.
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