The questions you face will heavily emphasize practical coding and scenario-based automation. While the exact questions will vary, the following examples represent the core patterns you should be prepared to handle.

Java Programming & Logic

These questions test your core algorithmic thinking and familiarity with Java syntax, usually appearing in the second technical round.

• Write a Java program to reverse a string without using built-in reverse functions.
• How do you find the missing number in an integer array of 1 to 100?
• Write a program to count the occurrences of each word in a given string.
• Explain the difference between an Interface and an Abstract Class in Java, and provide an example of when to use each.
• Write a Java program to remove duplicate elements from an ArrayList.

Test Automation (Selenium & REST Assured)

These questions assess your hands-on ability to interact with web elements and backend services.

• Write a code snippet using REST Assured to validate that a specific key-value pair exists in a JSON response.
• How do you handle dynamic web tables in Selenium where the row count changes?
• Explain the difference between Assert and Verify in test automation.
• Write a Selenium script to handle a scenario where a new browser tab opens after clicking a link.
• How do you pass data between multiple API requests in REST Assured?

Scenario & Behavioral Questions

These questions evaluate how you approach testing in a real-world business context and how you fit into the company culture.

• Tell me about a time you found a critical bug right before a major release. How did you handle it?
• Walk me through how you would test a flight search page that filters by date, airline, and price.
• Describe a situation where you disagreed with a developer about whether a reported issue was a bug or a feature.
• How do you prioritize which test cases to automate first when time is limited?
• Tell me about a time you had to present technical information to a non-technical stakeholder.

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This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from your initial technical screens through to the final cultural fitment panel. Use this to pace your preparation, focusing heavily on live coding and automation frameworks early on, and shifting to behavioral and team-fit narratives for the final stage. Keep in mind that scheduling between the technical rounds and the final manager round can sometimes experience delays depending on team availability.

5. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed as a QA Engineer, you must prove your technical depth across a few core domains. The technical interviews are highly practical, and you will be expected to write compiling, logical code.

Core Java Programming

Your foundation in Java is the most heavily tested area during the second technical round. Interviewers want to see that you understand data structures, loops, and object-oriented programming principles, as these are essential for building scalable automation frameworks. Strong performance here means writing clean, efficient code without relying heavily on your IDE's auto-complete features.

Be ready to go over:

• String and Array Manipulation – Reversing strings, finding duplicates, or sorting arrays.
• Collections Framework – Using HashMaps, ArrayLists, and HashSets to store and retrieve test data efficiently.
• Object-Oriented Programming – Demonstrating inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation in the context of page object models.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Exception handling strategies, multithreading basics, and Java Streams.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write a Java program to find the second largest element in an array."
• "Create a method that takes a string and returns the count of each character using a HashMap."
• "Write a Java program to check if a given string is a palindrome."

API Automation with REST Assured

Because modern travel platforms rely heavily on microservices, backend testing is critical. You will be evaluated on your ability to validate APIs using REST Assured. You must know how to construct requests, handle authentication, and assert complex JSON responses.

Be ready to go over:

• HTTP Methods – Structuring GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests.
• JSON Parsing – Extracting specific values from deeply nested JSON payloads.
• Assertions – Validating status codes, response times, and payload data against expected outcomes.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Handling OAuth tokens, data-driven API testing, and chaining API requests.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write a REST Assured script to send a POST request with a JSON payload and validate that the response status code is 201."
• "How do you extract a specific token from a JSON response and pass it to the next API call?"
• "Demonstrate how you would validate a response body that returns an array of travel itineraries."

UI Automation with Selenium

Web UI automation is a staple for the QA Engineer role at American Express Global Business Travel. You will be asked to write code to interact with web elements, handle synchronization issues, and implement the Page Object Model (POM) design pattern.

Be ready to go over:

• Dynamic Locators – Writing robust XPath and CSS selectors that do not break when the UI changes slightly.
• Synchronization – Implementing implicit, explicit, and fluent waits to handle dynamic loading elements.
• Action Classes – Handling dropdowns, hovers, alerts, and multiple browser windows.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Integrating Selenium with Cucumber (BDD) or TestNG for reporting.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write a Selenium script to log into a portal, navigate to a booking page, and select a date from a dynamic calendar widget."
• "How do you handle a scenario where an element is present in the DOM but not yet clickable?"
• "Explain how you would structure a Page Object Model for a checkout flow."

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