Preparing for an interview at Milliman requires a balanced approach. You must demonstrate strong technical capabilities in automation and database querying while showcasing a structured, analytical mindset that values extreme precision.

To stand out, focus your preparation on the following key evaluation criteria:

Role-Related Knowledge – You must possess a deep understanding of software testing fundamentals, including the SDLC, STLC, and bug tracking. Be ready to explain manual testing concepts with the same depth as automation frameworks, as Milliman values engineers who understand what to test, not just how to write scripts.

Technical & Automation Rigor – Expect to write code on the spot, whether it is basic logic algorithms (like prime numbers or string manipulation) or SQL queries. Your familiarity with OOPs concepts and frameworks like Selenium WebDriver must be practical and conceptual, allowing you to explain the underlying mechanics of your automation tools.

Problem-Solving & Analytical Thinking – Interviewers will present you with complex, sometimes ambiguous scenarios. They want to see how you break down a problem, identify edge cases, design structured test cases, and systematically isolate root causes of defects.

Culture Fit & Communication – Because QA Engineers at Milliman interact closely with developers, business analysts, and consulting teams, you must communicate technical concepts clearly and respectfully. Showing adaptability, curiosity, and a commitment to high-quality standards is vital.

The interview process for a QA Engineer at Milliman is structured to evaluate both your technical proficiency and your behavioral alignment with the company's collaborative culture. While the process is generally well-organized and moves relatively quickly, the exact steps can vary slightly depending on your location, experience level, and whether you are joining via campus recruitment or lateral hiring.

For most lateral hires, the journey begins with an initial phone screen with a recruiter to discuss your background and salary expectations. This is typically followed by an online technical assessment. Once you pass the assessment, you will move into a series of technical and managerial interviews, which may be conducted individually or as a panel.

The final stages focus heavily on team fit, system design or scenario-based testing, and a discussion with senior leadership to ensure alignment with Milliman's operational standards and hybrid work policies.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression of the Milliman hiring pipeline for engineering roles. You should use this sequence to pace your preparation, ensuring you master your core programming and SQL skills before advancing to scenario-based panel discussions. Be aware that the exact timing and number of rounds can shift depending on regional hiring team availability.

To succeed in the Milliman technical rounds, you must understand the specific competencies your interviewers are looking to evaluate.

Core Programming & OOPs Foundations

Milliman expects its QA Engineers to write clean, modular, and maintainable automation code. This requires a strong grasp of programming fundamentals and object-oriented design patterns.

Be ready to go over:

• OOPs Principles – Detailed explanations of encapsulation, polymorphism, inheritance, and abstraction, with practical examples of how they apply to building page object models in test automation.
• Basic Coding Logic – Writing simple algorithms on the spot, such as checking for prime numbers, reversing strings, or finding duplicates in an array.
• Control Flow & Syntax – Proper usage of loops (for, while, do-while), conditional statements, and error-handling mechanisms (try-catch blocks).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write a code snippet that demonstrates how you would use encapsulation to protect your locators in an automation framework."
• "Explain the difference between method overloading and method overriding, and how you have used them in your test scripts."

Database & SQL Testing

Because Milliman's core business revolves around data-heavy actuarial modeling, database testing is a major evaluation area. You must prove you can verify data integrity beyond the user interface.

Be ready to go over:

• SQL Queries – Writing queries utilizing joins, aggregations (GROUP BY, HAVING), subqueries, and analytical functions.
• Data Validation Strategies – How to perform end-to-end testing by verifying that data entered in UI fields is correctly processed and stored in the database.
• Database Constraints – Understanding primary keys, foreign keys, indexes, and how they maintain data consistency.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write an SQL query to retrieve all employees who earn more than the average salary of their respective departments."
• "How would you design a test plan to validate a database migration project where schema structures are changing?"

UI & API Automation Frameworks

You will be assessed on your ability to design, implement, and troubleshoot automated test suites for both web applications and backend services.

Be ready to go over:

• Selenium WebDriver – Element locator strategies (XPath, CSS selectors), handling dynamic synchronization, and managing driver instances.
• API Testing Fundamentals – Validating RESTful APIs, inspecting JSON/XML payloads, verifying status codes, and executing automated API tests using tools like Postman or RestAssured.
• Advanced automation concepts (less common) – Integrating automation suites with CI/CD pipelines, parallel test execution, and custom test reporting frameworks.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "What is your approach to handling flaky tests in a UI automation suite?"
• "Walk me through how you would automate the testing of a secure API endpoint that requires OAuth2 authentication."

Testing Lifecycle & Scenario Analysis

This area evaluates your logical approach to quality assurance, testing methodologies, and how you handle real-world software delivery challenges.

Be ready to go over:

• SDLC & STLC – The specific roles and deliverables of a QA engineer at each phase of software development.
• Bug Lifecycle – How to write clear, actionable bug reports and manage defects through their entire lifecycle.
• Scenario-Based Testing – Designing test cases for complex business logic, edge cases, and boundary conditions.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "If a critical bug is found in production, what steps do you take to investigate, and how do you update your test suite to prevent it from happening again?"
• "How do you determine your testing scope when a developer informs you that only a 'minor code change' was made to a core calculation engine?"