The primary goal of software testing is to identify bugs and ensure that the software functions as expected, meeting both user requirements and business goals.

Manual testing requires human intervention to execute test cases, while automation testing uses scripts and tools to run tests automatically, improving speed and accuracy.

While manual testing doesn’t require coding, learning basic programming is essential for automation testing and enhances your overall testing capabilities.

Popular tools include Selenium, TestNG, JUnit, Cypress, Playwright, and REST Assured for API testing. Selenium remains the industry standard for web automation.

API testing ensures that application programming interfaces (APIs) return correct responses and handle edge cases effectively, making it crucial for modern web and mobile apps.

Agile promotes continuous testing throughout the development lifecycle, encouraging early bug detection, fast feedback loops, and collaboration with developers and stakeholders.

ISTQB, Certified Selenium Tester, and CP-SAT are widely recognized certifications that enhance credibility and career opportunities in QA roles.

Regression testing involves re-running existing test cases after code changes to ensure that new updates haven’t broken any existing functionality.

Functional testing checks if the software behaves as expected, while performance testing evaluates its responsiveness, stability, and scalability under load.

Absolutely. With experience, testers can move into roles like QA Lead, Test Architect, Business Analyst, DevOps Engineer, or even transition into development or product roles.