5 SoapUI Interview Questions (With Sample Answers And Tips)

Updated 5 February 2023

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Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a messaging protocol that facilitates the exchange of structured information over the Internet. SoapUI is an automated testing tool for various types of testing, such as functional, regression and load testing on web services and application programming interfaces (APIs). If you are interviewing for a user-interface (UI) tester or a similar role, learning about frequently asked questions and knowing how to answer them can help you in your interview preparation.

In this article, we discuss several SoapUI interview questions and their sample answers and share tips that can help you prepare for your next interview.

SoapUI Interview Questions With Sample Answers

SoapUI interview questions may include a mix of general and technical questions to help interviewers assess if you are a suitable candidate for the role. Interviewers use these questions to evaluate your understanding of basic concepts, professional background and experience. Here are some examples of responses you can use as a guide:

1. What are web services? What are its components?

This question assesses your basic understanding of web services. In your answer, explain web services and their components. You can also provide an example to support your answer.

Example answer: 'Web services are software systems that support interaction between machines on a network. You can use these services to connect, inter-operate and exchange data between two points over Internet or intranet networks. For example, consider an e-commerce site hosted on the internet. A user wants to view the price of an item in the online store. The user, who is the client, sends a request to the server hosting the web service. The server receives the request, processes it and sends a response to the user, which displays the product's price.

Web services have three components which include SOAP, WSDL and UDDI. SOAP is an XML-based messaging protocol that facilitates communication between applications. WSDL is an XML document that contains information such as the method name, parameter name and ways to access web services. UDDI is an XML based framework for discovering, describing and integrating web services.'

2. What are the key features of SoapUI?

This question assesses your knowledge of the basic functionalities that SoapUI provides. List the key features of SoapUI in your answer.

Example answer: 'SoapUI provides a user-friendly GUI that enables new users to get acquainted with its features. It provides drag-and-drop features to build complex test cases and scenarios, without having to write complex scripts in the background. This tool makes it easier to perform functional and smoke testing. You can also use its debugging feature to watch the test execution step-by-step.

The software also provides features for vulnerability testing, which helps protect websites from intrusions and viruses. You can use this tool to perform load testing, which evaluates the software's performance during heavy loads. You can write custom scripts in SoapUI to automate complex scenarios. The tool supports data-driven testing and provides functionalities to perform bulk insert, update and delete related testing activities. It also has a command-line interface to test APIs effectively.'

3. Can you describe the format of a SOAP message?

Interviewers may ask this question to determine your knowledge of the structure of a SOAP message. Explain the components of a SOAP message in your answer.

Example answer: 'The SOAP message is in the form of an encoded XML message containing four elements. The elements are Envelope, Header, Body and Fault. SOAP Envelope is the root element of a SOAP message and denotes its start and endpoints. It is a mandatory element of a SOAP message and contains the Header and Body elements. SOAP Header is an optional part of the Envelope, which includes new features and functionalities. The Header element is the first immediate child element of the SOAP Envelope and can occur multiple times in a message.

SOAP Body is a mandatory element contained within the SOAP Envelope. It carries information intended for the message recipient. It is necessary for the body to follow the structure defined in the SOAP schema. You can only have one Body element in the message. The Body element can contain either data or fault information. The Fault element is the sub-element of the SOAP Body that is useful for reporting errors. The error message includes a predefined code, an error description and the address where the error occurred.'

4. Describe the SOAP message path.

Interviewers may ask this question to assess your knowledge of how the SOAP message passes between multiple points. List the steps involved in transmitting the SOAP message from one node to another.

Example answer: 'The SOAP message is unidirectional and can pass directly between the sender and receiver or between multiple intermediary nodes. The SOAP sender sends the message intended for the SOAP receiver which receives the message. This is an example of simple communication. If the transmission is complex, there are additional intermediary nodes that behave as both senders and receivers of the message.

The SOAP targeting model facilitates the transmission of the message between nodes. It is a decentralised message-transmission concept and does not provide a mechanism for message transmission. Instead, you can bind SOAP to various application layer protocols, such as HTTP or SMTP, to transmit the message between nodes. These protocols provide well-defined paths and message-exchange patterns to facilitate message transfer between nodes.'

5. List the types of assertions available in SoapUI?

This question evaluates your understanding of assertions in SoapUI. Explain what assertions are and provide some examples in your answer.

Example answer: 'Assertions are a set of validation rules that verify if a server's response contains the same result as expected. For example, when you send a message to the server to run a task, the server receives this message as a request and generates a response. Assertions validate this response. You can either test the entire message or a portion of the XML message. Types of assertions include Property Content, Compliance Status Standard, Script, Security, SLA and JDBC.

Property Content checks for properties present in a server response. Compliance Status Standard assertion checks the status of fault messages in the response. You can also use it to check the schema compliance in the XML response. Script assertions allow users to run custom scripts that contain user-defined validation logic to test the server responses. Security assertion is essential to authenticate the response and ensure it does not disclose any sensitive information. SLA assertion verifies if the previously received response is within the set time limit. JDBC assertion contains JDBC status that checks the status of query execution.'

Tips To Prepare For A SoapUI Interview

Here are some tips that can help you prepare for your next SoapUI interview:

Revise important concepts

Revising before an interview helps you identify areas of improvement. When preparing for a SoapUI interview, go through the following:

Go through the concept of web services and various protocols.
Learn how web services work and review relevant examples.
Learn how SoapUI works.
Read the advantages and limitations of SoapUI.
Learn the differences between SoapUI and REST API.
Learn various types of testing and how SoapUI supports each of them.
Read about the default properties of SoapUI.

After revising the key concepts, go through your past projects and detail your essential tasks and implementation details.

Learn the STAR technique

The STAR technique, where STAR stands for situation, task, action and result, can help you be prepared to handle real-time situations related to the job. This approach allows you to prove your experience and skills for the job by providing real-life examples. For example, in response to behavioural questions, you can share relevant details, your responsibilities, the steps you took and the situation's outcome. Sharing your experience helps hiring managers decide if you are suitable for the job.

Review the job description

Before appearing for a job interview, it is important to understand the job role and responsibilities. Since interviewers often look for specific qualifications and skills, include keywords from the job description in your resume and cover letter. Getting a general idea of the company's products and clients is also essential before you attend an interview. You can do this by visiting the company's website, networking with current employees and going through the company's white paper, documentation and blogs.

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