Collections Concepts (Important for Automation)
🔹 Interfaces:
List
Set
Map
Queue
🔹 Classes:
ArrayList, LinkedList
HashSet, LinkedHashSet, TreeSet
HashMap, LinkedHashMap, TreeMap
PriorityQueue, Deque
🔹 Utility Classes:
Collections (sorting, searching, synchronizing)
Arrays (for array-to-list conversions, sorting)
Common Collections Interview Questions (with
Automation Context)
1. What is the difference between List and Set?
List: Allows duplicates, maintains insertion order
Set: No duplicates, unordered (unless
LinkedHashSet or TreeSet)
Used In Automation: Store test data (List),
remove duplicates (Set)
2. Why do we use ArrayList in Selenium
frameworks?
Dynamic sizing
Fast access using index
Common for storing List<WebElement> from
findElements()
3. How do you store key-value data in automation
tests?
Use HashMap<String, String>
Example: Map<String, String> testData = new
HashMap<>();
Store config values, test data, API headers,
etc.
Common Collections Interview Questions (with
Automation Context)
4. How do you handle duplicate test data in your
framework?
Use Set<String> to store data
Automatically removes duplicates (e.g.,
dropdown values)
5. Where have you used Maps in your automation
framework?
Store element locators
Store input data from Excel/JSON
Store expected vs actual results
6. What’s a real use case of TreeMap or TreeSet in
automation?
TreeMap: When sorted keys are needed (e.g.,
module-wise test data)
TreeSet: To store sorted, unique test
identifiers or names
Common Collections Interview Questions (with
Automation Context)
7. How do you remove duplicates from a List?
List<String> unique = new ArrayList<>(new
HashSet<>(originalList));
8. How do you convert:
List to Set: Set<T> set = new HashSet<>(list);
Set to List: List<T> list = new ArrayList<>
(set);
Map keys to List: new ArrayList<>
([Link]());
9. How do you ensure thread safety in collections?
use [Link](),
synchronizedMap()
Apply in parallel test executions
Collections in Automation Testing – Mostly asked
Use Cases in Selenium
1. How do you store WebElements returned by
findElements()?
Use: List<WebElement>
[Link]([Link](...)) returns a list
of matching elements.
You can loop through this list to validate
dropdown items, menu links, etc.
2. How do you manage test data in a data-driven
framework?
Map<String, String> for a single row of test data
(column name →value)
List<Map<String, String>> for multiple rows of
test data
Works well when reading data from Excel,
JSON, or CSV
Allows easy mapping of test case ID →
corresponding inputs and expected values
Collections in Automation Testing – Mostly asked
Use Cases in Selenium
3. How do you store test steps or reusable locators?
Use: HashMap<String, By> or Map<String, String>
Map helps manage element locators by logical
names
Reusable across tests → improves
maintainability of Page Object Models
4. Where do you use Set in Selenium frameworks?
Useful for storing unique values like:
All window handles ([Link]())
Unique dropdown items to avoid duplicates
Prevents duplication without needing manual
checks
Java Collections in API Testing – Key Interview
Questions
1. How do you pass headers in an API request using
Collections?
Use Map<String, String> to store headers
Pass it to .headers() in RestAssured
Example:
Map<String, String> headers = new HashMap<>();
[Link]("Authorization", "Bearer token");
[Link]("Content-Type", "application/json");
given().headers(headers);
2. How do you build dynamic JSON payloads using
Collections?
Use Map<String, Object> for flexible JSON body
Add keys and values dynamically
Works well with POST and PUT requests
Example:
Map<String, Object> body = new HashMap<>();
[Link]("name", "John");
[Link]("age", 30);
given().body(body).post("/users");
Java Collections in API Testing – Key Interview
Questions
3. How do you represent a JSON array of objects
in Java?
Use List<Map<String, Object>>
Each Map is one object in the array
Useful for batch POST or validation
Example:
List<Map<String, Object>> payload = new
ArrayList<>();
Map<String, Object> item1 = new HashMap<>();
[Link]("id", 1); [Link]("name", "A");
Map<String, Object> item2 = new HashMap<>();
[Link]("id", 2); [Link]("name", "B");
[Link](item1);
[Link](item2);
Java Collections in API Testing – Key Interview
Questions
4. How do you extract multiple values from an API
response?
Use List<String> to collect values using
jsonPath()
Example:
List<String> ids =
[Link]().getList("[Link]");
5. How do you validate uniqueness in API responses?
Use Set<String> to store values
Compare size of Set and List to ensure no
duplicates
Example:
List<String> emails =
[Link]().getList("[Link]");
Set<String> uniqueEmails = new HashSet<>
(emails);
assert [Link]() == [Link]();
Java Collections in API Testing – Key Interview
Questions
6. How do you manage multiple responses in a test
flow?
Use Map<String, Response>
Helps store and reuse responses from different
endpoints
Example:
Map<String, Response> apiResponses = new
HashMap<>();
[Link]("createUser", res1);
[Link]("getUser", res2);
7. Why are Collections important in API automation
frameworks?
Enable dynamic request generation
Help in building data-driven tests
Useful for parsing and validating complex JSON
responses
Support clean and reusable code
High-Impact Interview Questions
1. What happens if two keys have the same
hashcode in a HashMap?
Both keys go to the same bucket.
HashMap uses equals() to resolve the key
collision.
If keys are equal, value is updated.
If keys are different, a linked list or tree stores
them.
2. Why is Map not a part of the Collection
interface?
Collection represents a group of elements
(single values).
Map represents key-value pairs, which is a
different structure.
Therefore, Map doesn’t extend Collection.
High-Impact Interview Questions
3. What is the difference between equals() and
hashCode()?
🔹 equals()
Used to compare the actual content (or state) of
two objects.
Example:
String a = new String("test");
String b = new String("test");
[Link]([Link](b)); // true
🔹 hashCode()
Returns an integer value representing the object’s
memory location or calculated hash.
Example:
[Link]([Link]()); // e.g., 3556498
[Link]([Link]()); // same
hashCode as `a`
