Automation Testing / SDET

What you will be able to do

• Derive test cases systematically with equivalence partitioning, boundary values, decision tables and state transitions
• Write clear, reproducible bug reports with evidence
• Automate reliable browser tests with Playwright locators, web-first assertions and auto-waiting
• Structure a framework with page objects, custom fixtures and managed test data
• Test REST APIs and verify stored data with SQL in the same suite
• Run tests in parallel in GitHub Actions and diagnose failures with reports and traces
• Investigate and fix flaky tests, and add visual, accessibility and basic load checks

About this course

Syllabus

This syllabus is a draft awaiting instructor review. Topics, order and schedule may change before the first batch is announced.

1. 01Testing fundamentals and test design+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Why we test, how to decide what to test, and how to report what you find.

   Learning objectives

   • Explain where testing fits in the development lifecycle and the test pyramid
   • Derive test cases with equivalence partitioning, boundary values, decision tables and state transitions
   • Prioritise testing effort by risk
   • Write a reproducible bug report with clear evidence

   Live sessions

   1. 01Testing in the software lifecycle2 hVerification and validation, test levels and types, the test pyramid, what to automate and what not to; a tour of the practice application.
   2. 02Equivalence partitioning and boundary values2 hValid and invalid partitions, two- and three-value boundary analysis, applying both to forms, prices, dates and seat limits in the booking app.
   3. 03Decision tables, state transitions and risk-based testing2 hDecision tables for business rules, state diagrams for booking status, likelihood-and-impact risk scoring to decide what to test first.
   4. 04Bug reporting workshop and doubt-clearing2 hAnatomy of a good bug report, severity versus priority, capturing screenshots, network logs and console errors; open questions.

   Practice

   Design test cases for the booking app’s sign-up and booking rules using each technique, and report three defects you find by exploration.

   Assessment

   Assignment: a test design document for one feature plus two bug reports, reviewed with written feedback.

   You will be able to

   You can design a focused, justified set of test cases and report defects that developers can reproduce.

2. 02TypeScript essentials for testers+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Enough TypeScript and Node.js to write clean, typed test code with confidence.

   Learning objectives

   • Set up a Node.js and TypeScript project with npm and VS Code
   • Use types, interfaces, functions, arrays and objects in test code
   • Write and debug asynchronous code with promises and async/await

   Live sessions

   1. 05Node.js, npm and TypeScript setup2 hInstalling Node.js, npm scripts and package.json, tsconfig basics, running and debugging TypeScript in VS Code, Git for your test repository.
   2. 06Types, functions and objects2 hPrimitive and literal types, interfaces and type aliases, union types, optional values, arrays, objects and destructuring, arrow functions.
   3. 07Asynchronous code with async/await2 hWhy browser automation is asynchronous, promises, async/await, the cost of a missing await, try/catch and error messages that help.
   4. 08Classes, modules and doubt-clearing2 hClasses and constructors, import and export, organising helper modules; TypeScript compiler errors explained; open questions.

   Practice

   Short typed exercises: parse test data from JSON, write async helper functions and fix deliberately broken TypeScript.

   Assessment

   Quiz on types, async/await and modules (auto-marked).

   You will be able to

   You can read and write the TypeScript that a Playwright framework is made of.

3. 03Playwright fundamentals+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Write your first reliable browser tests with locators, assertions and auto-waiting.

   Learning objectives

   • Install Playwright and configure projects for Chromium, Firefox and WebKit
   • Choose resilient, user-facing locators
   • Use web-first assertions and understand auto-waiting and actionability

   Live sessions

   1. 09Your first Playwright test2 hInstalling Playwright Test, playwright.config.ts, test and describe, running headed and headless, UI mode and codegen as a starting point, not a finished test.
   2. 10Locators that survive change2 hgetByRole, getByLabel, getByText and getByTestId; filtering and chaining locators; strictness; why CSS and XPath are a last resort.
   3. 11Assertions and auto-waiting2 hWeb-first assertions such as toBeVisible and toHaveText, actionability checks, timeouts, soft assertions, and why fixed sleeps make tests slow and flaky.
   4. 12Automation lab and doubt-clearing2 hAutomate the sign-up and search test cases from module 1 together; reviewing each other’s locators; open questions.

   Practice

   Automate ten of your module 1 test cases against the practice application across three browsers.

   Assessment

   Assignment: a pull request with the automated tests, reviewed for locator and assertion quality.

   You will be able to

   You can write readable browser tests that wait correctly and fail with useful messages.

4. 04Page objects and fixtures+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Keep a growing suite maintainable with page objects, fixtures and shared sign-in.

   Learning objectives

   • Model pages and components as page objects with clear responsibilities
   • Use built-in fixtures and write custom fixtures for setup and teardown
   • Reuse authenticated state safely with storage state

   Live sessions

   1. 13The page object model2 hPage and component objects, exposing user actions rather than selectors, keeping assertions in tests, avoiding god objects.
   2. 14Built-in and custom fixtures2 hpage, context, browser and request fixtures; test.extend for custom fixtures; fixture scope, dependencies and automatic teardown.
   3. 15Authentication and storage state2 hSigning in once with a setup project, storageState files, testing several user roles, keeping credentials out of the repository with environment variables.
   4. 16Refactoring lab and review2 hRefactor the module 3 tests into page objects and fixtures; code review checklist for test code; doubt-clearing.

   Practice

   Refactor your suite to page objects and add learner and admin role tests using storage state.

   Assessment

   Project milestone 1: a refactored suite with page objects and at least two custom fixtures.

   You will be able to

   You can organise UI tests so that a change in the application means a change in one place.

5. 05API testing and SQL data validation+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Test below the UI: REST APIs with Playwright’s request context and stored data with SQL.

   Learning objectives

   • Test REST endpoints with Playwright’s APIRequestContext
   • Validate response status, headers and body shape, including negative and authorisation cases
   • Verify stored data in PostgreSQL with parameterised SQL queries

   Live sessions

   1. 17API testing with the request context2 hHTTP methods and status codes, the request fixture, GET, POST, PATCH and DELETE calls, checking JSON bodies and headers.
   2. 18Negative, authorisation and contract checks2 hInvalid input and boundary values at the API, tokens and roles, checking that one user cannot read another’s data, validating response shapes with a schema.
   3. 19Validating stored data with SQL2 hSQL refresher, connecting with the pg client, parameterised queries, checking that bookings, payments and audit rows match what the UI reported.
   4. 20UI, API and database lab and doubt-clearing2 hOne booking journey checked at all three levels; choosing the cheapest level for each check; open questions.

   Practice

   Write API tests for the booking endpoints, including five negative cases, and add SQL checks for the stored results.

   Assessment

   Assignment: an API and data-validation test pack with a short note on what each level covers.

   You will be able to

   You can test an application’s API and data directly, not only through its screens.

6. 06Framework architecture and test data+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Grow the suite into a framework a team can share, with reliable test data.

   Learning objectives

   • Design a framework folder structure and configuration for several environments
   • Build reusable fixtures and helpers without over-abstracting
   • Create, isolate and clean up test data so tests never depend on each other
   • Read existing Selenium WebDriver code and map it to Playwright concepts

   Live sessions

   1. 21Framework architecture2 hFolder structure, configuration per environment, base URLs and secrets from environment variables, tagging and grouping tests, linting test code.
   2. 22Reusable fixtures and helpers2 hComposing fixtures, API-backed setup fixtures, worker-scoped resources, when a helper function is better than a fixture.
   3. 23Test data management2 hData factories, unique data per test, seeding through the API instead of the UI, cleanup strategies, keeping personal data out of test fixtures.
   4. 24Reading Selenium WebDriver code and doubt-clearing2 hA Selenium Java and JavaScript test read side by side with Playwright: drivers, explicit waits, the page factory and where the approaches differ; open questions.

   Practice

   Add environment configuration, a data factory and API-backed setup fixtures to your framework.

   Assessment

   Project milestone 2: a framework architecture walkthrough recorded as a short README with a diagram.

   You will be able to

   You can structure a test framework that stays fast, independent and easy for others to extend.

7. 07Parallel execution, reporting and CI+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Run the suite quickly and automatically, and make every failure easy to diagnose.

   Learning objectives

   • Run tests in parallel and shard them safely
   • Diagnose failures with the HTML report, screenshots, videos and the trace viewer
   • Run the suite on every push with GitHub Actions

   Live sessions

   1. 25Parallel execution and sharding2 hWorkers, fully parallel mode, test isolation requirements, serial groups when they are truly needed, sharding across machines, retries and what they hide.
   2. 26Reports and the trace viewer2 hHTML and list reporters, screenshots and videos on failure, recording traces, stepping through actions, network and console in the trace viewer.
   3. 27Continuous integration with GitHub Actions2 hWorkflow files, installing browsers in CI, secrets, caching, uploading reports and traces as artifacts, running against a service container database.
   4. 28CI lab and doubt-clearing2 hMake your suite pass in CI end to end; debug a failing CI run from its trace; open questions.

   Practice

   Configure parallel runs and a GitHub Actions workflow that publishes the report on every push.

   Assessment

   Assignment: a green CI run plus a written diagnosis of one failing run using its trace.

   You will be able to

   You can run a suite automatically in CI and find the cause of a failure without rerunning it locally.

8. 08Reliability, visual, accessibility and performance checks+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Fix flaky tests at their root, and extend coverage beyond functional behaviour.

   Learning objectives

   • Investigate flaky tests systematically and fix the underlying cause
   • Add visual comparisons and automated accessibility scans
   • Write a basic k6 load test with thresholds

   Live sessions

   1. 29Investigating flaky tests2 hCommon causes — timing, shared data, test order, animations and third-party calls; repeat-each and traces to reproduce; fixing rather than retrying.
   2. 30Visual and accessibility checks2 htoHaveScreenshot baselines, masking dynamic content, cross-platform differences; axe-core scans with @axe-core/playwright and what automation cannot catch.
   3. 31Introduction to performance testing with k62 hLoad, stress and soak tests, virtual users, a k6 script for the booking API, checks and thresholds, reading results responsibly.
   4. 32Module review and doubt-clearing2 hReview of modules 4–8 with a practice quiz; capstone brief walkthrough; open questions.

   Practice

   Stabilise three deliberately flaky tests, add an accessibility scan and visual check to key pages, and run a k6 script.

   Assessment

   Quiz on reliability, visual, accessibility and performance testing (auto-marked).

   You will be able to

   You can keep a suite trustworthy and add non-functional checks where they add value.

9. 09Capstone: test automation framework+4 live sessions · 8 hours · Plan, build and present a complete framework for a realistic application.

   Learning objectives

   • Write a risk-based test strategy for an unfamiliar application
   • Deliver a working framework with UI, API, data, accessibility and CI coverage
   • Explain and defend your design choices in a live review

   Live sessions

   1. 33Capstone brief and test strategy2 hReading the brief, identifying risks, choosing what to automate at each level, planning the repository; strategy feedback in small groups.
   2. 34Capstone build clinic2 hGuided working session with one-to-one help on framework, data and CI problems.
   3. 35Capstone peer review2 hStructured code reviews of each other’s frameworks; checking CI runs, reports and bug reports against the brief.
   4. 36Final presentations and final assessment2 hLive capstone presentations with feedback; final assessment.

   Practice

   Complete the capstone framework and address the feedback from the peer review.

   Assessment

   Capstone submission and a final assessment (pass mark 60%).

   You will be able to

   You can build and explain a maintainable automation framework that a team could adopt.

Teaching formats and fees

Every format teaches the full syllabus live, with the same projects, assessments and certificate rules. The fee is per student for the whole course.

Launch fee — GST treatment to be confirmed.

Fees are set in Indian rupees. Amounts in other currencies are estimates; the amount and currency you would pay are shown before payment once online enrolment opens.

Schedules and batches

Choose the schedule that fits your week. Both teach the same syllabus and the same 72 live hours; only the number of weeks differs.

• Weekday Intensive classes are one hour, so each 2 h syllabus session is taught across consecutive weekday classes.
• Weekend Evening classes run on Saturday and Sunday evenings; the exact time and time zone are set before a batch is confirmed.
• Public holidays are not class days unless the instructor confirms a class. Holidays, instructor leave and cancelled classes move the end date later so no live hours are lost.
• Plan about 5 hours a week of exercises, assignments and project work outside class.
• Group, Duo and One-to-One courses all follow one of these two schedules.

Final project

Certificate

Tools and skills

Where these skills apply

• Test automation and QA engineering
• Software testing that verifies APIs and stored data
• Building and maintaining CI test pipelines
• Developer work that includes end-to-end and integration tests
• Release and quality assurance in product teams

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