Published: 18 Sep 2025 | Reading Time: 5 min read
Automation Testing is a rapidly expanding domain, changing how software testing is done. With an increasing demand for high-quality software products, there seems to be a requirement for more efficient and effective testing methodologies. Automation Testing is the answer, providing a method for testers to test swiftly, accurately, and better than ever before!
If you're looking to stay relevant in the realm of software testing, an Automation Testing course is a great place to begin. NxtWave's Automation Testing Course will provide you with the necessary skills to learn about each facet of software testing and help you gain a competitive advantage in an ever-evolving job market.
Here is an Automation Testing Syllabus that demonstrates an overview of some critical topics you will be learning.
The automation testing syllabus is designed to introduce both the basics and advanced concepts required for software testing. It covers tools, frameworks, and practical skills to build a strong testing foundation.
This section describes the fundamental concepts of automation testing, which include its purpose, the advantages of automation testing over manual testing, and some real-world applications you will find. Students will have clarity as to why automation is a valuable piece of the modern development cycle.
Here, students explore the basics of designing simple, non-interactive websites. The focus is on learning HTML, CSS, and layout principles to create visually appealing static web pages.
Learn the fundamental principles of how software is created for the web, and why frontend is such an important part of that - namely, the User Experience.
Key Topics:
HTML is the structure of every webpage. Learn to effectively create content and organize it on the page.
Topics Covered:
CSS makes your pages look attractive and professional by styling HTML.
Topics Covered:
With Bootstrap, you can quickly create responsive, modern websites using pre-built components.
Components Covered:
Course Project: Apply what you've learnt by creating a travel website with HTML5, CSS3, and Bootstrap.
Here, you will understand how to build web pages that can be adapted to a variety of screen and device sizes. The focus will be on advanced CSS and layout techniques to create a mobile friendly design.
Go beyond the basics and dive deeper into how CSS styles interact.
Topics Covered:
Course Project: Build a Responsive Food Munch Website with HTML5, CSS3, and Bootstrap.
Learn Bootstrap's powerful layout system and utilities for responsive design.
Topics Covered:
Course Project: Develop a Responsive eCommerce Website using HTML5, CSS3, and Bootstrap.
Skill in programming is an important component of developing effective automation scripts and frameworks. The programming languages that are most commonly used for automation testing are as follows:
| Language | Description | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Java | Widely used with Selenium and Appium. Known for its robustness and large community support. | Selenium automation, Appium mobile testing |
| Python | A very popular language because it is simple and readable. | Selenium framework, PyTest, Robot Framework |
| JavaScript | Commonly used with automation for web testing. | Cypress, WebDriverIO |
| C# | The preferred language to utilize when working in a .NET environment. | Selenium framework, NUnit testing framework |
| Ruby | A popular coding language used when working with BDD frameworks. | Cucumber |
| QTP/UFT Scripting | Uses the VBScript programming language. | Functional and regression testing |
Testers should focus on learning programming basics, writing clean code, and understanding how their chosen language integrates with automation tools and frameworks.
Start programming with Python, focusing on important concepts every programmer needs.
Topics Covered:
This section covers the fundamentals of data storage, organization and management within databases. Learners understand how databases enable an application to create and maintain the integrity of the data as well as provide easy access to the data.
Understand the structure and management of data within relational databases.
Topics Covered:
This automation testing syllabus for specialization covers everything from core Java concepts to Selenium, TestNG, BDD with Cucumber, API testing, and Jira for real-world projects.
Familiarize yourself with the fundamental Java programming concepts that deal with automation testing.
Data Types, Variables & Operators
Understand how to safely, accurately, and appropriately store, process, and play with data using the "core" features of Java.
Reading Input & Formatting Output
See how to get user input and output it in ecologically sound way to the console.
Conditions & Loops
Gain familiarity with the decision-making and repetitiveness with if-else statements and repetitions in Java.
Arrays
Learn how arrays allow you to store more than one value to help streamline your work with collections of data.
Java Collections
Work with powerful collections frameworks (List, Set, and Map) to manipulate data systematically.
Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
Study the principles of inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation of object-oriented programming.
Understand how to automate a web browser to interact with web applications in a browser.
Browser Handling
Learn how to open, manage, and switch between browser in an automation setup.
Locating Elements
Learn the skills to find elements on a webpage with various locators like ID, name, XPath, and CSS selectors.
Handling WebElements
Practice performing actions of clicking, typing, and selecting options on a variety of web elements.
Synchronization
Learn how to correctly wait to avoid timing issues with scripts to run without issues.
Handling Windows
Learn how to switch control from one browser window/tab to another during automation.
Alerts and Frames
Learn how to manage pop-ups, alerts, and embedded frames during automation in a real-world test scenario.
Actions
Learn to perform advanced user interactions with the Actions class (drag-and-drop, double clicks, hover, etc.)
JavaScript Executor
Use JavaScript commands for scenarios when Selenium alone cannot interact with elements.
Organize and run automated tests more effectively with the TestNG framework.
TestNG
Understand annotations, grouping, and reporting features that make TestNG a powerful test framework.
Learn how to get started with Behavior Driven Development to write automated tests in a readable business format.
An Introduction to BDD
Learn about how BDD is connected to testers, developers, and business stakeholders.
Cucumber BDD Basics
Understand the structure of how the feature files, scenarios, and step definitions are for Cucumber feature files.
Cucumber Options
Understand how to configure Cucumber options to control test execution and produce reports.
Cucumber with TestNG and Reports generation
Use TestNG with Cucumber to create sophisticated test suites and produce richer reports.
Integrating Selenium WebDriver with Cucumber
Bring together the power of Cucumber in conjunction with the power of Selenium to assemble an end to end automated test case.
Learn to test APIs for functionality, reliability, and performance beyond UI automation.
Get hands-on with Jira for project management, bug tracking, and test task organization.
As automation testing evolves, advanced concepts such as test parallelization, test distribution, and automation for specialized domains are becoming increasingly important for maximizing efficiency and coverage.
When testing with automation is performed in modern testing frameworks, it is expected that tests can be executed in either parallel or distributed execution environments. Test parallelization and distribution are valuable to testing time and resource utilization. Within a large suite of automated tests, execution time will be reduced, and feedback will be quicker.
Beyond web applications, automation testing extends to specialized domains such as mobile and API testing.
Mobile Automation
Requires dealing with device fragmentation, variations in OS, and distinct interaction models. With tools like Appium, it's possible to automate functional testing (and more) on mobile devices across iOS and Android.
API Automation
Focuses on validating the functionality, reliability, and security of backend services. Specialized frameworks allow for rapid, repeatable API testing that integrates into broader automation pipelines.
Practicing these advanced precursors gives testers the opportunity to provide robust, scalable, and maintainable automation solutions in a highly complex software ecosystem.
Automation testing employs many tools and platforms, depending on the specific testing need - web, mobile, API and performance testing. Picking the right tools can be essential for building successful test automation solutions that are effective, scalable, and sustainable.
Selenium
This is the most commonly used open-source browser automation tool. It has support for multiple programming languages (Java, Python, C#, etc.) and a variety of browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge).
JUnit/TestNG
These frameworks are used to organize tests and automate test suites, and often used in Java projects.
QTP (QuickTest Professional)
Now marketed under Micro Focus UFT, QTP is a mature tool and platform for automated functional and regression testing.
Appium
A free and open-source tool to automating mobile, hybrid, and native web apps for iOS and Android.
Cloud-based Device Farms
For scalable, cross-platform mobile testing, services like Sauce Labs and BrowserStack give users access to a large variety of real devices and browsers.
Postman
A user-friendly platform for designing, executing, and automating API tests.
REST Assured
A Java-based library for automating RESTful API testing.
SoapUI
A dedicated tool for testing SOAP and REST APIs, supporting both functional and security testing.
LoadRunner
An enterprise-grade tool for performance, load, and stress testing.
JMeter
An open-source tool for simulating multiple users and measuring application performance under various loads.
Jira
Widely used for test management, bug tracking, and collaboration across development and QA teams.
TestRail, Zephyr
Platforms for organizing, planning, and tracking test cases and results.
Jenkins, GitLab CI, CircleCI
Automate the process of building, testing, and deploying applications. Integrate seamlessly with automated test suites to enable continuous testing and rapid feedback.
Selecting the appropriate tools depends on factors such as:
A well-chosen toolset enables teams to maximize test coverage, efficiency, and reliability throughout the software development lifecycle.
It will be difficult to make sure that automation test suites are operating reliably and efficiently as they grow. Without the necessary planning, tests may become flaky, difficult to modify or lose value over time, necessitating periodic rework. Placing an emphasis on maintenance and following best practices will offer and lead to more improvements along with increasing the return on your automation investment.
Automated tests can fail due to changes in the application, shifting requirements, or reliance on volatile data. Maintenance issues include:
If teams stick to these practices, they will deliver automated solutions that can be maintained and will produce repeatable, reliable automated solutions for a longer-term project success.
Modern software development leverages a rapid delivery model based on reliable releases and therefore, automated testing to produce rapid feedback and reliability is key. CI/CD provides the ability to test, integrate and release software automatically with every code change so that the environment is constantly being updated while minimizing human interaction.
Continuous Integration (CI)
Programmers regularly integrate updated pieces of code into a shared repository, which results in automated builds and tests. This ensures issues are discovered sooner and leads to better collaboration.
Continuous Delivery (CD)
The deployment of tested code is automated to pre-production or production environments so that software can be deployed at any time.
Continuous Deployment
Extends CD by automatically deploying every change that passes all tests directly to production.
By incorporating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines, teams may produce high-quality software more rapidly and reliably, supporting business goals and increasing user happiness.
An organized test case and a thoughtful test data management plan are essential first steps in ensuring successful automation testing. These guarantee maintainable test suites, adequate coverage, and repeatable outcomes.
Selection Criteria
While not all tests are designed for automation, a good guideline for manual vs. automation testing is to automate the tests that are repetitive, high risk, time-consuming or critical that provide the best value for the product.
Test Design Techniques
Use methods like equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, and decision tables to create efficient and thorough test cases.
Dealing with Special Scenarios
Design cases to handle pop-ups, alerts, and dynamic elements that often appear in real-world applications.
Testing Responsive Designs
Ensure your tests cover different devices, screen sizes, and browsers for web applications.
Data-Driven Testing
Separate test logic from test data to allow running the same test with multiple data sets, increasing coverage and flexibility.
Test Data Generators
Use tools or scripts to generate large volumes of test data automatically, ensuring tests are robust and reflective of real-world scenarios.
Managing Test Environments
Maintain consistent, isolated, and reproducible environments to minimize flakiness and data-related issues.
Test Data Storage
Store data in external files (CSV, Excel, JSON, XML) or databases, making it easy to update and reuse across test suites.
Parallel Test Execution
Execute Testing procedures in parallel to shorten execution time and ensure the application behaves correctly with multiple simultaneous users.
Planning, Design, and Development
Spend time in devising a test approach, designing a test approach with modular test cases, and providing components that can be reused for better maintenance.
Test Tool Selection
Select tools that best enable your test design and data management, such as Selenium for UI automation, or REST Assured for API.
To effectively create automation scripts it is important to follow coding standards and known-good techniques to ensure the script is stable and maintainable.
Scripting Languages & Frameworks
Select a scripting language like Java, Python, or JavaScript and be familiar with tools such as Selenium, JUnit, or QTP.
Coding Standards
Your code should be easily read by others and have consistent documentation standards. Store scripts in a version control system and share in a collaborative way.
Reusable Functions
Build utility functions and modularize code to avoid unnecessary duplication.
Object Repository
Maintain a single source of truth for UI elements locators that are easy to update.
Error Handling & Reporting
Add error handling into scripts and provide clear reports to allow for quicker troubleshooting.
Page Object Model (POM)
Employ this design pattern when building scripts to separate test logic from UI structure and make scripts easier to maintain.
By following these practices, automation scripts become more robust, readable, and adaptable to change.
Automation frameworks are a useful way to structurally build, organize, and maintain automated tests. The appropriate automation framework can help ensure scalability, reusability, and efficiency in your automation efforts.
Linear Automation Framework
Simple, record-and-playback approach. Best for small projects and quick tests.
Modular-Based Testing Framework
Breaks tests into independent, reusable modules for better organization.
Library Architecture Testing Framework
Groups similar functions into libraries to promote reusability.
Data-Driven Framework
Separates test data from scripts, allowing the same test logic to run with multiple data sets.
Keyword-Driven Framework
Uses keywords to represent actions, making it easier for non-programmers to write tests.
Hybrid Testing Framework
Combines features of multiple frameworks (e.g., data-driven + keyword-driven) for maximum flexibility.
Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) Framework
Focuses on collaboration by writing tests in plain language (e.g., using Cucumber with Selenium).
Test Scripts
The actual code that automates a test.
Object Repository
It is the central location that stores the locators for UI elements.
Test Data
External files or data that are passed into tests as input values.
Utilities/Libraries
Functions that are reusable for performing common functions.
Reporting
Reporting tools that generate reports on test execution.
Configuration Files
Files to contain the environment and/or test configuration.
Organize the code so that it is easy to maintain and scale. You should always follow the test automation pyramid; focused on test units at the bottom, then integrating tests, then a smaller amount of end-to-end tests.
Consider:
An appropriate framework leads to easier automation, lowers maintenance, and increases the chances of test automation long-term success.
Automation Testing is on its way to becoming or is one of the most attractive careers for those wanting a successful career path in the IT space. However, when pursuing a career in Automation Testing or any other field, it is not just enough to have theoretical knowledge; hands-on experience is what counts. An excellent way for students to gain hands-on experience is by attending internships or apprenticeships with established organizations. Additionally, online courses and training sets provide students with opportunities to further their practical skills.
NxtWave's intensive 2.0 program with a reverse-engineered curriculum and instructor-led training has been shown to be successful. In addition, it includes applications and project-based assignments to model real-life scenarios. The program is also meant for beginners that have no prior coding knowledge.
NxtWave does not stop supporting you after course completion, you will be provided with placement support for up to 16 months, with no limit on the number of opportunities provided to you.
Automation testing has become a new normal in today's world with software developments changing rapidly. While automated software testing is merely a small component of the broader quality assurance process, organizations are mobilizing behind automation testing to produce reliable products faster and consistently, as software applications get more complex and development cycles becoming tighter and tighter. However, is automation testing really in demand?
The answer is a definitive Yes. Automation Testing is an integral part of nearly every software development project in every industry. Clearly, automation testing has long-standing benefits over manual testing since such manual testing tends to be lengthy, cumbersome, and repetitive; while automation testing is durable, broader, and can be done with smart and efficient tools and frameworks. Additionally, automation testing is more cost progressive in the long run.
As a result of its benefits mentioned above, great demand for trained professionals in automation testing is growing.
Yes, automation testing would typically require coding. Yes, code is usually needed for automation testing. Because testing scripts are generated in code languages like Python, Java, or C, testers need to be well-versed in coding principles. While options exist where a tool will automatically create a visual or low code version of the test, possessing coding skills provides flexibility and enhanced capabilities.
Yes, a fresher can become an automation tester. Experience working in software testing can help, but companies are willing to take a chance on freshers because they learn quickly. It is always better for freshers to focus on learning more about the skills needed for automation testing.
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