QA Wolf Technical Assessment

Paid Final-Stage Software QA Assessment

Reached QA Wolf’s paid final stage through a project based hiring process focused on problem solving, edge cases, code quality and technical communication.

Playwright · Test Automation · Problem Solving · Edge Cases

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Overview

How QA Wolf Hires

QA Wolf’s hiring process consisted of three stages, moving from an individual take home project to a final paid assessment designed to simulate how you would work in a real engineering environment.

Stage 1, Take Home Assignment: Complete the Hacker News Playwright automation task and submit the project for review.
Stage 2, Interview: Discuss the submission, previous experience, problem-solving approach and how I think through technical work.
Stage 3, Paid Work Simulation: Complete four technical tasks within three hours using QA Wolf’s own sandbox and internal-style tools, including Slack for communication, questions and escalation. The assessment was designed to evaluate not just whether the tasks were completed, but how I worked within a realistic team environment.

My Outcome

I progressed through all three stages and reached the paid final assessment, receiving A$220 for the evaluation. I was not ultimately selected for the role, but the experience gave me a realistic look at working through technical tasks under time pressure, communicating within a team environment, and recognising where I could improve.

EXPERIENCE

What the Assessment Showed

Edge-Case Thinking: The assessment showed that I naturally think beyond the happy path. I looked for edge cases, unexpected states and ways the tests themselves could fail, rather than only checking whether the main flow worked.
Technical Quality: My implementation was structured, readable and well documented. The tests passed, the code was organised coherently, and I focused on making the testing logic easy to follow and maintain.
Independent Problem Solving: I was comfortable breaking down unfamiliar QA and automation tasks, testing assumptions and finding workable solutions under time pressure.

What I Would Do Better

Communicate Progress Earlier: One of my biggest mistakes was spending too long trying to solve problems independently without showing enough of my progress. Taking some time to investigate first was useful, but staying quiet for too long made it harder for the team to understand how I was thinking.
Use the Environment Properly: QA Wolf deliberately provided Slack, a team group chat and a sandbox designed to simulate a real Junior QA Engineer working environment. I should have used those tools more actively to ask questions, raise blockers and communicate uncertainty instead of treating the assessment like a solo coding exercise.
Ask Before Getting Stuck Too Long: All of my testing ultimately worked, but I could have completed the tasks faster and with better decisions by asking for guidance earlier. The people evaluating the work had more context and experience, and using that knowledge would have improved both the process and the final result.
Show How I Think: The main lesson was that good output is only part of the job. In a team, people also need visibility into how you are approaching the problem, what you have tried, where you are blocked and why you are making certain decisions.

The assessment showed me that strong technical work and strong communication are not separate skills. The best results come from combining both.

DEMO VIDEO

Take Home Assignment

This was the first stage of QA Wolf’s hiring process. I was asked to use Playwright to validate that Hacker News articles were correctly sorted, while demonstrating how I approached automation, edge cases, testing and code quality.

Core Skills

Automation & Testing

Playwright · Test Automation · End-to-End Testing

Problem Solving

Edge Cases · Validation · Debugging · Error Handling

Code Quality

Maintainable Code · Documentation · Clear Structure

Languages & Tools

JavaScript · Node.js · Playwright

Proof

Payment Proof

Payment proof from QA Wolf’s paid final-stage technical assessment.

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Additional verification, including email correspondence, can be provided on request.