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3.6Common Mistakes Junior QA Engineers Make
| Mistake | Why It Happens | How to Coach Through It |
|---|---|---|
| Testing only the happy path | They follow the spec literally without thinking about what could go wrong | Teach them to ask "What if?" for every input, state, and interaction |
| Filing vague bug reports | They do not realize how much detail developers need | Review their first 10 bug reports together; provide a template |
| Automating everything | They think automation means quality | Teach the test pyramid and ROI-based automation decisions |
| Not asking questions | They fear looking incompetent | Explicitly say "I expect you to ask questions. Not asking is the mistake." |
| Comparing themselves to senior engineers | They feel inadequate because they cannot do what the senior does | Remind them of the growth timeline. Show them your old code or early bug reports. |
| Over-relying on the mentor | They ask for help before trying to solve it themselves | Establish a rule: "Try for 20 minutes, then ask. When you ask, tell me what you tried." |
| Skipping exploratory testing | They treat the test case list as exhaustive | Pair on exploratory sessions; show them what structured exploration looks like |
| Not communicating blockers | They sit stuck for hours without telling anyone | Check in proactively. Create a safe channel for "I am stuck" messages. |