How do you decide which test cases go into a regression suite?

What the interviewer wants to hear

• Core business flows and critical features
• Areas with frequent bugs or recent changes
• Tests for previously fixed bugs
• Integration points with other systems
• Keep it maintained and remove outdated tests

Model answer

A regression suite should protect what matters most, not every test ever written. I include the core business flows first, like signup, login, search, add to cart and payment, because a break there hurts every user. I add tests for features that change often or have a history of bugs, and a test for each important bug we fixed so it does not come back. I include integration points, like payment gateways and third-party APIs, since changes elsewhere often break them. I tag tests by priority so we can run a quick smoke set on every build and the full set before a release. Stable, repeated regression tests are good candidates for automation. Finally, I review the suite regularly and remove or update tests for features that changed or were removed, so the suite stays fast and trusted.

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