Why Your Test Scripts Are Failing and What You Can Do About It

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If you’ve worked in test automation, you’ve probably run into the pesky issue of flaky test scripts — those tests that seem to pass or fail unpredictably, almost like they’re making up their minds.

But here’s a friendly reminder:

sometimes, it’s not your code that’s the culprit; it’s the environment!

Flaky tests aren’t just annoying — they’re trust killers. When scripts fail randomly, it’s hard to know if there’s an actual problem with the product or just a hiccup in the test itself. Let’s walk through some common causes and ways to bring stability back to your testing.

What’s Really Behind Flakiness?

Flakiness often shows up in three main areas:

1. Timing Issues: Sometimes your script is faster than the application’s response, or vice versa. Tests that rely on specific timings can miss elements, leading to errors.
2. Environment: Ever had a test fail locally but pass on CI/CD? This mismatch is a classic indicator of environment-related flakiness — server loads, memory constraints, network speeds, or even server timeouts can wreak havoc on test stability.
3. Dependencies on External Services: Many modern applications rely on APIs or third-party…