Skipping and focusing tests (.skip, .only) in Cypress - Build an Automation Script

Verify skipping and focusing tests using .skip and .only in Cypress

Preconditions (2)

Step 1: Write three test cases: one to check the page title, one to check the login form presence, and one to check the login button is disabled initially

Step 2: Mark the second test case with .skip to skip it during test execution

Step 3: Mark the third test case with .only to run only this test case

Step 4: Run the Cypress test suite

Step 5: Observe which tests run and which are skipped

✅ Expected Result: Only the third test case runs and passes; the second test case is skipped; the first test case does not run

Automation Requirements - Cypress

Assertions Needed:

Verify the page title is correct in the first test

Verify the login form exists in the second test

Verify the login button is disabled initially in the third test

Best Practices:

Use .skip and .only correctly to control test execution

Use descriptive test names

Use Cypress commands and assertions consistently

Avoid mixing .skip and .only in the same test suite except for demonstration

Automated Solution

Cypress

describe('Login Page Tests', () => {
  it('checks the page title', () => {
    cy.visit('http://localhost:3000/login');
    cy.title().should('eq', 'Login Page');
  });

  it.skip('checks the login form presence', () => {
    cy.get('form#loginForm').should('exist');
  });

  it.only('checks the login button is disabled initially', () => {
    cy.get('button#loginButton').should('be.disabled');
  });
});

This test suite has three tests for the login page.

The first test visits the login page and checks the title.

The second test is marked with .skip, so Cypress will skip it during the run.

The third test is marked with .only, so Cypress will run only this test and ignore others.

This demonstrates how to focus on or skip tests easily during development or debugging.

Common Mistakes - 3 Pitfalls

Using .only on multiple tests in the same suite

Forgetting to remove .skip or .only before final test runs

Using .skip on important tests without a good reason

Bonus Challenge

Add a test suite with three tests and use .only to run only the second test. Then switch to .skip on the first and third tests.

Show Hint

Practice

1. What does the .skip method do in Cypress testing?

easy

A. It skips the marked test or group so it does not run.

B. It runs only the marked test or group and skips others.

C. It marks the test as failed automatically.

D. It retries the test multiple times before failing.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of .skip

   The .skip method is used to tell Cypress to ignore a test or group during execution.

2. Step 2: Compare with other methods

   Unlike .only, which runs only the marked tests, .skip prevents the marked tests from running.

3. Final Answer:

   It skips the marked test or group so it does not run. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   .skip = skip test [OK]

Hint: Remember: skip means ignore this test [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing .skip with .only
• Thinking .skip runs the test
• Assuming .skip marks test as failed

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to run only one test in Cypress?

easy

A. it.skip('test name', () => { /* test code */ })

B. describe.only('group name', () => { /* tests */ })

C. it.only('test name', () => { /* test code */ })

D. describe.skip('group name', () => { /* tests */ })

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the method to run only one test

   The it.only syntax runs only the marked test and skips all others.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   it.skip skips a test, describe.only runs only a group, and describe.skip skips a group.

3. Final Answer:

   it.only('test name', () => { /* test code */ }) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   it.only runs only one test [OK]

Hint: Use it.only to run just one test [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using describe.only to run a single test
• Confusing skip and only syntax
• Forgetting parentheses in function

3. Given the code below, which tests will run?

describe('Group A', () => {
  it('Test 1', () => { /* code */ })
  it.only('Test 2', () => { /* code */ })
  it('Test 3', () => { /* code */ })
})
describe.only('Group B', () => {
  it('Test 4', () => { /* code */ })
  it('Test 5', () => { /* code */ })
})

medium

A. All tests in both groups run.

B. All tests in Group A run except Test 2.

C. Only Test 2 runs, Group B tests are skipped.

D. Only all tests in Group B run.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand describe.only effect

   The describe.only('Group B') means only Group B runs; Group A is skipped.

2. Step 2: Understand it.only inside Group A

   Even though it.only('Test 2') is inside Group A, Group A is skipped entirely because of describe.only on Group B.

3. Step 3: Determine which tests run

   All tests inside Group B run (Test 4 and Test 5). Test 2 does not run because Group A is skipped.

4. Final Answer:

   Only all tests in Group B run. -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   describe.only overrides it.only [OK]

Hint: describe.only runs only that group, ignoring it.only inside others [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it.only inside skipped describe runs
• Ignoring describe.only effect
• Assuming all tests run

4. You have this Cypress test code:

describe.skip('Group X', () => {
  it.only('Test A', () => { /* code */ })
  it('Test B', () => { /* code */ })
})
describe('Group Y', () => {
  it('Test C', () => { /* code */ })
})

What is the problem with this code?

medium

A. Test C will run but Group X tests will be skipped.

B. Test A will run but Test B and Test C will be skipped.

C. Test A will run but Group Y tests will be skipped.

D. No tests will run because the entire Group X is skipped.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze describe.skip effect on Group X

   The entire Group X is skipped, so none of its tests run, including it.only.

2. Step 2: Analyze Group Y tests

   Group Y is not skipped, so its test (Test C) runs normally.

3. Final Answer:

   Test C will run but Group X tests will be skipped. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   describe.skip skips whole group, ignoring it.only [OK]

Hint: describe.skip disables all tests inside, even it.only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming it.only overrides describe.skip
• Thinking some tests in skipped group run
• Confusing which group is skipped

5. You want to run only a specific test inside a group but also skip another test in the same group. Which is the correct way to do this?

describe('My Tests', () => {
  it('Test 1', () => { /* code */ })
  it('Test 2', () => { /* code */ })
  it('Test 3', () => { /* code */ })
})

Options: A) Add .only to Test 2 and .skip to Test 3. B) Add .skip to Test 1 and .only to Test 3. C) Add .only to Test 1 and .skip to Test 2. D) Add .skip to Test 2 and .skip to Test 3.

hard

A. Add .skip to Test 1 and .only to Test 3.

B. Add .only to Test 2 and .skip to Test 3.

C. Add .only to Test 1 and .skip to Test 2.

D. Add .skip to Test 2 and .skip to Test 3.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand .only and .skip usage

   Using .only on a test runs only that test, skipping all others unless they also have .only. Using .skip skips that test.

2. Step 2: Apply to given tests

   To run only Test 2 and skip Test 3, add .only to Test 2 and .skip to Test 3. Test 1 will be skipped automatically because of .only.

3. Final Answer:

   Add .only to Test 2 and .skip to Test 3. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   .only runs test, .skip skips test [OK]

Hint: Use .only on test to run, .skip on test to ignore [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding .only to multiple tests without need
• Skipping tests that .only already excludes
• Confusing which test to skip or run