Run order and flow control in Postman - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Postman Collection Run Order Behavior

Given a Postman collection with three requests named A, B, and C, where B depends on a variable set by A, and C depends on a variable set by B, what is the order in which the requests run during a collection run?

A C runs first, then B, then A

B B runs first, then A, then C

C A runs first, then B, then C

D All requests run in parallel

💡 Hint

Think about how Postman handles dependencies between requests in a collection run.

Postman runs requests in the order they appear in the collection. Since B depends on a variable set by A, A must run first. Similarly, C depends on B, so C runs last.

❓ assertion

intermediate

Correct Assertion to Check Response Status

In a Postman test script, which assertion correctly checks that the response status code is 200?

A pm.test('Status code is 200', () => pm.response.status === 200);

B pm.test('Status code is 200', () => pm.response.statusCode === '200');

C pm.test('Status code is 200', () => pm.response.statusCode == 200);

D pm.test('Status code is 200', () => pm.response.to.have.status(200));

💡 Hint

Look for the correct Postman assertion syntax for status code.

Option D uses the correct Postman Chai assertion syntax. Options A, C, and D either use incorrect properties or compare types incorrectly.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why Does This Postman Test Fail?

Consider this Postman test script: pm.test('Response has userId', () => { pm.expect(pm.response.json().userId).to.eql(123); }); The test fails even though the response JSON is {"userId": 123}. What is the most likely reason?

Postman

pm.test('Response has userId', () => {
  pm.expect(pm.response.json().userId).to.eql(123);
});

A The userId in response is a string, not a number

B The response is not parsed as JSON because Content-Type header is missing or incorrect

C The pm.expect syntax is incorrect

D The test script runs before the response is received

💡 Hint

Check how Postman parses response bodies based on headers.

If the response Content-Type header is missing or not application/json, pm.response.json() may fail or not parse correctly, causing the test to fail.

❓ framework

advanced

Controlling Request Execution Flow in Postman Collection Runner

Which Postman feature allows you to control the flow of requests during a collection run, such as skipping or repeating requests based on conditions?

A Using pm.setNextRequest() in test scripts

B Using environment variables only

C Using pre-request scripts to delay requests

D Using the Postman monitor scheduling

💡 Hint

Think about how to programmatically decide which request runs next.

pm.setNextRequest() lets you specify the next request to run, enabling conditional flow control in collection runs.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

Effect of pm.setNextRequest(null) in Postman Collection Run

What happens when pm.setNextRequest(null) is called inside a test script during a Postman collection run?

A The collection run stops immediately after the current request

B The collection run restarts from the first request

C The next request in the collection runs as usual

D The current request is retried

💡 Hint

Consider what setting next request to null means for the runner.

Calling pm.setNextRequest(null) tells Postman to stop running any further requests after the current one finishes.