Status code assertion in Postman - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ assertion

intermediate

Check for successful status code 200

You want to write a Postman test to verify the response status code is exactly 200. Which code snippet correctly asserts this?

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

B pm.test('Status code is 200', () => { pm.response.to.be.status(200); });

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

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

💡 Hint

Use the Postman built-in assertion syntax for status codes.

Option D uses the correct Postman Chai assertion syntax to check the response status code equals 200. Other options either use incorrect properties or methods.

❓ assertion

intermediate

Assert status code is in 2xx range

Which Postman test code correctly asserts that the response status code is any 2xx success code?

A pm.test('Status code is 2xx', () => { pm.expect(pm.response.code).to.be.within(200, 299); });

B pm.test('Status code is 2xx', () => { pm.response.to.have.status(2xx); });

C pm.test('Status code is 2xx', () => { pm.expect(pm.response.status).to.be.above(199).and.below(300); });

D pm.test('Status code is 2xx', () => { pm.response.statusCode >= 200 && pm.response.statusCode < 300; });

💡 Hint

Use numeric range assertions with pm.expect.

Option A correctly uses pm.expect with .to.be.within(200, 299) to check the status code range. Option A lacks an assertion, B uses invalid syntax, and C uses pm.response.status which is a string, not a number.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

Identify the test result for status code assertion

Given this Postman test code and a response with status code 404, what will be the test result?

Postman

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

A Test fails because the response status is 404, not 200.

B Test passes because 404 is a valid HTTP status code.

C Test throws a runtime error due to invalid assertion syntax.

D Test is skipped because status code assertions only run on 2xx codes.

💡 Hint

The assertion expects exactly 200 but response is 404.

The test checks for status 200 but the response is 404, so the assertion fails and the test fails.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Find the error in this status code assertion

This Postman test code is intended to check for status 201 but it does not work as expected. What is the error?

Postman

pm.test('Status code is 201', () => { pm.response.to.have.status == 201; });

A The status code 201 is invalid for HTTP responses.

B Using '==' instead of calling the function causes no assertion to run.

C pm.response.to.have.status requires a string, not a number.

D The test should use pm.expect instead of pm.response.

💡 Hint

Check the syntax for calling assertion methods.

The code uses '==' which compares but does not call the assertion method. The assertion must be called as a function with parentheses.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

Understanding status code assertion behavior in Postman

Which statement best describes how Postman handles status code assertions in tests?

A Postman automatically retries requests if status code assertions fail.

B Status code assertions in Postman only check if the code is a string, not a number.

C Postman assertions for status codes use Chai.js syntax and fail the test if the assertion is false.

D Postman ignores status code assertions if the response body is empty.

💡 Hint

Think about how assertion libraries work in Postman tests.

Postman uses Chai.js assertion library. If a status code assertion fails, the test fails immediately. Postman does not retry or ignore assertions based on response body.

Practice

1. What does the status code 200 usually mean in a Postman response?

easy

A. The request was successful

B. The server could not find the requested resource

C. There was a server error

D. The request was unauthorized

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand HTTP status codes

   Status code 200 means the request was processed successfully by the server.

2. Step 2: Match code to meaning

   200 is the standard code for success, unlike 404 (not found) or 500 (server error).

3. Final Answer:

   The request was successful -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Status 200 = Success [OK]

Hint: 200 means success, always check for it first [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 200 with error codes like 404 or 500
• Thinking 200 means unauthorized access
• Assuming 200 means redirect

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to assert a status code of 404 in a Postman test script?

easy

A. pm.response.assert.status(404);

B. pm.response.to.have.status(404);

C. pm.response.status(404);

D. pm.test.status(404);

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Postman assertion syntax

   The correct way to check status code is using pm.response.to.have.status(code).

2. Step 2: Verify each option

   Only pm.response.to.have.status(404); matches the correct syntax exactly.

3. Final Answer:

   pm.response.to.have.status(404); -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use pm.response.to.have.status() [OK]

Hint: Use pm.response.to.have.status(code) for status checks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting 'to.have' in the assertion
• Using pm.response.status() which is invalid
• Trying pm.test.status() which does not exist

3. Given this Postman test code:

pm.test('Check status', () => {
  pm.response.to.have.status(201);
});

What will be the test result if the server responds with status code 200?

medium

A. Test will pass

B. Test will be skipped

C. Test will error out

D. Test will fail

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the assertion

   The test expects status code 201 (Created) exactly.

2. Step 2: Compare actual response code

   The server returned 200 (OK), which does not match 201, so assertion fails.

3. Final Answer:

   Test will fail -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Expected 201 but got 200 = Fail [OK]

Hint: Exact status code must match to pass assertion [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming 200 and 201 are interchangeable
• Thinking test errors instead of fails
• Believing test skips on mismatch

4. You wrote this Postman test:

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

What is wrong with this test?

medium

A. Status code 200 is invalid

B. Missing semicolon at the end

C. Incorrect use of assignment instead of function call

D. pm.test syntax is wrong

Solution

1. Step 1: Check assertion syntax

   The code uses = which assigns a value instead of calling status(200) as a function.

2. Step 2: Identify correct usage

   The correct syntax is pm.response.to.have.status(200); to assert status code.

3. Final Answer:

   Incorrect use of assignment instead of function call -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use parentheses for function calls, not assignment [OK]

Hint: Use parentheses () to call status function, not = [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using = instead of calling status()
• Ignoring syntax errors thinking test runs
• Confusing semicolon importance

5. You want to write a Postman test that passes only if the response status code is either 200 or 201. Which code snippet correctly asserts this?

hard

A. pm.test('Status is 200 or 201', () => {
pm.expect(pm.response.code === 200 || pm.response.code === 201).to.be.true;
});

B. pm.test('Status is 200 or 201', () => {
pm.response.to.have.status(200 || 201);
});

C. pm.test('Status is 200 or 201', () => {
pm.response.to.have.status(200) || pm.response.to.have.status(201);
});

D. pm.test('Status is 200 or 201', () => {
pm.response.to.have.status([200, 201]);
});

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how to check multiple status codes

   Postman does not support passing multiple codes directly to status().

2. Step 2: Use logical OR with pm.expect

   pm.test('Status is 200 or 201', () => { pm.expect(pm.response.code === 200 || pm.response.code === 201).to.be.true; }); uses pm.expect with a boolean expression checking if code is 200 or 201, which is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   pm.test('Status is 200 or 201', () => { pm.expect(pm.response.code === 200 || pm.response.code === 201).to.be.true; }); -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use pm.expect with OR condition for multiple codes [OK]

Hint: Use pm.expect with OR to check multiple status codes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Passing multiple codes directly to status()
• Using logical OR outside pm.expect
• Assuming status() accepts arrays