Interview Questions for Software Engineer Role

Posted on by uplatzblog

Here are 50 multiple-choice interview questions for a Software Engineer / Software Developer position.
These questions can serve as a preparation kit or a quick refresher before you appear in a Software Engineer interview.

(Refer the answer key at the end)

 

Software Engineer interview

 

  1. Which of the following is not a programming language?
    a) Python
    b) HTML
    c) Java
    d) Ruby
  2. What is the output of print(2 + 2 * 2) in Python?
    a) 4
    b) 6
    c) 8
    d) 10
  3. Which data structure uses the Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) principle?
    a) Queue
    b) Stack
    c) List
    d) Array
  4. In object-oriented programming, what is encapsulation?
    a) Hiding the implementation details of an object
    b) Inheriting from multiple classes
    c) Combining two or more classes to create a new class
    d) Overloading a method with different parameters
  5. Which of the following is not a valid Java keyword?
    a) final
    b) static
    c) virtual
    d) private
  6. What does SQL stand for?
    a) Structured Query Language
    b) Simple Query Language
    c) Standard Query Language
    d) Scripted Query Language
  7. In web development, what does CSS stand for?
    a) Computer Style Sheet
    b) Cascading Style Sheet
    c) Creative Style Sheet
    d) Colorful Style Sheet
  8. Which of the following is not a version control system?
    a) Git
    b) Subversion
    c) Mercurial
    d) Java
  9. What is the purpose of the ‘if’ statement in programming?
    a) To declare a variable
    b) To loop through an array
    c) To execute code conditionally
    d) To define a function
  10. What is the primary role of a compiler in software development?
    a) Debugging code
    b) Converting source code to machine code
    c) Writing documentation
    d) Running test cases
  11. Which data structure allows for efficient insertion and deletion of elements in the middle?
    a) Array
    b) Linked List
    c) Stack
    d) Queue
  12. What is the purpose of a constructor in object-oriented programming?
    a) To destroy an object
    b) To create an object
    c) To create a class
    d) To destroy a class
  13. What is the purpose of the keyword “this” in object-oriented programming?
    a) Referring to the previous object in a chain
    b) Defining a new object
    c) Accessing the superclass
    d) Initializing a variable
  14. Which of the following is not a commonly used software development methodology?
    a) Agile
    b) Waterfall
    c) Scrum
    d) Precipice
  15. What does the acronym “API” stand for in software development?
    a) Application Programming Interface
    b) Advanced Programming Instruction
    c) Automated Programming Interface
    d) Application Processing Interface
  16. In Java, which keyword is used to declare a constant variable?
    a) final
    b) static
    c) const
    d) var
  17. What does the term “DRY” stand for in software development?
    a) Don’t Repeat Yourself
    b) Design, Review, Yield
    c) Data Representation Yearly
    d) Duplicate, Reduce, Yield
  18. Which programming language is often used for developing Android mobile applications?
    a) Java
    b) Python
    c) C#
    d) Ruby
  19. What is the purpose of a “for” loop in programming?
    a) Defining a function
    b) Repeating a block of code a specific number of times
    c) Executing code conditionally
    d) Handling exceptions
  20. What type of testing is performed to ensure that individual components of a software application work correctly?
    a) Integration testing
    b) System testing
    c) Unit testing
    d) User acceptance testing
  21. Which of the following is a NoSQL database management system?
    a) MySQL
    b) PostgreSQL
    c) MongoDB
    d) Oracle
  22. What is the purpose of the “try…catch” block in exception handling?
    a) Declaring a variable
    b) Looping through an array
    c) Handling and processing exceptions
    d) Defining a class
  23. What is the primary purpose of the “break” statement in a loop?
    a) Continuing to the next iteration of the loop
    b) Exiting the loop prematurely
    c) Restarting the loop from the beginning
    d) Pausing the loop temporarily
  24. What is a primary advantage of using source control (version control) in software development?
    a) Ensuring code is error-free
    b) Facilitating collaboration among team members
    c) Automatically generating documentation
    d) Compiling code into machine code
  25. What is the primary role of the “continue” statement in a loop?
    a) Exiting the loop
    b) Skipping the current iteration and moving to the next
    c) Restarting the loop
    d) Pausing the loop temporarily
  26. Which software development principle encourages breaking a complex problem into smaller, more manageable parts?
    a) Divide and Conquer
    b) All-or-Nothing
    c) Big Bang Theory
    d) Waterfall
  27. What is the role of a “package manager” in software development?
    a) Managing physical packages for shipment
    b) Managing dependencies and libraries for a project
    c) Managing office supplies
    d) Managing user accounts
  28. Which of the following is a statically typed programming language?
    a) Python
    b) JavaScript
    c) C++
    d) Ruby
  29. In software development, what does “MVC” stand for?
    a) Most Valuable Customer
    b) Model-View-Controller
    c) Mobile View Creator
    d) Modular Version Control
  30. What is the purpose of the “else” statement in conditional programming?
    a) Initializing a variable
    b) Executing code conditionally
    c) Handling exceptions
    d) Providing an alternative code path
  31. What is the primary function of an “IDE” in software development?
    a) Managing project finances
    b) Debugging code
    c) Writing project documentation
    d) Providing a development environment with tools and features
  32. In the context of databases, what does “ACID” stand for?
    a) Fast and Furious
    b) Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability
    c) Active Directory Integration Control
    d) Automated Customer Information Database
  33. What does the term “Scalability” refer to in software architecture?
    a) The ability of software to scale walls
    b) The ease of installing software on multiple devices
    c) The ability of software to handle increased workloads or users
    d) The speed of software development
  34. In object-oriented programming, what is a “subclass”?
    a) A class that inherits from another class
    b) A class that is unrelated to other classes
    c) A class that is instantiated
    d) A class that has only one method
  35. What is the purpose of the “super” keyword in object-oriented programming?
    a) Referring to a superclass
    b) Creating a new object
    c) Invoking the superclass constructor
    d) Defining an abstract class
  36. Which programming paradigm emphasizes immutability and pure functions?
    a) Procedural programming
    b) Functional programming
    c) Object-oriented programming
    d) Event-driven programming
  37. In web development, what does “HTTP” stand for?
    a) Hypertext Text Protocol
    b) High Traffic Transfer Protocol
    c) Hypertext Transfer Protocol
    d) Hypertext Transmission Protocol
  38. Which of the following is not a software testing level?
    a) Unit testing
    b) System testing
    c) Acceptance testing
    d) Component testing
  39. What is the purpose of a “pointer” in programming?
    a) Storing a value directly
    b) Controlling keyboard input
    c) Indicating the end of a program
    d) Storing the memory address of a value
  40. Which type of error is caught by the compiler during program compilation?
    a) Logical error
    b) Runtime error
    c) Syntax error
    d) Human error
  41. What is the primary function of an “index” in a database?
    a) Sorting data in alphabetical order
    b) Storing duplicate records
    c) Accelerating data retrieval
    d) Encrypting data
  42. Which of the following is not a popular front-end web development framework or library?
    a) React
    b) Angular
    c) Django
    d) Vue.js
  43. What is the purpose of the “sizeof” operator in C/C++?
    a) Calculating the size of a file
    b) Calculating the size of a variable
    c) Determining the number of lines in a program
    d) Allocating memory
  44. Which of the following is not an agile software development methodology?
    a) Scrum
    b) Kanban
    c) Waterfall
    d) Extreme Programming (XP)
  45. What is the purpose of the “break” statement in a switch statement?
    a) Continuing to the next case
    b) Exiting the switch statement
    c) Restarting the program
    d) Skipping the default case
  46. Which data structure represents a hierarchical structure with parent-child relationships?
    a) Array
    b) Stack
    c) Queue
    d) Tree
  47. What is a “race condition” in software development?
    a) A situation where two or more threads access shared data concurrently, leading to unpredictable results
    b) A condition where a program performs too slowly
    c) A condition where software violates licensing agreements
    d) A situation where a program crashes unexpectedly
  48. What is the purpose of a “primary key” in a database table?
    a) Storing user passwords
    b) Ensuring data is encrypted
    c) Uniquely identifying a record
    d) Managing database connections
  49. What is the primary function of a “router” in web development?
    a) Managing electricity supply
    b) Directing network traffic between web pages
    c) Storing user login credentials
    d) Creating graphics for web pages
  50. Which of the following is not a fundamental sorting algorithm?
    a) QuickSort
    b) MergeSort
    c) BubbleSort
    d) RecurSort

Answer Key:

  1. b) HTML
  2. b) 6
  3. b) Stack
  4. a) Hiding the implementation details of an object
  5. c) virtual
  6. a) Structured Query Language
  7. b) Cascading Style Sheet
  8. d) Java
  9. c) To execute code conditionally
  10. b) Converting source code to machine code
  11. b) Linked List
  12. b) To create an object
  13. a) Referring to the previous object in a chain
  14. d) Precipice
  15. a) Application Programming Interface
  16. a) final
  17. a) Don’t Repeat Yourself
  18. a) Java
  19. b) Repeating a block of code a specific number of times
  20. c) Unit testing
  21. c) MongoDB
  22. c) Handling and processing exceptions
  23. b) Exiting the loop prematurely
  24. d) Collaborative development and version tracking
  25. b) Skipping the current iteration and moving to the next
  26. a) Divide and Conquer
  27. b) Managing dependencies and libraries for a project
  28. c) C++
  29. b) Model-View-Controller
  30. b) Executing code conditionally
  31. d) Providing a development environment with tools and features
  32. b) Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability
  33. c) The ability of software to handle increased workloads or users
  34. a) A class that inherits from another class
  35. a) Referring to a superclass
  36. b) Functional programming
  37. c) Hypertext Transfer Protocol
  38. d) Component testing
  39. d) Storing the memory address of a value
  40. c) Syntax error
  41. c) Accelerating data retrieval
  42. c) Django
  43. b) Calculating the size of a variable
  44. c) Waterfall
  45. b) Exiting the switch statement
  46. d) Tree
  47. a) A situation where two or more threads access shared data concurrently, leading to unpredictable results
  48. c) Uniquely identifying a record
  49. b) Directing network traffic between web pages
  50. d) RecurSort