Top Programming Interview Questions and Answers

Interview!!! For every job aspirant- this phase is one of the most crucial and nerve-wracking parts. Are you also wondering how to pass an interview in programming?

Big companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google always look for candidates who have a keen knowledge of programming and understand the detailed techniques.

Have a look at the top programming interview questions that will give an overview of how to answer in the interview.

General Programming Interview Questions

It is necessary to prepare for the general questions asked in a programming interview.

We have some top programming interview questions and answers that will surely help you to perform well.

1. What do you understand by computer programming?

Answer: Computer programming or coding is a process to transfer certain instructions to the computer to execute some tasks.

There are many computer programming languages like Java, Python, C, C++ with which we can make the computer understand the problem and the solution.

Programming is a process that includes designing algorithms, coding, debugging, and maintaining the code.

2: Please explain what you understand by Algorithms?

Answer: Algorithms are a representation of the steps or rules to be followed to execute a code with any computer programming language.

Algorithms are important to complete a particular task with accuracy and clarity. Step by step procedure always helps a programmer to write the code fast and proper.

3. Please give some examples of reserved words in the Programming language.

Answer: Reserved words are some predefined words in programming languages that have certain tasks and cannot be redefined.

Have a look at the following list to get an idea about reserved words in various programming languages.

C- int, char, float, break, case, switch, if, else, for, while, elseif, return, void, etc.

Python- and, def, del, global, assert, yield, lambda, continue, not, raise, etc.

Java- class, const, double, finally, throws, implements, instanceof, abstract, enum, boolean, volatile, etc.

4. What do you mean by Object in Programming? Explain.

Answer: Object-oriented programming languages like Java, C++, Python, C# have an abstract data type known as an object.

Objects can be a combination of different variables, functions, and data structures. While designing a program, objects work as units.

5. Explain low-level and high-level programming languages. Give examples.

Answer: Low-level language is a machine language that is easily recognized by the computer. For example, assembly language.

On the other hand, a high-level language is a programming language that is likely to human languages. These languages are user-friendly and easy to develop. For example, Java, Python, C, etc.

Note that the difference between these two languages is also important.

6. What do you understand by Debugging?

Answer: While developing a code, there can be multiple errors or bugs. These bugs make the code inefficient, slow or totally meaningless.

Debugging is the process to discover and correct errors in the code in order to run it smoothly.

7. Can you explain what is a syntax error in programming?

Answer: Syntax is nothing but a rule to be followed while developing a code. It is a set of structured code that is used for different cases in a program.

For example, the syntax for an if-else statement is:

if (condition)
{
Execution if the condition is true
}
else
{
Execution if the condition is not true
}

If there is any kind of error in this structure, then it is known as a syntax error. While compilation it can be identified and corrected through debugging.

8. What do you understand by program documentation?

Answer: Documentation is important to track the whole procedure of any task in a particular order for future use.

Similarly, programming documentation is the process to note down the algorithms, coding methods, design for further modifications.

Hope you can understand the general question pattern and how to answer them precisely. You can also go through different books and websites to prepare more questions and answers for programming interviews.

Programming Interview Questions: Based on Different Languages

Besides general questions, application-based programming interview questions can also be asked in the interviews.

C Programming Interview Questions

Top C interview questions include questions from almost every topic of the C language. Let us see some examples of the programming questions.

State the key features of the C language
What is the C language and why is it known as the Mother Language?
Applications of different functions like printf(), scanf()
Use of functions in C
What is a Local Variable and Global Variable and what are the key differences between them?

Prepare C programming interview questions from here.

Java Programming Interview Questions

Java is one of the commonly used programming languages, Most beginners learn programming in C or Java at the school level because of their usability.

State the characteristics features of the Java programming language.
What do you understand by class and object?
Importance of Java in the industry.

Prepare Java Programming interview questions from here.

Python Programming Interview Questions

Python is a popular programming language that is on-demand in companies like Microsoft, Amazon, etc. It is important to prepare programming interview questions in this language.

Key Features of the Python language.
Can you tell what are the benefits of using Python as a programming language in this present scenario?
What are lists and tuples and what are the differences?

Prepare Python interview questions from here.

Programming Interview Questions: Application-Based

How to find duplicate elements in an array?
Reverse a String in Java. Also, write it without using string inbuilt function.
Write a code to find a middle element of a singly linked list?
How to capitalize a letter in a string using Python?

These are some of the examples of the questions asked in a programming interview. You need to practice thoroughly to understand the basic concepts as well as the applications.

There are lots of books, free mock tests available on the internet for interview practice.

Check out the programming interview questions and solutions.