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Software Engineer Interview Questions

Software engineers write programs to design and develop computer software. Interviews are highly technical, so come ready to work through coding problems and math brainteasers. The specific questions you are asked will depend on what type of programming position you are looking for. Try researching a specific software discipline such as web development, application development, or system development.

Top Software Engineer Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: How would you describe your programming task process?

How to answer
How to answer: When answering a question about your process or life cycle for software development and engineering, it's helpful to consider every step, beginning with obtaining the requirements for the end product. Include as much detail as possible to help the interviewer learn more about any work you've done as a software engineer and how you handle a task to show your ability to tackle a project from start to finish.
Question 2

Question #2: Which programming languages do you know and prefer?

How to answer
How to answer: An interviewer will want to know what programming languages you're familiar with, as well as which languages you prefer. This question doesn't necessarily have a right or wrong answer, but it does provide insights into your capabilities and coding expertise. If the job listing for which you are interviewing includes specific language knowledge preferences, make sure to include them when outlining the software languages you know.
Question 3

Question 3: What is an example of a successful project that you completed?

How to answer
How to answer: When describing your success with a past project, it's helpful to identify aspects of the project that went well and detail the different task list elements. You can describe the team with whom you worked on the project, how you managed your time, and how you specifically contributed to the project.

419,267 software engineer interview questions shared by candidates

6) Mr. Wagle goes to work by a bus. One day he falls asleep when the bus still has twice as far to go as it has already gone. Halfway through the trip he wakes up as the bus bounces over some bad potholes. When he finally falls asleep again, the bus still has half the distance to go that it has already traveled. Fortunately, Mr. Wagle wakes up at the end of his trip. What portion of the total trip did Mr. Wagle sleep? 7) How many numbers between 3000 and 4000 do the digits in the number go in increasing order? 8) A ship is twice as old as the ship's boiler was when the ship was as old as the boiler is. What is the ratio of the boiler's age to the ship's age? 9) A four-person crew from Classic Colors is painting Mr. Field's house. Michael is painting the front of the house. Ross is in the alley behind the house painting the back. Jed is painting the window frames on the north side, Shawn is on the south. If Michael switches places with Jed, and Jed then switches places with Shawn, where is Shawn?
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Software Engineer

Interviewed at VinSol

3.7★
Nov 14, 2014

6) Mr. Wagle goes to work by a bus. One day he falls asleep when the bus still has twice as far to go as it has already gone. Halfway through the trip he wakes up as the bus bounces over some bad potholes. When he finally falls asleep again, the bus still has half the distance to go that it has already traveled. Fortunately, Mr. Wagle wakes up at the end of his trip. What portion of the total trip did Mr. Wagle sleep? 7) How many numbers between 3000 and 4000 do the digits in the number go in increasing order? 8) A ship is twice as old as the ship's boiler was when the ship was as old as the boiler is. What is the ratio of the boiler's age to the ship's age? 9) A four-person crew from Classic Colors is painting Mr. Field's house. Michael is painting the front of the house. Ross is in the alley behind the house painting the back. Jed is painting the window frames on the north side, Shawn is on the south. If Michael switches places with Jed, and Jed then switches places with Shawn, where is Shawn?

(i) Explain virtual memory from application level all the way to chip level. (ii) Merging 2 sorted list of elements. (iiI) Given N knights and N targets, what are the minimum moves needed for the knights to reach the targets.
avatar

Software Engineer

Interviewed at Scuba Analytics

3.2★
Mar 2, 2016

(i) Explain virtual memory from application level all the way to chip level. (ii) Merging 2 sorted list of elements. (iiI) Given N knights and N targets, what are the minimum moves needed for the knights to reach the targets.

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