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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.

419,369 software engineer interview questions shared by candidates

Given a database, where we know some portion of data (e.g. say 20%) is accessed more than the other portion of the database by the client. We have a frontend that client requests data from. Design a data structure that will increase the efficiency of access of objects. And we know that we can only hold on to n elements in memory.
avatar

Software Development Engineer

Interviewed at Microsoft

4★
Aug 2, 2014

Given a database, where we know some portion of data (e.g. say 20%) is accessed more than the other portion of the database by the client. We have a frontend that client requests data from. Design a data structure that will increase the efficiency of access of objects. And we know that we can only hold on to n elements in memory.

Consider 4 components of a color where: unsigned char red = 0x10; unsigned char green = 0xFF; unsigned char blue = 0x0F; unsigned char alpha = 0x44; Generate a packed color ARGB which is a 32 bit integer such that A is in the MSB of ARGB followed by red, green, blue ----------------- | A | R | G | B | -----------------
avatar

Senior Software Engineer

Interviewed at SanDisk

3.4★
Apr 3, 2010

Consider 4 components of a color where: unsigned char red = 0x10; unsigned char green = 0xFF; unsigned char blue = 0x0F; unsigned char alpha = 0x44; Generate a packed color ARGB which is a 32 bit integer such that A is in the MSB of ARGB followed by red, green, blue ----------------- | A | R | G | B | -----------------

1) One grandfather has three grandchildren, two of their age difference is 3, eldest child age is 3 times youngest child’s age and eldest child’s age is two times of sum of other two children. What is the age of eldest child? (Ans: 15 years) 2) we can tell you that the first and last digits of the year during which he was born add up to the second digit and that the third digit is one larger than the second digit and that 3 times fourth digit equals 2 times the third digit. Calculate year of his birth. (Ans: 1564) 3) Bella wants to go on a date and prefers her date to be tall, dark and handsome. Of the preferred traits - tall, dark and handsome - no two of Lautner, Jacob, Edward and Welch have the same number. Only Lautner or Welch is tall and fair. Only Jacob or Edward is short and handsome. Lautner and Edward are either both tall or both short. Jacob and Welch are either both dark or both fair. Who is Bella's date? (Ans: Edward)
avatar

Software Engineer

Interviewed at VinSol

3.7★
Nov 14, 2014

1) One grandfather has three grandchildren, two of their age difference is 3, eldest child age is 3 times youngest child’s age and eldest child’s age is two times of sum of other two children. What is the age of eldest child? (Ans: 15 years) 2) we can tell you that the first and last digits of the year during which he was born add up to the second digit and that the third digit is one larger than the second digit and that 3 times fourth digit equals 2 times the third digit. Calculate year of his birth. (Ans: 1564) 3) Bella wants to go on a date and prefers her date to be tall, dark and handsome. Of the preferred traits - tall, dark and handsome - no two of Lautner, Jacob, Edward and Welch have the same number. Only Lautner or Welch is tall and fair. Only Jacob or Edward is short and handsome. Lautner and Edward are either both tall or both short. Jacob and Welch are either both dark or both fair. Who is Bella's date? (Ans: Edward)

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