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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.

418,713 software engineer interview questions shared by candidates

(a) first, write a function to calculate the hamming distance between two binary numbers (b) write a function that takes a list of binary numbers and returns the sum of the hamming distances for each pair (c) find a solution for (b) that works in O(n) time.
avatar

Software Engineer

Interviewed at Meta

3.6★
Apr 16, 2013

(a) first, write a function to calculate the hamming distance between two binary numbers (b) write a function that takes a list of binary numbers and returns the sum of the hamming distances for each pair (c) find a solution for (b) that works in O(n) time.

Two people are each stuck on their own island, connected by a ferryman with a lockable box. Each person has their own lock and key, but can't send the key along with the box. One person wants to send the other a diamond, but it must be placed into the box and locked or it will be stolen by the ferryman. How do you send the diamond without the ferryman stealing it?
avatar

Software Engineer IV

Interviewed at Oracle

3.5★
Apr 13, 2012

Two people are each stuck on their own island, connected by a ferryman with a lockable box. Each person has their own lock and key, but can't send the key along with the box. One person wants to send the other a diamond, but it must be placed into the box and locked or it will be stolen by the ferryman. How do you send the diamond without the ferryman stealing it?

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