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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.

419,495 software engineer interview questions shared by candidates

Only one programming questions. Input a string, including numbers, operands, and brackets. Calculate the result. Test case: input: "(+ 3 3)": Output: 6 input "(* 3 3)" Output: 9 input: "(+ 1 12 (- 17 3) 5 (* 2 8 (/ 120 4)) 46)", Output: 1 + 12 + (17 - 3) + 5 + (2 * 8 * (120 / 4)) + 46 = 558
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Software Engineer

Interviewed at Google

4.4★
Feb 3, 2016

Only one programming questions. Input a string, including numbers, operands, and brackets. Calculate the result. Test case: input: "(+ 3 3)": Output: 6 input "(* 3 3)" Output: 9 input: "(+ 1 12 (- 17 3) 5 (* 2 8 (/ 120 4)) 46)", Output: 1 + 12 + (17 - 3) + 5 + (2 * 8 * (120 / 4)) + 46 = 558

Given a message "one two three four five six seven eight nine", chop it in chunks(no exceed the give buffer size) and print out to the screen. Need to maintain the word and do not chop it off. I.E.: buffer size is 15 one two three (1/4) four five six (2/4) seven eight (3/4) nine (4/4)
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Software Engineer

Interviewed at Uber

3.7★
Mar 17, 2016

Given a message "one two three four five six seven eight nine", chop it in chunks(no exceed the give buffer size) and print out to the screen. Need to maintain the word and do not chop it off. I.E.: buffer size is 15 one two three (1/4) four five six (2/4) seven eight (3/4) nine (4/4)

If V is a vector with n items and subroutine Exchange swaps its arguments, then the following code fragment sorts V in descending order. for( j = 0; j < n - 1; j++ ) for( k = 0; k < n - j - 1; k++ ) if( V[k] < V[k+1] ) Exchange( V[k], V[k+1] ); How many calls to Exchange are made if initially, V[i]=i, for i = 0, 1, 2, ..., n - 1 ? a. n-1 b. n c. n(n-1)/2 d. (n-1)(n-2) e. n(n-1)
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Software Engineer

Interviewed at Everpure

3.5★
Apr 30, 2011

If V is a vector with n items and subroutine Exchange swaps its arguments, then the following code fragment sorts V in descending order. for( j = 0; j < n - 1; j++ ) for( k = 0; k < n - j - 1; k++ ) if( V[k] < V[k+1] ) Exchange( V[k], V[k+1] ); How many calls to Exchange are made if initially, V[i]=i, for i = 0, 1, 2, ..., n - 1 ? a. n-1 b. n c. n(n-1)/2 d. (n-1)(n-2) e. n(n-1)

- Languages: Different between Java and C++, garbage collector in java (how it work), static vs dynamic memory allocation - Data structures: Linked lists, queues, stacks, heap, trees - OOP: polymorphism, design patterns that I used before - Algorithms: Sorting algorithms I know and there complexity, how to search for a number in an array (sorted and not sorted cases) - Coding question: reverse a single linked list
avatar

Software Engineer

Interviewed at Bloomberg

4★
Oct 20, 2015

- Languages: Different between Java and C++, garbage collector in java (how it work), static vs dynamic memory allocation - Data structures: Linked lists, queues, stacks, heap, trees - OOP: polymorphism, design patterns that I used before - Algorithms: Sorting algorithms I know and there complexity, how to search for a number in an array (sorted and not sorted cases) - Coding question: reverse a single linked list

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