Top 10 Interview Questions About Programming and Coding
During a software developer interview, you will be asked questions to see how well you understand the programming languages needed for the job and how well you know coding in general. This article looks at 10 basic coding interview questions and shows you how to answer them. We also tell you what you need to do to get ready for your interview.
Basic coding questions for a job interview
Here are 10 questions about coding, along with some sample answers that should help you talk about your work experience and get ready for your interview.
- What do you know about programming?
- What’s your favorite way to write code?
- What do you do when a program freezes?
- How do you make sure you know the latest technical information in your field?
- How would you work with team members from different departments?
- What happens when you type a website’s URL?
- How can you tell how long the longest chain is?
- Can you tell me about a coding-based project you worked on?
- How do you begin a new project?
- How do you handle deadlines?
1. What kind of programming do you know?
Use your answer to this question to show that you did research on the company and found out what kind of language they use. Consider giving more than one example of how you’ve used different languages, and show your portfolio with the languages you’ve used. You can also talk about languages that are popular in your field if you think that will help you stand out from other candidates.
- Describe the place where your experience happened.
- Task: Describe what you do.
- Tell me what you did to solve the problem.
- What went wrong? Tell what took place.
Example 1: “I know a lot about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and in my last job as a programmer at Global Company, we used Python to write software applications. I learned Python from the projects I worked on there, and I don’t mind learning other languages when I need to for projects.
Example 2: “I used a CMS editor to make changes to the company’s website when I was a developer at Local Bakery. I customized and coded the website with CSS code so that it would work better and have more features.
2. What’s your favorite way to write code?
You could talk about the kind of language you like to use when answering technical questions in your answer. Choose one that you can explain to someone who doesn’t know as much about it as you do. If you can speak more than one language, choose one that is more current than HTML.
Example: “Different projects call for different languages, but I like using Python to solve problems using algorithms. I like that it’s easy to use and has some cool features. After using Python at Global Company, I wanted to learn more about it, so I designed and built a software app for a mobile game that helps people learn a new language by practicing their speaking skills. Based on what I’ve done at work and in my personal life, I think I have a good understanding of Python.”
3.What do you do if a program stops working?
To give a good answer to this question, you’ll need both technical and social skills. Tell your interviewer about your process in a way that makes sense and sounds natural to show that you understand it well. How would you look for the bug? What would you do to fix it?
“I worked at a new company called Innotech after I finished graduate school. I liked working on the projects there, but programs kept crashing a lot. After I run a debugger, I look for patterns. For example, the program could crash when certain commands are run or when certain conditions are met. I would find out why the program only crashes every fifth time the page loads. Once I found patterns, I would think of problem areas that might have parts of those patterns, and then I would use a code to look for those parts. Most of the time, this method works.”
4. How do you stay up-to-date on the technical side of your field?
Programming is a field that is always changing, so you can show that you like to grow by learning new things and languages.
Example: “I like to learn new languages and keep my programming skills up-to-date. I like to hang out with other programmers in online communities and listen to programming podcasts. I also like to learn new things by taking online courses. I was working on a project while I was learning Python, so I used podcasts and online courses to help me learn. I think that these ways will help me.”
5. How would you feel about working with people from different departments on a team?
If you’re applying for a job as a programmer, you’ll be given technical tests or interviews. You can also use these chances to show off your soft skills, like your ability to get along with others and communicate.
Example “I work well with others, even if they don’t know much about technology. I think that these groups can come up with products and ideas that a team of people with similar ideas might not think of. I also like to meet new people and see how they see the projects we work on together. I’ve worked on teams with only programmers and teams with a variety of people, and I think the teams with a variety of people were usually more creative. I’d love to be a part of a team like this one.”
6. What happens when you type a website’s URL?
You can show how well you understand how the process works by answering this question.
Example: “First, type your URL into the browser’s address bar. The browser will then look for the IP address in the DNS record and the cache. The browser might then have to check the caches of the operating system, the router, and the ISP. The ISP’s DNS server then starts a DNS query to find the IP address of the server that hosts the site. The browser then starts a TCP connection with the server. Last, the browser sends the web server an HTTP request. The server sends a reply, and the HTML content is shown by the browser.
How can you find out how long the longest chain is on a pair?
You might find that the “hard skills” part of your programming interview is easy to prepare for. You can find practice tests for the technical parts of your programming interview in books and on the Internet. You can focus your studies on learning the processes you might use and being able to explain them.
When you talk about elements and systems, be thorough and use the right words. After you explain your method, write out the code for your answer.
Example: “I would use a sorting mechanism to put the pair in order based on the given criteria. Then, I would use a LIS process to compare the parts. There are other ways to do this, but this is the one I would try first. Want me to write the code down?”
8. Can you tell me about a coding project you worked on?
With this answer, you can talk about a business-related project you worked on or one that your company put into action. Focus on the results and how well you did to make programs that other people can use.
Example: “SpeakR, the app I made to help people learn languages, did pretty well. In its first three months on the market, more than 20,000 people got the app. I started the project to learn more about Python, so it was exciting to see the app become popular.
9. How do you begin a new project?
Talk about how you plan and show that, in addition to your technical skills, you can stay organized when you answer this question. Use this opportunity to try the STAR method again.
Example: “I like to decide on the technical parts of a project first, like the language and library I’ll use. Then I plan the features and use pictures to make sure I have everything I need. Then I’ll think about how to use them most effectively. Lastly, I like to make a plan for how long the project will take and when it will be done. This system has helped me get things done at work ahead of time.
I planned out the whole process of adding a user wiki. First, I chose to use the Scrum process and Python to code the wiki. Python is a fast language that my team could learn quickly. I got information about what was needed and thought about who would be needed on the team. I planned and did a sprint, which is the last thing I did. This practical way of thinking about projects helped my team finish the wiki quickly and well.
10. How do you handle deadlines?
As a programmer, you’ll often have to meet deadlines for projects. In your answer to this question, you can talk about how well you meet deadlines and what planning techniques you use to keep track of your time and projects.
“I like having deadlines for projects, and it helps me to set my own smaller goals for the tasks I need to do to meet my work deadlines. On my desk calendar, I write down goals for each day of my work week. I thought of this way to stay organized. I used to make department calendars that kept my team on track at my previous jobs.
How to prepare for a job interview in coding
As you prepare for your interview to learn how to code, you might want to keep these things in mind:
- Test some things out. To get ready for technical interviews, you can take practice tests and answer interview questions out loud. You can talk to a friend or co-worker if you need someone to listen. Repeat the steps until you feel confident that you can give good answers.
- Think about how you would respond to questions. If you need time to think of a good answer, summarize the question back to the interviewer to make sure you understand it well. If you need more time to think, take a deep breath, drink some water, or say something like, “That’s a great question, let me think about that for a second.”
- Engage your interviewer. After your interviewer gives you a problem, you might want to start working on it right away. Most likely, you’ll do better if you talk about strategies and ask questions about what the question is about. Learn as much as you can about the person who will be interviewing you.
- Ask them good questions in return. You should come to an interview with a few questions that show the interviewer you’ve been paying attention, done your research, and are ready. Methodologies, the culture of the company, or basic information about the company or the job may be part of the research.
