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Quizzes > Quizzes for Business > Technology

Software Engineer Technical Interview Quiz

Discover Essential Software Engineering Concepts in Quiz

Difficulty: Moderate
Questions: 20
Learning OutcomesStudy Material
Colorful paper art depicting a software engineer technical interview quiz.

Ready to conquer your next technical interview? Joanna Weib invites you to take this Software Engineer Technical Interview Quiz and sharpen your problem-solving skills with real-world questions. Whether you're prepping for algorithm challenges or system design rounds, this coding quiz offers a balanced mix of MCQs to test your knowledge. For deeper dives into C/C++ questions, check out the Technical Interview Quiz: C/C++ Programming , or explore our Software Developer Technical Skills Assessment Quiz . Don't forget, you can freely modify any quiz in our quizzes editor to tailor it to your learning goals.

What is the time complexity of binary search on a sorted array with n elements?
O(log n)
O(1)
O(n log n)
O(n)
Binary search halves the search space on each comparison, resulting in logarithmic time complexity. Each step reduces the remaining elements by a factor of two.
In Big-O notation, which of the following grows fastest as n increases?
O(n^2)
O(n)
O(1)
O(log n)
O(n^2) represents quadratic growth, which increases faster than constant, logarithmic, or linear growth as n becomes large.
In object-oriented programming, which concept allows a subclass to provide a specific implementation of a method already defined in its superclass?
Inheritance
Encapsulation
Abstraction
Polymorphism
Polymorphism allows subclasses to override methods from their superclass, enabling different behaviors while sharing the same method signature.
Which data structure provides average constant time complexity for insert, delete, and lookup operations?
LinkedList
ArrayList
BinaryTree
HashMap
A HashMap uses a hash table under the hood, offering average-case O(1) complexity for insertions, deletions, and lookups due to direct indexing.
Refactoring code primarily improves which of the following?
Code readability and maintainability
Memory usage always
Feature count
Execution speed always
Refactoring restructures existing code without changing its external behavior, focusing on improving readability, reducing complexity, and enhancing maintainability.
For which operation is a linked list more efficient than an array?
Binary searching
Insertion at the beginning
Random access of elements
Memory compactness
Linked lists allow O(1) insertion at the head since they only need to adjust a pointer, whereas arrays require shifting elements and take O(n) time.
What optimization technique stores the results of expensive function calls to avoid repeated computations?
Memoization
Lazy loading
Pipelining
Loop unrolling
Memoization caches function call results, so if the function is called again with the same arguments, the cached result is returned instantly.
Which design pattern ensures a class has only one instance and provides a global point of access to it?
Singleton Pattern
Factory Pattern
Observer Pattern
Strategy Pattern
The Singleton Pattern restricts a class to a single instance and provides a static method to access that instance globally.
What does horizontal scaling refer to in system design?
Adding more machines to the system
Increasing available memory on a server
Optimizing database queries
Upgrading a machine's CPU
Horizontal scaling, or scaling out, involves adding more machines or nodes to a system to distribute load and increase capacity.
In MapReduce, which phase directly follows the map phase before reducing?
Shuffle and Sort
Combine
Reduce
Partition
The Shuffle and Sort phase groups and orders the map output by key, preparing data for the subsequent reduce phase.
Which tree is self-balancing and ensures O(log n) height for insert and delete operations?
AVL Tree
Heap
Binary Search Tree
Trie
AVL Trees maintain a balance factor on each node and perform rotations to ensure the tree height remains logarithmic with respect to the number of nodes.
According to the Single Responsibility Principle, a class should have how many reasons to change?
Two
Zero
One
Many
The Single Responsibility Principle states that a class should have only one reason to change, focusing its responsibility on a single functionality.
What is a common method to handle a race condition in multithreaded code?
Increase the number of threads
Optimize the algorithm
Disable multithreading
Use locks or mutexes
Locks or mutexes enforce mutual exclusion, ensuring that only one thread can access a shared resource at a time, preventing race conditions.
What is the average time complexity of QuickSort?
O(n)
O(n log n)
O(n^2)
O(log n)
QuickSort's average-case time complexity is O(n log n), because it partitions the array and recursively sorts the partitions.
In languages with automatic garbage collection, what typically triggers the garbage collector to run?
Low memory conditions or runtime heuristics
CPU becomes idle
Program start only
A manual call only
Garbage collectors often run based on memory pressure or runtime heuristics to reclaim unused objects and free memory.
According to the CAP theorem, in the presence of network partitions, a distributed system must choose between which two guarantees?
Availability or Partition tolerance
Consistency or Partition tolerance
Consistency or Availability
Partition tolerance or Performance
The CAP theorem states that when network partitions occur, a distributed system cannot guarantee both consistency and availability simultaneously and must choose one.
When designing a URL shortener service, which component is primarily responsible for mapping short codes to original URLs efficiently?
Key-value store
Message queue
Content delivery network
Relational database
A key-value store offers fast lookups by mapping short codes directly to original URLs, which is essential for high-performance URL retrieval.
Which of the following is one of the necessary Coffman conditions for a deadlock to occur in concurrent systems?
Scalability
Circular wait
Idempotence
Atomicity
Circular wait, along with mutual exclusion, hold-and-wait, and no preemption, is one of the four Coffman conditions required for deadlock.
Which cache eviction policy removes the least recently used items first?
Random Replacement
LRU
FIFO
LFU
LRU (Least Recently Used) tracks item access times and evicts the item that has not been used for the longest time when the cache is full.
What does the term 'sequential consistency' guarantee in a memory consistency model?
Memory operations are always atomic
All writes are immediately visible to all threads
Operations appear in the order issued by each processor and are globally interleaved
Threads cannot be reordered by the compiler
Sequential consistency ensures that the result of execution is as if operations from all processors were interleaved in a sequence that respects each processor's program order.
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Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse algorithmic and data structure challenges
  2. Apply performance optimization strategies in code
  3. Identify scalable solutions in system design scenarios
  4. Demonstrate core object-oriented programming principles
  5. Evaluate responses to typical interview questions

Cheat Sheet

  1. Master Fundamental Data Structures - Get hands-on with arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs to organize your data like a pro. When you know which structure to pick, tasks like searching and inserting become lightning fast! Explore data structures
    2. geeksforgeeks.org
  2. Grasp Core Algorithms - Dive into sorting methods like quicksort, searching tricks like binary search, and dynamic programming hacks to tackle tough problems. You'll discover how divide-and-conquer can turn monsters into molehills! Review core algorithms
    3. geeksforgeeks.org
  3. Analyze Algorithm Complexity - Become a Big-O whisperer by comparing time and space costs of different approaches. Knowing why O(n log n) outshines O(n²) on big inputs gives you an edge in both coding and interviews. Check out complexity analysis
    4. designgurus.io
  4. Implement Performance Optimization Strategies - Boost your code speed with caching, memoization, and smart data structures. Even turning an O(n) task into O(1) feels like magic - perfect for wowing your peers! Performance optimization strategies
    5. designgurus.io
  5. Design Scalable Systems - Learn to juggle load balancers, distributed clusters, and clever database setups so your app never breaks a sweat. Real-world systems handle traffic spikes with ease - yours can too! Dive into system scalability
    6. geeksforgeeks.org
  6. Apply Object-Oriented Programming Principles - Embrace encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism to craft neat, reusable code modules. OOP is like building with LEGO® bricks - snap pieces together to create something awesome! Learn OOP principles
    7. geeksforgeeks.org
  7. Understand System Design Fundamentals - Sketch out high-level and low-level designs to map data flow and component interactions. A clear diagram turns abstract ideas into a solid plan you can build on! Understand system design
    8. geeksforgeeks.org
  8. Practice Concurrency and Parallelism - Tackle threads, processes, locks, and race conditions to harness the power of multi-core processors. When you master parallel code, you'll watch tasks zip along in record time! Explore concurrency techniques
    9. geeksforgeeks.org
  9. Prepare for Common Interview Questions - Simulate real interviews with coding challenges, whiteboard sessions, and peer reviews. Confidence grows with each mock round - you'll nail your next technical interview! Practice for interviews
    10. designgurus.io
  10. Stay Updated with Industry Trends - Subscribe to tech blogs, join developer forums, and tune into webinars to keep your skills fresh. The tech world moves fast - ride the wave and stay ahead! Stay updated on industry trends
    11. geeksforgeeks.org
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