The programming language interview questions are very important to pass any tech job interview, so we are here with 100+ interview questions with answers.

Interview Questions

Java Interview Questions

1. What is Java?
   • Answer: Java is a high-level, object-oriented, and platform-independent programming language. It is designed to be used in distributed environments.
2. What are the main features of Java?
   • Answer: Key features include platform independence, object-oriented programming, strong type-checking, automatic memory management (garbage collection), and multi-threading.
3. Explain the main principles of object-oriented programming (OOP).
   • Answer: OOP principles include encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. Encapsulation involves bundling data and methods that operate on that data into a single unit. Inheritance allows a class to inherit properties and methods from another class. Polymorphism allows objects to be treated as instances of their parent class.
4. What is the difference between JDK, JRE, and JVM?
   • Answer: JDK (Java Development Kit) is a software development kit used for developing Java applications. JRE (Java Runtime Environment) is the runtime environment required to run Java applications. JVM (Java Virtual Machine) is an abstract machine that provides the runtime environment in which Java bytecode can be executed.
5. Explain the “write once, run anywhere” concept in Java.
   • Answer: Java programs are compiled into bytecode, which can run on any device with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). This enables Java programs to be platform-independent.
6. What is the difference between == and .equals() in Java?
   • Answer: == is used for comparing primitive data types or checking object references, while .equals() is a method used to compare the contents of objects.
7. What is the significance of the static keyword in Java?
   • Answer: The static keyword is used to create class-level variables and methods. It means that the variable or method belongs to the class rather than instances of the class.
8. Explain the concept of garbage collection in Java.
   • Answer: Garbage collection is the automatic process of reclaiming memory occupied by objects that are no longer in use by the program, preventing memory leaks.
9. What is the difference between an interface and an abstract class?
   • Answer: An interface is a collection of abstract methods, and a class implementing an interface must provide concrete implementations for all the methods. An abstract class can have both abstract and concrete methods, and it allows for the definition of instance variables.
10. What is the purpose of the finally block in exception handling?
    • Answer: The finally block is used to execute code that should always be run, regardless of whether an exception is thrown or not. It is typically used for cleanup operations.
11. Explain the concept of multithreading in Java.
    • Answer: Multithreading allows concurrent execution of two or more threads. It can improve the performance of programs by enabling them to execute multiple tasks simultaneously.
12. What is the super keyword used for in Java?
    • Answer: The super keyword is used to refer to the superclass (parent class) of the current object. It is often used to invoke the superclass’s methods or access its fields.
13. What is the difference between StringBuilder and StringBuffer?
    • Answer: Both classes are used to manipulate strings, but StringBuilder is not thread-safe, whereas StringBuffer is thread-safe.
14. What is the purpose of the transient keyword in Java?
    • Answer: The transient keyword is used to indicate that a variable should not be serialized when the class instance containing that variable is serialized.
15. What is the use of the final keyword in Java?
    • Answer: The final keyword is used to make a variable, method, or class constant and unchangeable. It can also be used to prevent a class from being extended or a method from being overridden.
16. How does exception handling work in Java?
    • Answer: Exceptions are objects representing errors that occur during the execution of a program. They are handled using try, catch, and finally blocks. The try block contains the code that might throw an exception, the catch block handles the exception, and the finally block is optional and is executed regardless of whether an exception is thrown.
17. Explain method overloading and method overriding.
    • Answer: Method overloading is the ability to define multiple methods in the same class with the same name but different parameters. Method overriding occurs when a subclass provides a specific implementation for a method that is already defined in its superclass.
18. What is the this keyword used for in Java?
    • Answer: The this keyword is used to refer to the current instance of the class. It is often used to distinguish instance variables from local variables when they have the same name.
19. How is an abstract class different from an interface?
    • Answer: An abstract class can have both abstract and concrete methods and may have instance variables. An interface can only have abstract methods (prior to Java 8) and does not allow instance variables. A class can implement multiple interfaces, but it can extend only one class (abstract or concrete).
20. What is the try-with-resources statement in Java?
    • Answer: The try-with-resources statement is used to automatically close resources like files, sockets, or database connections when they are no longer needed. It ensures that the resources are closed properly, even if an exception is thrown.

Python Interview Questions

1. What is Python?
   • Answer: Python is a high-level, interpreted, and general-purpose programming language known for its readability and simplicity.
2. Explain the differences between Python 2 and Python 3.
   • Answer: Python 3 is the latest version of the language and introduces syntax and feature changes. Key differences include print function syntax, Unicode support, and division behavior.
3. What is PEP 8?
   • Answer: PEP 8 is the Python Enhancement Proposal that provides guidelines for writing clean and readable code in Python.
4. How is memory managed in Python?
   • Answer: Python uses automatic memory management through garbage collection. Objects are automatically allocated and deallocated, and developers don’t need to explicitly manage memory.
5. What are the built-in data types in Python?
   • Answer: Common data types include int, float, str, list, tuple, dict, and set.
6. Explain list comprehensions in Python.
   • Answer: List comprehensions provide a concise way to create lists. They consist of an expression followed by a for clause, and optionally, an if clause.
7. What is the purpose of the __init__ method in Python?
   • Answer: The __init__ method is a constructor in Python classes. It is called when an object is created and is used to initialize object attributes.
8. What is the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)?
   • Answer: The GIL is a mechanism in CPython (the default Python interpreter) that allows only one thread to execute Python bytecode at a time. This can impact the performance of multi-threaded Python programs.
9. Explain the concept of decorators in Python.
   • Answer: Decorators are a way to modify or extend the behavior of functions or methods. They are denoted by the @decorator syntax and are often used for aspects like logging, timing, or access control.
10. What is the purpose of the __str__ method?
    • Answer: The __str__ method is used to define the human-readable string representation of an object. It is called by the str() built-in function and print() function.
11. How does exception handling work in Python?
    • Answer: Exceptions are raised when an error occurs. The try, except, else, and finally blocks are used for exception handling in Python.
12. Explain the concept of generators in Python.
    • Answer: Generators are a type of iterable, allowing the creation of iterators using functions with the yield keyword. They are memory-efficient and provide a way to iterate over a potentially large set of data.
13. What is the difference between list and tuple in Python?
    • Answer: Lists are mutable (can be modified), while tuples are immutable (cannot be modified after creation). Tuples are generally used for fixed collections, and lists are used for dynamic collections.
14. What is the purpose of the with statement in Python?
    • Answer: The with statement simplifies resource management by ensuring that the acquired resources are properly released, even if an exception occurs, through the use of context managers.
15. How does Python support functional programming?
    • Answer: Python supports functional programming features like higher-order functions, lambda functions, and the map, filter, and reduce functions.
16. What is the purpose of the __name__ variable in Python?
    • Answer: The __name__ variable is a special variable that is set to "__main__" when the Python script is executed directly, and it is used to determine if the script is the main program or imported as a module.
17. Explain the use of the *args and **kwargs in function definitions.
    • Answer: *args allows a function to accept any number of positional arguments, while **kwargs allows it to accept any number of keyword arguments.
18. What is a virtual environment in Python?
    • Answer: A virtual environment is a self-contained directory that contains a Python interpreter and its standard library. It is used to isolate dependencies and avoid conflicts between different projects.
19. How can you open and read a file in Python?
    • Answer: The open() function is used to open a file, and the read() method is used to read its contents. It’s important to close the file using the close() method after reading.
20. Explain the concept of duck typing in Python.
    • Answer: Duck typing is a programming concept where the type or the class of an object is less important than the methods it defines. If an object quacks like a duck (has the required methods), it’s considered a duck.

JavaScript Interview Questions

1. What is JavaScript?
   • Answer: JavaScript is a high-level, interpreted programming language primarily used for building interactive and dynamic web pages.
2. Explain the difference between let, var, and const in JavaScript.
   • Answer: var is function-scoped, while let and const are block-scoped. const is used for constants, and let is used for variables that can be reassigned.
3. What is the DOM?
   • Answer: The Document Object Model (DOM) is a programming interface for web documents. It represents the document as a tree of objects, allowing manipulation of the structure, style, and content of web pages.
4. Explain event delegation in JavaScript.
   • Answer: Event delegation is a technique where a single event listener is attached to a common ancestor, and events are handled based on the target. This is useful for efficiently managing events on dynamically added elements.
5. What is closure in JavaScript?
   • Answer: A closure is a function that has access to its own scope, the outer function’s scope, and the global scope. It allows for encapsulation and the preservation of variable values even after the outer function has finished executing.
6. How does asynchronous programming work in JavaScript?
   • Answer: Asynchronous programming in JavaScript is achieved using callbacks, promises, and async/await. Callbacks are functions passed as arguments to other functions to be executed later. Promises represent a value that might be available now, or in the future. Async/await is a syntactic sugar for working with promises.
7. What is the difference between == and === in JavaScript?
   • Answer: == performs type coercion, converting the operands to the same type before comparison. === (strict equality) does not perform type coercion and checks both value and type.
8. Explain the concept of prototypal inheritance in JavaScript.
   • Answer: In JavaScript, objects can inherit properties and methods from other objects through a prototype chain. Each object has a prototype object, and if a property or method is not found on an object, it is looked up in the prototype chain.
9. What is the purpose of the this keyword in JavaScript?
   • Answer: The this keyword refers to the current execution context. Its value depends on how a function is called: in the global scope, it refers to the global object; in a method, it refers to the object the method is called on; and in an event handler, it refers to the element that triggered the event.
10. Explain the difference between null and undefined in JavaScript.
    • Answer: null is an assignment value that represents no value or no object, while undefined is a variable that has been declared but not assigned a value.
11. What is the purpose of the bind() method in JavaScript?
    • Answer: The bind() method is used to create a new function with a specified this value and initial arguments. It allows for explicitly setting the context in which a function is invoked.
12. What are arrow functions in JavaScript?
    • Answer: Arrow functions are a concise syntax for writing function expressions. They do not have their own this or arguments binding and inherit them from the enclosing scope.
13. Explain the concept of promises in JavaScript.
    • Answer: Promises represent a value that might be available now, or in the future. They have three states: pending, fulfilled, or rejected, and are used for handling asynchronous operations.
14. What is the purpose of the typeof operator in JavaScript?
    • Answer: The typeof operator is used to determine the data type of a variable or expression. It returns a string representing the data type.
15. How does the event loop work in JavaScript?
    • Answer: The event loop is the mechanism that allows JavaScript to perform non-blocking operations. It continuously checks the message queue for new events or tasks, and when the call stack is empty, it processes the next message in the queue.
16. Explain the concept of callback hell (pyramid of doom) and how to avoid it.
    • Answer: Callback hell occurs when multiple nested callbacks make the code hard to read and maintain. To avoid it, use named functions, modularize code, or use promises or async/await.
17. What is the purpose of the localStorage and sessionStorage objects in JavaScript?
    • Answer: localStorage and sessionStorage are used to store key/value pairs in a web browser. localStorage persists even after the browser is closed, while sessionStorage is only available for the duration of the page session.
18. Explain the concept of hoisting in JavaScript.
    • Answer: Hoisting is a JavaScript behavior where variable and function declarations are moved to the top of their containing scope during compilation, allowing them to be used before they are declared.
19. What is the purpose of the map() function in JavaScript?
    • Answer: The map() function is used to create a new array by applying a provided function to each element of an existing array. It does not modify the original array.
20. How does the async/await feature work in JavaScript?
    • Answer: async/await is a syntax for handling promises. The async keyword is used to define asynchronous functions, and await is used to pause the execution of an async function until a promise is resolved or rejected.

SQL Interview Questions

1. What is SQL?
   • Answer: SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language designed for managing and manipulating relational databases.
2. Explain the difference between SQL and NoSQL databases.
   • Answer: SQL databases are relational and use a predefined schema, while NoSQL databases are non-relational and do not require a fixed schema.
3. What is the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN in SQL?
   • Answer: INNER JOIN returns only the matched rows from both tables, while LEFT JOIN returns all rows from the left table and the matching rows from the right table.
4. What is a primary key in a database?
   • Answer: A primary key is a unique identifier for a record in a database table. It ensures that each record can be uniquely identified and helps in establishing relationships between tables.
5. Explain the purpose of the GROUP BY clause in SQL.
   • Answer: The GROUP BY clause is used to group rows based on the values of one or more columns. It is often used with aggregate functions like SUM, COUNT, AVG, etc.
6. What is the purpose of the HAVING clause in SQL?
   • Answer: The HAVING clause is used to filter the results of a GROUP BY query based on a specified condition for aggregated values.
7. Explain the difference between DELETE and TRUNCATE statements in SQL.
   • Answer: DELETE is used to remove rows from a table based on a condition, while TRUNCATE is used to remove all rows from a table without considering any condition. TRUNCATE is faster but cannot be rolled back.
8. What is an index in a database, and why is it used?
   • Answer: An index is a database object that improves the speed of data retrieval operations on a database table. It is used to quickly locate and access the rows in a table based on the indexed columns.
9. Explain the UNION and UNION ALL operators in SQL.
   • Answer: UNION combines the result sets of two or more SELECT statements and removes duplicate rows, while UNION ALL also combines result sets but retains all rows, including duplicates.
10. What is a foreign key in a database?
    • Answer: A foreign key is a field that refers to the primary key in another table. It establishes a link between two tables, enforcing referential integrity.
11. Explain the difference between a clustered index and a non-clustered index.
    • Answer: In a clustered index, the rows of the table are physically arranged based on the index key. In a non-clustered index, a separate structure is created that contains a sorted list of keys and pointers to the actual rows.
12. What is a subquery in SQL?
    • Answer: A subquery is a query nested inside another query. It can be used to retrieve data that will be used in the main query as a condition.
13. Explain the LIKE operator in SQL.
    • Answer: The LIKE operator is used in a WHERE clause to search for a specified pattern in a column. It can include wildcard characters such as % (matches any sequence of characters) and _ (matches any single character).
14. What is normalization in the context of databases?
    • Answer: Normalization is the process of organizing data in a database to reduce redundancy and dependency. It involves dividing large tables into smaller, related tables and defining relationships between them.
15. Explain the difference between COUNT(*) and COUNT(column_name) in SQL.
    • Answer: COUNT(*) returns the total number of rows in a table, while COUNT(column_name) returns the number of non-null values in the specified column.
16. What is the purpose of the ORDER BY clause in SQL?
    • Answer: The ORDER BY clause is used to sort the result set of a query based on one or more columns, either in ascending (default) or descending order.
17. Explain the concept of ACID properties in the context of database transactions.
    • Answer: ACID stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability. These properties ensure that database transactions are processed reliably: transactions are atomic (either fully completed or fully rolled back), consistent (bringing the database from one valid state to another), isolated (executing transactions independently), and durable (committed changes are permanent).
18. What is the purpose of the NULL value in SQL?
    • Answer: NULL represents an unknown or undefined value in a database. It is different from an empty string or zero and is often used to indicate missing or undefined data.
19. Explain the difference between a view and a table in SQL.
    • Answer: A table is a storage structure that holds data, while a view is a virtual table based on the result of a SELECT query. Views do not store data themselves but provide a way to represent the data in a predefined way.
20. What is the use of the LIMIT clause in SQL?
    • Answer: The LIMIT clause is used to restrict the number of rows returned by a query. It is often used in combination with the ORDER BY clause for pagination or to retrieve a specific subset of rows.

C Interview Questions

1. What is the difference between malloc() and calloc()?
   • Answer: malloc() is used to allocate memory for a specified number of bytes, while calloc() is used to allocate memory for a specified number of elements, each of a specified size, and initializes them to zero.
2. Explain the use of const keyword in C.
   • Answer: The const keyword is used to declare constants in C. It can be applied to variables to make them unmodifiable.
3. What is a pointer in C?
   • Answer: A pointer is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. It allows indirect access to the value stored in that memory address.
4. What is the purpose of the sizeof operator in C?
   • Answer: The sizeof operator is used to determine the size, in bytes, of a variable or data type.
5. Explain the difference between ++i and i++ in C.
   • Answer: Both ++i and i++ increment the value of i by 1, but ++i (pre-increment) increments and then returns the incremented value, while i++ (post-increment) returns the current value and then increments.
6. What is the purpose of the volatile keyword in C?
   • Answer: The volatile keyword is used to indicate that a variable may be changed by an external source and should not be optimized by the compiler.
7. What is a structure in C?
   • Answer: A structure is a user-defined data type in C that allows bundling different types of data under a single name.
8. Explain the role of the break statement in C.
   • Answer: The break statement is used to exit from a loop or switch statement prematurely, terminating the execution of the enclosing loop or switch.
9. What is the difference between #include "file" and #include <file> in C?
   • Answer: #include "file" is used to include a user-defined header file, while #include <file> is used to include a system header file.
10. What is the purpose of the typedef keyword in C?
    • Answer: The typedef keyword is used to create a user-defined data type using an existing data type.

C++ Interview Questions

11. What is object-oriented programming (OOP)?
    • Answer: Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm that uses objects – instances of classes – to organize and structure code.
12. What is the difference between a class and an object in C++?
    • Answer: A class is a blueprint for creating objects, while an object is an instance of a class.
13. Explain the concept of constructor and destructor in C++.
    • Answer: A constructor is a special member function called when an object is created. A destructor is a special member function called when an object goes out of scope or is explicitly deleted.
14. What is the difference between public, private, and protected access specifiers in a class in C++?
    • Answer: Public members are accessible from outside the class, private members are only accessible within the class, and protected members are accessible within the class and its derived classes.
15. What is polymorphism in C++?
    • Answer: Polymorphism allows objects of different types to be treated as objects of a common base type. It includes function overloading and function overriding.
16. Explain the concept of operator overloading in C++.
    • Answer: Operator overloading allows redefining the behavior of operators for user-defined data types.
17. What is a virtual function in C++?
    • Answer: A virtual function is a function that is declared within a base class and is redefined in a derived class. It allows dynamic method resolution (late binding).
18. Explain the purpose of the this pointer in C++.
    • Answer: The this pointer is a pointer that points to the current instance of the class. It is used to differentiate between class members and local variables when they have the same name.
19. What is the difference between new and malloc() in C++?
    • Answer: new is an operator in C++ used for dynamic memory allocation and initializes the memory, while malloc() is a function in C that allocates uninitialized memory.
20. Explain the concept of templates in C++.
    • Answer: Templates in C++ allow the creation of generic classes or functions that can work with any data type. They enable code reusability and flexibility.