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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.

419,718 software engineer interview questions shared by candidates

you have 100 doors in a row that are all initially closed. you make 100 passes by the doors starting with the first door every time. the first time through you visit every door and toggle the door (if the door is closed, you open it, if its open, you close it). the second time you only visit every 2nd door (door #2, #4, #6). the third time, every 3rd door (door #3, #6, #9), etc, until you only visit the 100th door.
avatar

Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET)

Interviewed at Microsoft

4★
Sep 7, 2010

you have 100 doors in a row that are all initially closed. you make 100 passes by the doors starting with the first door every time. the first time through you visit every door and toggle the door (if the door is closed, you open it, if its open, you close it). the second time you only visit every 2nd door (door #2, #4, #6). the third time, every 3rd door (door #3, #6, #9), etc, until you only visit the 100th door.

Whiteboard programming: given a tile and a word, write a routine to determine if the word is valid. Wild card "*" might be present in tile and can be used for once when there is no match. For example, "bed" is valid given tile "abcdefg". "bread" is valid given tile "abcdefg*".
avatar

Software Development Engineer

Interviewed at Microsoft

4★
May 9, 2012

Whiteboard programming: given a tile and a word, write a routine to determine if the word is valid. Wild card "*" might be present in tile and can be used for once when there is no match. For example, "bed" is valid given tile "abcdefg". "bread" is valid given tile "abcdefg*".

Online Test : 1. count how many 1 bits are set after multiplication of 2 numbers 2. Implement CD (Unix command) functionality Technical Round 1 :: 1. formal introduction 2. Role in Current Project 3. Which UI framework/technology is better 4. Write a Decompressing Program to convert the string Ex :: i/p -> 3[b2[ca]] o/p -> bcacabcacabcaca
avatar

Senior Software Engineer

Interviewed at Microsoft

4★
May 22, 2021

Online Test : 1. count how many 1 bits are set after multiplication of 2 numbers 2. Implement CD (Unix command) functionality Technical Round 1 :: 1. formal introduction 2. Role in Current Project 3. Which UI framework/technology is better 4. Write a Decompressing Program to convert the string Ex :: i/p -> 3[b2[ca]] o/p -> bcacabcacabcaca

Most of the technical questions, I felt very prepared for. The most difficult questions were behavioral. In particular, "Tell me about an experience where a project partner enjoyed working with you." Rather than talking about your skills you have to talk about how you worked well with others in a way that they enjoyed working with you, and do so without coming off as being arrogant. Also, they didn't ask the question directly, but came to it in a way that put you on the back foot. The question immediately before was to tell them about a time that you had difficulty working with a partner, and also about a time that a partner had difficulty working with you.
avatar

Software Development Engineer

Interviewed at Microsoft

4★
Apr 18, 2013

Most of the technical questions, I felt very prepared for. The most difficult questions were behavioral. In particular, "Tell me about an experience where a project partner enjoyed working with you." Rather than talking about your skills you have to talk about how you worked well with others in a way that they enjoyed working with you, and do so without coming off as being arrogant. Also, they didn't ask the question directly, but came to it in a way that put you on the back foot. The question immediately before was to tell them about a time that you had difficulty working with a partner, and also about a time that a partner had difficulty working with you.

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