No more interview zitters! Be interview ready with these top programming language questions beforehand

Be it a job interview of a data scientist or that of a research analyst or even any job interviews related to computing or machine learning, companies like Amazon always use programming language as a common topic. Here we have collected the top 10 programming language related questions that are frequently asked. 

Question: Please explain what you understand by computer programming.

Answer: Also known as coding or programming, computer programming is the process of encoding an algorithm into a notation, typically a computer program, by means of some programming language so that it can be executed by a computer. Each programming language contains a set of instructions for the computer to execute a set of tasks. Programming is a complex process that includes designing an algorithm, coding the same in a programming language, debugging a program, maintaining, and updating the code.

Question: Can you enumerate and explain the various types of errors that can occur during the execution of a computer program?

Answer: Three types of errors can occur during the execution of a computer program. These are:

• Logical errors – This occurs in the scenario of a computer program implementing the wrong logic. As there is no report generated for these types of programming errors, they are the most difficult ones to deal with.
• Runtime errors – Occurs when the program contains an illegal operation. For example, dividing a number by 0. These are the only errors that are displayed instantly during the program execution. Upon the occurrence of a runtime error, the program execution is stopped and a diagnostic message is displayed.
• Syntax errors – Occurs when one or more grammatical rules of the programming language being used are violated. Such errors are detected during compile time.

Question: What do you understand by maintaining and updating a computer program?

Answer: The maintenance and updating process of a computer program starts after its successful installation. While program maintenance is the continuous process of monitoring the computer program for bugs and errors, updating the computer program means making it better with minor and major changes over time.

Question: Every programming language has reserved words. What are they? Give some examples.

Answer: Reserved words, also known as keywords, are words that have predefined meanings in a particular programming language. These reserved words can't be used or redefined for serving other purposes. Following are some examples of reserved words:

• C – break, case, char, default, else, float, if, and int
• Java – abstract, boolean, catch, class, const, double, enum, finally, implements, an instance of, throws, transient, and volatile
• Python – and, assert, continue, def, del, global, not, lambda, raise, and yield

Question: What do you understand by loops? Briefly explain the various types of loops.

Answer: A loop is a structure in programming that can repeat a defined set of statements for a set number of times or until a particular condition is satisfied. There are three important types of loops:

• FOR…NEXT Loop – This is the most effective loop when you know beforehand the total number of times the loop is to be repeated
• WHILE…WEND Loop – It keeps on repeating a particular action until the concerned condition becomes false. This loop is particularly useful when the total number of repetitions is unknown.
• Nested Loop – When a loop is used inside a loop then it is termed as a nested loop

Question: What are constants? Explain their types.

Answer: A constant is a programming entity whose value can't be changed or modified during program execution. Constants are of two main types:

• Numeric constants – Includes integers, single-precision, and double-precision numbers. For example, 22, 24, -898, 4.5, and 73.45
• String constants – Includes a sequence of alphanumeric characters enclosed in double quotation marks. The maximum length of a string constant is 255 characters. For example, "Shimla," "I Love You," and "Orange Is the New Black"

Question: Please explain the operators.

Answer: Operators are used for performing certain operations on data in a computer program. These are represented by symbols. For example, / represent mathematical division while * represents multiplication. There are 4 main types of operators:

• Arithmetic – Used for carrying out mathematical operations
• Assignment – Used for storing computational results, strings, and values in variables
• Logical – Used for allowing a computer program to make a decision based on multiple conditions. In other words, logical operators allow combining simple conditions to form more complex conditions
• Relational – Used for defining or testing some kind of relation between two entities. These operators evaluate to either true or false and produce a non-zero value

Question: Do you know about modeling languages? Give some examples.

Answer: Any artificial language usable for expressing information or knowledge or systems in an arrangement determined by a reliable set of rules is called a modeling language.

The same set of rules is also used for interpreting the meaning of the components of a modeling language structure. Following are some examples of modeling languages:

• Business Process Modeling Notation
• Extended Enterprise Modeling Language
• Flowchart
• Jackson Structured Programming
• Systems Modeling Language
• Unified Modeling Language

Question: Please explain software testing. Why do we need it?

Answer: Like programming, software testing is an important aspect of any software development life cycle model, whether it be the traditional waterfall model or the modern Rapid Application Development (RAD) model.

Under the process of software testing, the software is tested in certain conditions to check for the quality of the same. Another important motive for testing a computer program is to assess whether it succeeds in delivering a good user experience or not. Some other reasons include:

• Checking for improvements
• Ensure proper/intended working
• Meeting user requirements

Question: What do you mean by "beta version" of a computer program?

Answer: The beat version of a computer program or software is a release of the same that isn't yet ready for public release and is meant to be modified after user feedback is received from beta testing.