Python developers are always in high demand, and if you want to work as a Python coder at a top tech firm, you must answer the tricky Python interview questions. Python is a popular Object-Oriented Programming language among coders and developers. Top tech firms value Python developers due to Python’s simplicity and general-purpose programming ability across most OS platforms.
Python interview questions from top FAANG+ companies are based on theoretical and practical knowledge. If you’re preparing for a technical interview and have decided to use Python as your programming language, these Python interview questions and answers will help you understand what to expect.
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Let’s go ahead and look at these common Python interview questions and answers for freshers and experienced developers.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:
This section will look at some popular Python interview questions asked at software engineer interviews.
Python is a general-purpose programming language that can build any application, tool, or interface. With the right set of libraries and tools, you can use Python to write high-level code for complex software programs and applications.
More so, Python is the preferred language for Rapid Application Development amongst developers as it offers an extensive set of data structures.
Python is essentially a strongly-typed, interpreted programming language that doesn’t allow type coercion or implicit data-type conversions. There are fundamentally two stages during which type-checking is done:
Before execution – data types are checked before execution. This is known as Static type-checking.
After execution – data types are checked during execution. This is known as Dynamic type-checking.
In Python, as the data types are checked during execution, it is a dynamically-typed programming language.
Python is an interpreted language. These languages execute code statements line-by-line. In the case of interpreted programming languages, programs run directly from the source code and don’t require a compilation step before execution.
This is one of the most common Python programming interview questions asked at software developer interviews. A scope in Python is essentially a block of code in which an object is relevant. Namespaces in Python have pre-defined scopes to ensure that objects remain relevant during execution and can be freely used without prefixes.
This again is an important Python interview question for beginners. In Python, random numbers are generated using the Random module. The method used is:
Import random
Random.random
Generators in Python are functions used to return an iterable set of user-defined data types.
Values or elements in an array can be removed using the pop() or remove() functions. The pop() function returns the values or elements that have been deleted, whereas the remove() function does not return any values.
The different types of Scopes in Python include:
Lists are fundamentally sequenced data types in Python used to store a collection of objects. Lists in Python are represented using square brackets.
Tuples are sequence data types used to store a collection of items (objects). In Tuples, objects are represented using parentheses.
The fundamental difference between Lists and Tuples is that Lists are collections of mutable objects while Tuples are a collection of immutable objects.
The Pass feature represents a null or void operation in Python. The keyword fills up empty code blocks that can execute during runtime. It is primarily used when code in these blocks hasn’t been written yet. The program could run into errors while executing code without the “pass†keyword.
A Class in Python is a code template used to create and define an object. It is a fundamental block of code that defines the behavior and attributes of objects and functions.
An Object in Python is a user-defined data type or instance of a class. It is an entity that exhibits behavior and state, defined by the Class that it is part of.
The standard built-in data types in Python include:
Packages and modules are two key features that enable modular programming. Packages in Python allow hierarchical and organized structuring of module namespaces through dot notations. Packages in Python help to avoid conflicts between module names.
Modules are files in Python that have the .py extension. Modules can contain various variables, classes, objects, and functions. The contents within modules can be initialized through the “import†statement.
Global attribute – Any variable declared a global variable in a program is public and is available outside the class. Global variables are defined in Python using the global keyword.
Protected attribute – variables that are protected are usually confined to the class, although they can be accessed from outside the class through select functions. Protected variables can only be accessed by child classes which are subsets of parent classes.
Abstraction is a feature through which only the required details are shown, while the implementation details are hidden. For instance, if the members of a class are public, they are visible and accessible by external methods and functions; but if the members are private, they cannot be called by external methods.
.pyc files in Python are created when a block of code is imported from a different source. These files essentially contain bytecodes of Python files. On the other hand, .py files are source code files.
This is another crucial Python interview question asked in technical interviews at top companies. Slicing in Python is primarily used to access some parts of sequences such as strings, tuples, or lists.
Literals in Python are used to represent fixed values for data types that are primitive. There are a total of 5 Literal types in Python:
In Python, dataframes can be combined using the following ways:
The contact() function is used to concatenate two dataframes.
This is one of the most important Python interview questions asked in technical interviews. In Python, memory is managed through the Private Heap Space. Data structures and objects are located in private heaps. Developers usually don’t have access to private heaps. They are managed by Python memory managers. Python’s built-in garbage collector automatically recycles unused memory and makes it available to heap spaces.
The PythonPath is an environment variable used to identify imported modules in multiple directories. The variable is used by interpreters when a module is imported to identify which module to load.
Python modules are an essential concept around which you can expect tons of Python interview questions based on theory and problem-solving. Modules are files that contain Python code. Commonly used built-in modules in Python include:
Type conversion in Python is used to convert one datatype to another. Some common type conversion functions include:
This is one of the most common Python interview questions asked in technical interviews. Functions are blocks of code that are executed when called. The keyword “def†is used to define functions in Python.
_init_ in Python is a constructor that is automatically called to allocate memory when a new object is created. All classes in Python have the _init_ function.
The lambda function in Python is a function that can have only one statement but multiple parameters. The lambda function is commonly known as the anonymous function.
Python has a multithreading package and allows multithreading through the Global Interpreter Lock construct. The construct allows only one thread to execute at one time and quickly moves onto the next thread for execution. The process is so quick that it may seem like multiple threads are executing simultaneously. Allowing threads to execute through this method is the most efficient way to run code.
Libraries are essentially a collection of packages. Some popular Python libraries are Pandas, Matplotlib, Numpy, and Scikit-learn.
Polymorphism is a feature that allows methods to have multiple functionalities with the same name. For instance, if a parent class contains a method ABC, the child class can contain the same method with its own unique set of variables and functions.
Multiple inheritance is a feature where a particular class can be derived from more than one parent class. Unlike Java, Python supports multiple inheritance.
These Python interview questions around general Python theory will help you prepare for your upcoming technical interview.
Many developers choose Python as their programming language for technical interviews. Using Python to solve problems on core-data structures and algorithms is an excellent choice, as the language enables you to perform a wide range of functions.
In this section, we’ll look at some sample Python coding interview questions asked at FAANG+ interviews.
Before that, here are the topics that are important from the perspective of the interview:
Let’s look at some sample Python coding interview questions asked in FAANG+ interviews:
If you want to practice more Python coding interview questions (problems) along with solutions for your technical interview, check out the Learn and Problems Page.
If you’re looking for some hands-on Python interview preparation tips, we’ve got them lined up for you. Go through the below pointers to nail your technical interview.
Employing these tips during your Python interview prep and your interview will help you stand out from the rest of the competition.
Q1. What type of Python interview questions are asked in FAANG+ interviews?
If you apply for a software engineering role, you can expect Python interview questions around core Python theoretical concepts and problem-solving. Under problem-solving, you can expect questions on core data structures and algorithms.
Q2. Which Python coding concepts are important to answer Python interview questions?
The important coding concepts in Python include modules, packages, control-flow statements, data types, structured and unstructured data, and core OOPs concepts such as polymorphism, inheritance, and encapsulation, among others.
Q3. What concepts are the Python interview questions about algorithms and data structures based on?
Knowledge of coding concepts such as strings, linked lists, arrays, sorting, hash tables, recursion, graphs, trees, and dynamic programming is required for answering Python interview questions on algorithms and data structures.
Q4. Are your Python skills tested in senior software engineer interviews at FAANG+ companies?
Yes, very much. Knowledge of core concepts in Python is important, although there is more focus on distributed systems design in senior software engineer interviews.
Q5. Why is Python a widely used language?
Python is a high-end, general-purpose, interpreted programming language that allows developers to build complex software programs. With the help of the right tools and libraries, Python can be used to build a ton of applications and programs.
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