What are some common Linux interview questions for a graduate-level role?

I’m about to attend my first Python interview and I’ve been compiling a list of possible questions. So far, I’ve gathered topics ranging from easy/intermediate to tricky and subjective questions. Some examples include:

Easy/Intermediate:

  • What are Python decorators and how do you use them?
  • How would you manage multiple projects with different Python versions and dependencies?
  • What is PEP8 and do you follow its guidelines?
  • How are arguments passed – by reference or by value?
  • Do you know list and dict comprehensions? Can you give examples?
  • Differences between lists and tuples, range vs xrange, Python 2 vs 3.
  • Usage of with statement, avoiding cyclical imports, issues with import *.
  • Why is the GIL important?
  • Special methods (__foo__) and first-class functions.

Tricky/Advanced:

  • How to read an 8GB file efficiently in Python.
  • Convert ASCII characters to integers without built-in methods.
  • The difference between class Foo and class Foo(object).

Subjective/Opinion-based:

  • Do you prefer tabs or spaces and why?
  • What don’t you like about Python?

I’m wondering if there are other important python interview questions I should add to make my preparation more comprehensive. I want to cover common, tricky, and practical questions that are typically asked for junior-to-mid level Python roles.

Are there any other topics, gotchas, or question types I should include before my interview?

Easy-to-intermediate Python questions often focus on language fundamentals. Candidates might be asked about decorators, the with statement, mutable vs immutable argument passing, or the differences between Python 2 and 3.

Good answers explain both the concept and practical use cases, such as using decorators for logging function calls or context managers to safely handle file operations.

You can follow this detail Python Interview Questions and get started with your interview prep.

All the best!!

More challenging questions may involve handling large datasets or edge cases. For example, reading an 8GB file efficiently using generators or yield without consuming excessive memory tests understanding of Python’s iteration model.

Similarly, a question about converting ASCII to integers without ord() evaluates logical reasoning and familiarity with Python’s built-in capabilities.

Subjective questions gauge experience and judgment. Candidates might be asked their preferences on tabs versus spaces or their critiques of Python.

Strong answers provide thoughtful reasoning, ideally tied to real project experience, showing not only technical proficiency but also an ability to articulate design choices and maintain readable, maintainable code.