I’m preparing for upcoming interviews and want to brush up on frequently asked Python topics. From your experience, what are some of the most popular Python interview questions that test both fundamentals and practical skills?
For example, questions about differences between lists and tuples, the use of if __name__ == "__main__":, working with lambda functions, decorators, file handling, or data structures.
It would be great if you could share a concise list or examples of Python questions that often appear in interviews, especially for developer or data engineering roles.
I’ve gone through several Python interviews over the past few years, and here are some topics that almost always come up. If you focus on these, you’ll be in a solid position:
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Data Structures - Be ready to explain lists, tuples, sets, and dictionaries. Interviewers often ask about mutability, time complexity, and when to use each.
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Functions and Decorators - Expect questions on *args, **kwargs, and decorators (how they modify function behavior).
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OOP Concepts - Classes, inheritance, and special methods like init or str.
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Exception Handling - Write or explain simple try-except blocks.
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File Handling - Use of with open() for safe resource management.
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Modules and Packages - Understanding imports and the role of init.py.
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if name == “main”: - Know why it’s used to control script execution.
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Lambda and List Comprehension - Simple, one-liner expressions are favorites.
From experience, I’d also say problem-solving with small coding challenges (like reversing strings, sorting lists, or counting words) shows your comfort level best.
You can also check out these Python interview questions and answers.