What are the best interview questions for tech roles for freshers?

For freshers, tech interview questions typically focus on basic coding, problem-solving, foundational concepts in computer science, and a bit of behavioral evaluation. Here's a list of the best interview questions tailored for freshers, categorized by topic:

1. Basic Coding Questions

These questions assess understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms:

Arrays and Strings

• Write a program to reverse a string.
• Find the maximum and minimum in an array.
• Check if a string is a palindrome.

Sorting and Searching

• Implement bubble sort or insertion sort.
• Find the index of a target element in a sorted array using binary search.

Recursion

• Calculate the nth Fibonacci number.
• Solve the Tower of Hanoi problem.

Resources to Prepare

• Grokking the Coding Interview: Patterns for Coding Questions for beginner-friendly coding patterns.
• Grokking Data Structures & Algorithms to build a solid foundation.

2. Core Computer Science Questions

These questions focus on understanding basic CS principles:

Data Structures

• Explain the difference between an array and a linked list.
• How does a stack differ from a queue?
• What is the use of a hash table?

Algorithms

• Explain the time complexity of common algorithms (e.g., sorting).
• What is the difference between breadth-first search (BFS) and depth-first search (DFS)?

Operating Systems

• What is the difference between process and thread?
• Explain how an operating system handles deadlocks.

3. System Design Lite

Freshers are rarely asked full-fledged system design questions but may encounter simplified versions:

Examples

• Design a parking lot system.
• Create a basic library management system.
• Design a URL shortening service (focus on high-level design).

Resources

• Grokking System Design Fundamentals for beginners.

4. Behavioral Questions

Behavioral questions evaluate how freshers think, collaborate, and problem-solve in teams:

Examples

• Tell me about a project you worked on during college. What challenges did you face?
• How do you handle feedback or criticism?
• Describe a situation where you worked with a team to achieve a goal.

Resources

• Grokking Modern Behavioral Interview for structured preparation.

5. Company-Specific Questions

Focusing on specific companies' styles can help freshers feel confident during interviews.

Google

• Write a program to merge two sorted arrays.
• Check if a number is prime.

Amazon

• Solve the "two-sum" problem.
• Describe how you would design a basic inventory system.

Facebook/Meta

• Write a function to detect cycles in a graph.
• Create a basic algorithm to rank items in a news feed.

Resources

• Amazon Interview Questions: The Ultimate Preparation Guide
• Top 20 Coding Questions to Pass Google Interview

6. Mock Interviews

Freshers can benefit immensely from mock interviews to simulate real-world scenarios:

• Coding Mock Interview
• System Design Mock Interview

Conclusion

For freshers, tech interviews often emphasize basic coding, foundational computer science knowledge, and problem-solving. Using resources like Grokking the Coding Interview and practicing with mock interviews will provide the skills and confidence needed to excel in these interviews.