What are the questions asked in technical assessment?

Questions in a technical assessment vary depending on the role, but they typically test core competencies, problem-solving skills, and practical knowledge relevant to the position. Here’s a breakdown of common types of questions asked in technical assessments across different technical roles:

1. Coding and Algorithm Questions

• Purpose: To evaluate programming skills, data structures, and problem-solving abilities.
• Common Questions:
  • "Reverse a linked list."
  • "Find the longest substring without repeating characters."
  • "Implement binary search on a sorted array."
  • "Solve a problem involving sorting or searching algorithms (e.g., quicksort, mergesort)."
• Focus Areas: Time and space complexity, optimized solutions, and code readability.

2. System Design Questions (For Mid-Level to Senior Roles)

• Purpose: To assess ability to design scalable, efficient systems and understand architecture principles.
• Common Questions:
  • "Design a URL shortening service like TinyURL."
  • "How would you design a messaging system like WhatsApp?"
  • "Explain how you’d design an e-commerce platform."
• Focus Areas: Scalability, reliability, load balancing, databases, caching, and APIs.

3. Database and SQL Questions

• Purpose: To test database management and data querying skills.
• Common Questions:
  • "Write a SQL query to find the top 5 highest-paid employees."
  • "Explain the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN."
  • "Optimize a given SQL query for faster execution."
• Focus Areas: Query writing, data manipulation, indexing, optimization, and understanding of relational vs. NoSQL databases.

4. Debugging and Code Review Questions

• Purpose: To test troubleshooting and debugging skills.
• Common Questions:
  • "Identify and fix the bug in this code snippet."
  • "Optimize this inefficient code to improve performance."
  • "Review this code and suggest improvements."
• Focus Areas: Problem identification, error fixing, and code readability improvements.

5. Technical Knowledge Questions (Multiple Choice or Short Answer)

• Purpose: To evaluate theoretical knowledge relevant to the role.
• Common Questions:
  • "Explain the difference between TCP and UDP."
  • "What is the purpose of an API, and how does it work?"
  • "Describe the differences between REST and GraphQL."
• Focus Areas: Operating systems, networking, cloud computing, DevOps, and other domain-specific knowledge.

6. Practical Application or Project-Based Questions

• Purpose: To test hands-on skills and ability to handle real-world scenarios.
• Common Questions:
  • "Build a simple CRUD API with Express and Node.js."
  • "Create a to-do list app using React."
  • "Analyze a dataset and create a report or dashboard."
• Focus Areas: Building, deploying, and testing an application or feature, understanding frameworks, and using relevant tools.

7. Behavioral Questions with a Technical Focus

• Purpose: To assess soft skills, decision-making, and problem-solving under real-life scenarios.
• Common Questions:
  • "Describe a time you faced a challenging technical problem and how you resolved it."
  • "How do you handle conflicting priorities in a project?"
  • "How do you approach learning a new technology?"
• Focus Areas: Communication, teamwork, adaptability, and problem-solving approaches.

8. DevOps and Cloud-Specific Questions (If Relevant)

• Purpose: To test knowledge of cloud platforms and DevOps practices.
• Common Questions:
  • "How do you set up a CI/CD pipeline for an application?"
  • "What is the difference between Docker and Kubernetes?"
  • "Explain how to configure autoscaling on AWS."
• Focus Areas: CI/CD, containerization, cloud services, and infrastructure management.

Technical assessment questions typically cover a blend of coding challenges, system design, database management, debugging, theoretical knowledge, practical applications, and some behavioral questions to understand both hard and soft skills. Each question type aims to assess different aspects of your technical competency and approach to problem-solving.