
If you are planning to hire a Python developer and are looking for questions to ask remote Python developers, then you are at the right place. Continue reading to know more!
Since 2018, there has been a steady increase in the demand for Python, and to hire the top candidates, businesses are developing some fantastic Python interview questions. The Python TIOBE index surged from 3.78 to 15.74 and was named Language of the Year in 2018, 2020, and 2021.
Ultimately, it constitutes the fundamental technology stack for emerging fields like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), data visualization, DevSecOps, data analytics, and data science.
Naturally, the increased demand for Python programming led to a mad scramble for competent Python programmers who understood how to write functions in Python, write programs in Python, and work with data types in Python.
However, to make an appropriate hiring decision, you must first screen resumes for ideal Python developers and assess their Python proficiency and other tasks before moving on to the interview stage.
Employing these recruiting strategies, along with the appropriate set of Python interview questions, will be crucial to identifying the best candidate for your company as companies increase their efforts to address the skills crisis.
Python Interview Questions Some common Python interview questions and answers include which program is better for Python programming, how important it is to indent in Python, essential features of Python, how to write a function in Python, and other Python coding questions.
In light of this, we will go over 21 essential frequently requested Python interview questions, along with Python coding questions and answers, Python programming interview questions, and other topics, to help you achieve your ultimate recruitment objectives for Python developers.
Why Do You Need a Python Interview Question Guide to Hire the Right Talent?
Let us take time to discuss the reasoning behind the interview questions before diving straight into the Python ones.
After all, you may be eager to learn the significance or applicability of the Python developer interview questions we’re going to cover. The best preparation list any employer or recruiter has ever had consists of questions on Python programming. It aids in your comprehension of fundamental Python development abilities, and the developer mostly possesses sufficient program writing knowledge.
The following are some of the main arguments in favour of hiring Python engineers for your software company.
As talent management professionals, we frequently encounter common Python interview questions. Based on our experience, these interviews—featuring key Python questions and answers—play a vital role in the hiring process.
You are obtaining a high-level summary of each Python developer’s essential capabilities, including their subject-matter expertise, comprehension and articulation skills, personality, and logical and analytical abilities, in addition to their technical and soft skills.
Because of this, making sure you have the appropriate selection of Python interview questions prepared will guarantee that every question you ask is purposeful and well thought out.
Put simply, Python interview questions maintain the effectiveness and efficiency of your efforts throughout the recruitment cycle by making every interaction count.
Now that you know why it’s important to keep a list of Python interview questions, let’s look at the ones that matter!
You’ll read on to learn about interview questions for Python at the mid-level, interview questions for experienced candidates, and interview questions for beginners.
Best Questions to Ask During a Python Interview When Hiring
Python interview questions vary from one another. Since senior and novice Python developers have different skill sets, interviewers should tailor their questions to match each developer’s expertise.
In a similar vein, the interview questions for a Python backend developer would differ from those for a front-end developer. Because Python is the most widely used programming language, according to the TIOBE index, recruiters include fundamental Python questions in tech interviews to make the best decision!
As a result, we have divided our collection of the best Python interview questions into three categories: entry-level, mid-level, and senior-level, depending on skill and experience. Let’s examine each one of them individually in light of this.
Entry-Level Python Interview Questions
Those pursuing entry-level Python development roles must understand the language’s syntactic structures and their variations.
They should also be fairly knowledgeable in Python functions, data structures, object-oriented programming, data types, and algorithms. In programming, data structures are the fundamental building blocks. Python data structures that are appropriate for the task can optimize both temporal and spatial complexity. Thus, you can use these as the foundation for your Python interview questions.
Below are ten basic Python interview questions to help you get started:
#1 What are Some Fundamental Features of Python?
This interview question for Python delves into the fundamentals of the Python programming language. Most likely, it is comparable to the fundamental interview questions and answers for Python.
Among the crucial elements you need to look for in the response are:
Open-Source: Python is available for free download, and since its source code is accessible to everybody, developers are likewise free to distribute it.
Easy to Learn and Read: This language is easy to learn, read, and code since it is developer-friendly and has a straightforward syntax.
Interpreted: Python does not require compilation because it operates line-by-line.
The object-oriented programming language is Python. Python differs from the functional programming language in that it has encapsulation, polymorphism, inheritance, classes, and objects.
Python encapsulation made sure that methods and data were wrapped together. With multiple inheritances, a class can inherit from more than one base class. Here’s what the following produces.
Example of Multiple Inheritances-
High-Level: Python developers do not need to manage memory or retain track of the system architecture.
Because it is platform-independent, this language is extremely portable.
Integrated: Python can be used in conjunction with C, C++, and other programming languages. This feature also lends it extensibility.
#2 What are Python Modules? Name Some Popular Ones.
Files with executable Python programs are Python modules. Dividing a monolithic piece of code into smaller pieces makes it more modular, legible, efficient, and debug-friendly.
Several frequently used Python modules consist of:
- wxPython, WCK, PyGObject, PMW, and so forth—for graphical user interfaces
- Databases: SQLAlchemy, KInterbasDB, MySQLdb, Gadfly, etc. (focus: interview questions for Python backend developers)
- For web development, use tools like Selenium, scrape, Google Maps, requests, py query, etc. (focus: Python front-end developer interview questions)
- For manipulating images and videos, use Python Imaging Library, MoviePy, pyscreenshot, GDmodule, VideoCapture, etc.
- For sound manipulation, use tools like Mutagen, PyMedia, PMIDI, and PySonic.
- For data science and mathematical computations, use programs like Numpy, SciPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, etc
- Use programs like Pygame, PyOpenGL, Pyglet, etc. to create games.
- You can change the response to this Python developer interview question based on the needs of your project.
#3 Is Python Case-Sensitive?
Indeed, Python handles capital and lowercase characters differently because it is a case-sensitive language. You can find out if your Python developer can distinguish between variable A and variable A by asking them this question during a Python interview.
#4 Python Indentation: Why Is It Important?
More than just readability or esthetic aspect of Python, indentation is a fundamental idea that, if ignored, will result in a failure message.
Developers divide code blocks into four spaces, which helps in defining a block inside a class or function.
#5 What is the Use of Break, Continue, and Pass?
This Python interview question will reveal more about the developer’s loop-working skills. The following describes these statements’ main application:
- Break: Ends the loop and advances to the subsequent sentence.
- Proceed: Rejects a loop’s following statements and returns control to the top.
- Pass: Ignores a section of code that is required for syntactical reasons.
#6 How Would You Define Python Literals? Can You Share a Few Examples?
This interview question for Python developers again assesses the language’s foundations. A literal is a straightforward way to convey a value.
Here are a few typical Python literals:
- String literals: A string of characters or text encircled by one, two, or three quotation marks. Say, “Hello.”
- Unchangeable numbers that fall into the categories of integer, complex, or float are known as numerical literals. For instance, 5 (integer), 8i (complex), and 3.14 (float).
- Boolean literals: ‘0’ denoting falsehood and ‘1’ denoting truth
- Special literals: Indicates the absence of creation for a specific field. Say, “None”
#7 Can You Explain What a Namespace is?
The naming scheme that Python uses to guarantee that each object has a unique name is referred to as a namespace. It is used in conjunction with the Python dictionary.
In Python, some popular namespaces are:
- The names of the imported modules that are currently in use are stored in the global namespace. It is created when the module is added and removed at the end of the script.
- Local namespace: It contains the function’s local names. It ends with the function and is called when a function is called.
- Built-in functions and exceptions are present in the built-in namespace.
#8 What is the Difference Between Python Scope and Namespace in Python
In Python, the notion of scope and the concept of namespace are interdependent. A Python scope, as you have learned so far, determines where a name appears in your Python program.
Python scopes function as object-to-name dictionaries. The term “namespace” refers to these dictionaries in common usage. These are the theoretical methods that Python employs for name storage.
The module namespace contains names that are stored at the top level of the module. Stated differently, they are stored in the modules. dict__ attribute.
Examine the results of the following:
#9 Define the Interpreted Language
Line by line, an interpretive programming language runs its code. Interpreted programming languages include Python, Javascript, R, PHP, and Ruby.
Programs developed in an interpreted language do not require compilation; they run straight from the source code.
#10 Define Scope in Python.
In Python, each object has its scope. A section of code in Python where an object is still relevant is called a scope.
Namespaces provide each object in a program with a distinct identity. With these namespaces, however, you can use their objects without any prefixes because of their declared scope.
Here are some instances of Python scope generated while the code runs:
Mid-Level Python Interview Questions
A mid-level Python developer will have some practical exposure to Python and its modules as well as some experience with Python.
In light of the profile you are hiring against, you can select the mid-level Python questions and answers accordingly.
These seven mid-level Python interview questions might help you get started.
#11 What Do You Understand by PYTHONPATH?
Using the environment variable PYTHONPATH, developers can add (and manage) additional folders without placing them in the global default location.
To do this, it adds new directories to the Python program’s sys.path list, allowing modules and packages to be found there.
#12 Have You Used the Re Module? Which three primary functions does it offer?
Three primary functions make up the built-in module Re (Regular Expression, or RegEx), which aids in expression matching. These are the following:
- sub(): It assesses patterns and calls a replace function for each regex match.
- subn() performs similar operations as sub(), but it also returns a tuple containing the new string and a count of all substitutions made overall.
- split(): It splits the string along the specified separator and produces regex matches.
This is a very useful interview question for Python if you need to build search patterns for text data extraction.
#13 In Python, What Do You Mean by Iterators?
Iterators are objects, such as lists, sets, tuples, and dicts, that contain countable values that are iterable. This implies that it will remember its state at different points while you navigate through the various settings.
It uses the next() method to iterate to the next element after initializing with iter(). By returning the StopIteration exception, object__next__() ends the iteration.
#14 Python Lists vs. NumPy Arrays – What Do You Prefer?
A Python list is an arranged, modifiable collection enclosed in square brackets. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous lists are possible.
You can nest it to provide N dimensions, but it is one-dimensional by default. It includes benefits like concatenation, item insertion, deletion, and padding.
A Python package called NumPy, sometimes known as NumPy array, facilitates the usage of arrays in complex mathematical operations.
It can be used to generate homogenous N-dimensional arrays by default. It has several Python variables, methods, and functions built in for simple matrix computing.
The candidate should indicate a preference for NumPy arrays in their response to this Python interview question because they are significantly faster, more effective, and need less code.
#15 Can You Explain Monkey Patching in Python?
The term “monkey patching” describes the dynamic, run-time modification of a class or module that modifies the behavior of the code.
#16 Please Point Out How Flask, Django, and Pyramid Differ.
Three very well-known Python libraries are Flask, Django, and Pyramid. Here are some talking points to include in your response to this Python interview question:
- Large-scale Python frameworks like Django and Pyramid have many needs, but Flask is a micro-framework.
- While developers often use Django and Pyramid to build more complicated systems, they typically use Flask to generate smaller apps.
- Compared to Django, Pyramid is significantly more configurable.
- Model-view-controller (MVC) architecture is the foundation of Django, which also comes with an ORM.
#17 Have You Used Python Documentation Strings?
This interview question for a Python developer will provide some insight into the candidate’s coding style. Since Python is an interpreted language, developers must become familiar with Python strings, data types, and code. We are going to talk about Python strings.
In essence, comments added to modules, classes, functions, and methods are called Python documentation strings, or docstrings. Instead of using hashtags, they use triple quotes and remain incomplete.
Using Python documentation strings demonstrates adherence to optimal Python development methods.
#18 Explain Pickling and Unpickling in Python.
Pickling is the process of serializing Python objects into a string (or any other format) for network transmission or storage persistence.
Reintegrating a pickled string into its original form is called unpickling.
#19 Compared to Java, How is Exception Handling Differently in Python?
Python uses a try-except method that enables programmers to see errors in their code without stopping it from running.
In certain instances, it might even offer solutions to the issue. Try-except-finally and try-except-else are the two variants of try-except that Python uses.
#20 Describe the Python Function Writing Process.
Python developers can write functions by doing the following steps:
- To declare a function, type its name on the keyboard after def.
- Enter the arguments in the function’s open and closed parentheses, then finish with a colon.
- Include the statements in the program that run when the function is called.
#21 How Would You Programmatically Check the Python Version in Use?
The sys module allows the developer to verify the Python version. You can code this as follows:
import sys
print(sys.version)
#22 How Can You Generate Random Numbers in Python?
Python supports numerous functions for generating random numbers, including:
- The function random() yields a floating-point value between 0 and 1.
- The function uniform (X, Y) produces a floating point value between X and Y.
- The function Randint (X, Y) yields a random integer between X and Y.
#23 Can You Differentiate Between Wheels and Eggs?
Although this Python interview question might seem unusual to newcomers, an experienced Python developer would use it as an opportunity to explain how the Wheel and Egg package formats eliminate the need for compiling installation artifacts.
The following are the main variations between the two:
- The wheel is a typical guideline for Python developers and is more recent.
- An egg distributes and installs software, whereas the wheel packs (distributes) software.
- Unlike egg standards, developers have versioned wheel requirements.
- While Egg uses egg and lacks an official PEP, Wheel must comply with PEP-376 details.
- While Egg’s naming conventions are more lax, Wheel’s are more extensive.
#24 What is PEP8? Do You Think it is Worth Following?
A Python Enhancement Proposal (PEP) is a document that lists the most recent major features added to Python, along with suggested best practices. The Python community published PEP 693, the most recent PEP document, in May 2022.
Conclusion
You can make well-informed recruiting judgments by using these questions to assess a remote Python developer’s technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and aptitude for remote work.
You can choose an accomplished full-stack developer from Appic Softwares to work on your project. Our full-stack engineers have extensive experience working on projects all over the world and are exceptionally competent in soft skills.
If you decide to work with them, you may provide your project with excellent development professionals.
So why the reluctance?