Top Interview Questions for SDE Intern
An SDE intern is responsible for documenting and testing new software applications, assessment of new application ideas, and developing applications (coding, programming).
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2020 to 2030.
Are you in a hurry to get started? Download the SDE Intern Interview Questions and Responses Toolkit.
Hard Skills
Use these questions to identify a candidate’s technical knowledge and abilities
Soft Skills
Use these questions to assess a candidate’s personality traits and cognitive skills
What to look for while interviewing for an SDE Intern?
Since the required skills for an SDE intern require experience. Therefore, look for a candidate who has knowledge of all these.
Here are some skills to look out for when hiring an SDE Intern.
Role-specific skills to look for: Knowledge of Algorithms and Data Structures, proficiency in programming languages like C++, Java (J2EE), XML, Python, OOP, Understanding of concepts in Computer Science, database environment.
Soft skills to look for critical thinking, problem-solving, analytical, curiosity to learn, and teamwork.
Pro Tip: Always screen before you interview. Use Online Assessment to screen applicants for an SDE intern position before blocking your time for an in-person interview.
Questions to ask while interviewing an SDE Intern
We have compiled a set of questions with the help of 70+ hiring managers at different organizations.
Top Role-based interview questions for SDE Intern
Can you write a program to compute the Nth Fibonacci number in any language of your choice?
Purpose of this interview question:
This is one of the most commonly asked questions in an interview for the role of SDET. This is designed to test a candidate’s programming skills.
What to listen for:
- Look for errors(if any) in the code, and pay attention to how much time it takes for the candidate to answer this question.
How familiar are you with the concept of OOPS?
Purpose of this interview question:
OOP is one of the most critical concepts for any programmer, hence it becomes important that an applicant of this role knows about concepts like this.
What to listen for:
- Listen for the specific terms that explain OOPs.
What are the most important aspects to pay attention to when reviewing a code, in your opinion?
Purpose of this interview question:
Code review is crucial to this function, hence any applicant for this job role. By asking this question the interviewer can understand the candidate’s knowledge and various skills.
What to listen for:
- Look for the evidence of skills like problem-solving and attention to detail.
How to screen SDE Intern for soft skills?
What are your strengths?
Purpose of this interview question:
This question is designed to understand if the candidate has the skills or personality traits that will enable them to fit in with a pre-existing team.
What to listen for:
- Top candidates would show evidence of curiosity to learn, and other skills required as per the job description.
How do you plan to make an impact during your internship here?
Purpose of this interview question:
This question is designed to understand whether the candidate possesses leadership skills, as they would be a core part of the business.
What to listen for:
- Top candidates would describe how they plan to initiate the strategy to create impact and the tactics they plan to use.
What are your work expectations and what do you expect to gain from this internship?
Purpose of this interview question:
This question can help in revealing what a candidate expects to get out of this position and what they think the work will involve.
What to listen for:
- An ideal candidate would talk about their goals which they expect to achieve.
Start Optimizing your SDE Intern Hiring today
Find and hire talent with confidence. If your candidate doesn’t know the answer to the above questions and you’re hiring for an SDE Intern position, then they’re probably not a great fit.
Read our additional hiring guides
