Python Developer Interview Questions

Once you have been invited for a Python Developer job interview, you’ll need to brush up on your programming language knowledge and review your projects and achievements.

The interview format will vary depending on the company. Typically, you can expect an on-site and/or take-home coding challenge. In addition, you will likely also be asked Python interview questions that assess essential soft skills, such as communication and teamwork.

To ace the interview, you should know the ins and outs of Python, including frameworks, data structures, functions, and libraries. You will be asked a mix of questions that test your knowledge and understanding, as well as your technical abilities. For technical questions, it is usually more important to clearly explain your thought process than arrive at the correct solution.

When prepping, practice a range of interview questions and answers, including programming and behavioral questions. You should also go over your Python projects. You will be asked about your past work, so practice talking about your projects and successes.

Python Developer Interview Tips

• Ensure you know the ins and outs of Python frameworks, data structures, functions, and libraries
• For technical questions, clearly explain the thought process used to arrive at the correct solution
• Prep for questions related to soft skills such as communication, leadership, and teamwork
• Gather past Python projects and practice talking about successes and challenges

To help you prepare for the interview, we have put together a list of the top Python interview questions and answers.

Expect interview questions that test your knowledge in all areas of Python. Top Python interview questions and answers may include:

Question: What are the key features of Python?

Answer: Given your experience as a Python programmer, you might have your own unique answer to this question. But among whatever other features Python supports that you think are worth mentioning, try to hit upon the following key Python features:

• Python is an interpreted language, like PHP and Ruby, that does not need to be compiled before it is run
• Python is a good choice for object-oriented programming because of its capacity to define classes along with inheritance and composition
• Python is dynamically typed
• Writing Python code is comparatively quick
• Python is one of the most versatile programming languages and is used for a wide variety of applications including web development, automation, data science, scientific modeling, and many more.

Question: How is memory managed in Python?

Answer: To answer this relatively straightforward question, you just need to know that Python Memory Manager allocates memory in the form of a Python private heap space. This private heap – inaccessible to the programmer – stores all Python objects. Python also has a built-in garbage collection to recycle the private heap space’s unused memory.

You should also be able to define and explain a number of terms, including:

You will need to show that you have the right technical skills to back up your knowledge of Python.

Compared to other roles in tech and even software development, interviews for a Python Developer tend to be highly technical, and a hiring manager will ask some pretty specific questions to ensure that you have mastered a variety of different Python-related concepts.

Here is an example of a technical frequently asked Python and data science interview question:

Question: How would you sort a dictionary in Python?

Answer: You use the sorted() function to sort a dictionary in Python (dictionaries are unordered data structures that map keys to values).

The method takes in three parameters: object (required), as well as key and reverse (both optional). The sorted() function in Python is not just useful for dictionaries but can be used to sort any iterable objects by a key, such as lists and tuples.

You may be asked questions about your Python programming background and work style. The interviewers are assessing how well you would fit in with the company, so remember to show your passion and enthusiasm.

Top Python interview questions in this area include:

Question: Why did you decide to specialize in the Python programming language?

Answer: Some of the reasons you’ll likely want to highlight include Python’s versatility and diversity of applications, its intuitive nature, and ease of use, or the use of Python by top companies including Google, YouTube, Dropbox, Quora, Mozilla, Spotify, and more.

Whether you’re managing a project or interacting with other teams, strong leadership and communication are needed to thrive as a Python Developer. To test your leadership and communication skills, expect interview questions such as:

Question: Pretend I’m not a tech person. Can you explain [Python concept] in simple terms?

Answer: This might be the toughest question you face during your interview – most Python Developers are adept at explaining complex Python concepts, but not in the straightforward way necessary to teach a layperson about concepts and functions in Python like multiple inheritances, string representation, xrange, and range, or import array.

Try use simple analogies and stay away from technical jargon and concepts. Developers will often have to work with diverse teams of product managers, marketers, designers, and other roles, so the ability to communicate complex technical ideas is important for many companies.

Behavioral Python interview questions focus on how you have handled past work situations. These help to reveal your personality and skills.

To answer behavioral interview questions, select a specific example and describe the actions you took and the results you achieved.

Examples of behavioral Python interview questions and answers are:

Question: Do you remember a programming project decision you made that was a failure? Why do you think it was a mistake? What did you learn from the experience?

Answer: The focus of your answer here shouldn’t be on the project you were working on or the bad decision you made, but instead, you should detail how you determined that the decision you made wasn’t the right one, how you corrected course after realizing your mistake, and how this lesson changed the way you approached future projects.

By this point in the interview, you should have already had opportunities to showcase your skill and knowledge as a Python programmer. This question is more about showing your ability as a critical thinker and someone who is capable of both acknowledging and learning from your errors.

If you’re curious about the skills and expertise top tech companies are looking for in job candidates, here are a few Python interview questions for experienced professionals from Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.