- Technical Interview Questions
- HTML Interview Questions
- CSS Interview Questions
- JavaScript Interview Questions
- React JS Interview Questions
- Node.js interview questions
- MERN Stack Interview Questions
- Data Analytics Interview Questions
- C++ Technical Interview Questions
- Python Interview Questions
- Java Interview Question
- Most Asked Coding Question
- DSA interview questions
- Computer Network Interview Question
- Cloud Computing Interview Question
- Other Related Links
Apply For Jobs
Get Hiring UpdatesSoftware Engineering Interview Questions
Software Engineering Interview Question With Answers
Are you getting ready for a Software Engineering interview? PrepInsta offers a comprehensive collection of typical Software Engineering Interview Question and Answers . Whether you are a fresher or an experienced programmer, you can access up to date information on essential software engineering topics.
Prepare for your interview effectively with PrepInsta’s valuable resources.
Software Engineering Introduction
Software Engineering in CSE (Computer Science & Engineering)
Software Engineering (SE) is a core subject in Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) that focuses on designing, developing, testing, and maintaining high-quality software systems. It applies engineering principles to software development to ensure efficiency, reliability, and scalability.
Important Topics in Software Engineering:
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
- Waterfall Model
- Agile Model
- Spiral Model
- V-Model
Software Requirement Analysis
- Functional vs. Non-functional Requirements
- Use Case Diagrams
- Software Requirement Specification (SRS)
Software Design & Architecture
- Architectural Patterns (MVC, Microservices)
- UML Diagrams (Class Diagram, Sequence Diagram)
Coding & Implementation
- Programming Best Practices
- Code Optimization & Refactoring
Software Testing
- Unit Testing, Integration Testing, System Testing
- White Box & Black Box Testing
- Automated Testing (Selenium, JUnit)
Software Maintenance & Deployment
- Corrective, Adaptive, Preventive Maintenance
- CI/CD Pipelines
Software Project Management
- Agile & Scrum Methodologies
- Risk Management
- Version Control (Git, GitHub)
Software Quality & Security
- Software Reliability Metrics
- Security Best Practices (Encryption, Authentication)
Also Check Out:-
PrepInsta Prime SDLC Course:
Software Engineering Interview Questions and Answers For Freshers
Ques 1: What is Software Engineering?
Ans.
Software Engineering refers to the practice of developing software and software products using scientific principles and procedures, which results in a good quality product.
Ques 2: What is SDLC OR Software Development Life Cycle?
Ans.
SDLC or Software Development Life Cycle as the name suggest s is the life cycle representing the process of building software. SDLC models include all the phases of software development.
Ques 3: What are the different types of models available in SDLC?
Ans.
Different types of SDLC models include:-
- Waterfall Model
- Iterative Waterfall Model
- Agile Model
- Spiral Model
- Prototype Model
- V model
- RAD model
Ques 4: What do you mean by a process?
Ans.
An executing program is known as a process. There are two types of processes:
- Operating System Processes
- User Processes
Ques 5: What are the different states of a process?
Ans.
Different states of the process include:-
- New Process
- Running Process
- Waiting Process
- Ready Process
- Terminated Process
Software Engineering Interview Questions
Ques 6: What is software project management?
Software project management is the process of managing all activities like time, cost, and quality management involved in software development.
Ques 7: Explain the term Baseline.
Ans.
A baseline is a milestone on the project which is usually defined by the project manager. Baselines are used to track the progress of the project from time to time to assess the overall health of the project.
Ques 8:What are the responsibilities of a Software Project Manager?
Ans.
A Software Project Manager is responsible for driving the project towards successful completion. It is the responsibility of the Software Project Manager to make sure the entire team follows a systematic and well-defined approach towards the development of software. A software project manager is also responsible for the following tasks:
- Project planning
- Project status tracking
- Resource management
- Risk management
- Project delivery within time and budget.
Ques 9: What is Software Configuration Management?
Ans.
During the Software Development Life Cycle, Software Configuration Management is a method for routinely managing, organizing, and controlling modifications in manuals, protocols, and other organizations. In information engineering, the SCM process is abbreviated as SCM. The main aim is to improve productivity by making as few errors as possible.
Ques 10: What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance |
|---|---|
| The process of ensuring that the quality of product is maintained in the long run. | Ensuring that the delivered software has the least amount of defects as possible. |
| It is done by a support team responsible for quality of the product even if the product is under maintenance phase | It is done by testing team of the project |
Software Engineering Interview Questions and Answers
Ques 11: What is the difference between Verification and Validation?
| Verification | Validation |
|---|---|
| Process of ensuring that the product is bult right, from process and standards perspective. | The process of ensuring that we build the right product from a customer perspective |
| It is a static testing methodology wherein the product is tested without executing the code | It is a dynamic testing methodology |
Ques 12: How can you gather requirements?
Ans. Interviews, polling, mission analysis, brainstorming, domain analysis, prototyping, studying current available versions of applications, and observation will all be used to collect requirements from consumers.
Ques 13: What is the SDLC model that you have used in your previous project?
Ans. The answer to this question varies with the candidates. If you have done a project based on Waterfall model the interviewer wil question you on waterfall model, or if you have done agile they will question you on agile terms.
Ques 14: What is a software metric?
Ans.
Software Metrics provide measures for various aspects of software processes and software products. They are divided into –
- Requirement metrics: Length requirements, completeness
- Product metrics: Lines of Code, Object-oriented metrics, design, and test metrics
Process metrics: Evaluate and track budget, schedule, human resources.
Ques 15: Can you call the base class method without creating an instance?
- It is a static method.
- The base class is inherited by some other subclass.
Software Engineering Interview Questions
Ques 16: Briefly define top-down and bottom-up design model.
Ans.
Top-Down Approach:-
- A top-down approach is also known as a step-wise design approach.
- A top-down strategy literally means breaking down a component into sub-components/sub-parts, which is referred to as “decomposition.”
- The top-down approach involves checking the information framework from top to bottom, following the control flow and architectural form.
Bottom-Up Approach:-
- This approach is also known as “inductive reasoning” and the term refers to the synthesis.
- Bottom-Up Approach is an approach to integration testing in which lower-level modules are evaluated first, followed by higher-level modules, and then upper-level modules.
- Drivers are used in this testing to validate the app, which is a temporary module for integration testing.
Ques 17: What are the various phases of SDLC?
Ans.
The generic phases of SDLC are:
- Requirement Gathering
- System Analysis
- Design
- Coding
- Testing
- Implementation.
The phases depend upon the model we choose to develop software.
Ques 18: Which SDLC model is the best?
Ans
SDLC Models are adopted as per the requirements of the development process. It may very software-to-software to ensuring which model is suitable.
We can select the best SDLC model if the following questions are satisfied –
- Is SDLC suitable for selected technology to implement the software?
- Is SDLC appropriate for the client’s requirements and priorities?
- Is the SDLC model suitable for the size and complexity of the software?
- Is the SDLC model suitable for the type of projects and engineering we do?
- Is the SDLC appropriate for the geographically co-located or dispersed developers?
Ques 19: What is software scope?
Ans.
The scope of a software project is a well-defined boundary that includes all of the tasks involved in developing and delivering a software product.
Both functionalities and objects to be provided as part of the program are well described in the software scope.
The scope defines what the product can and will not do, as well as what the final product will and will not contain.
Ques 20: What is project estimation?
Ans.
It is a process to estimate various aspects of the software products in order to calculate the cost of development in terms of efforts, time, and resources. This estimation can be derived from past experience, by consulting experts, or by using pre-defined formulas.
Software Engineering Interview Questions and Answers For Freshers
Ques 21: How to find the size of a software product?
Ans.
Two techniques can be used to measure the scale of a software product. They are :
- Counting the lines of code that have been received
- Counting the number of feature points that have been received
Ques 22: What is an agile model?
Ans.
In an agile project the tasks are divided into smaller iterations or segments. In agile the software product is broken down into incremental modules and each module is completed to finish the project. Each iteration contains planning, designing, coding, testing and maintenance of the software.
Ques 23: Name some of the project management tools.
Ans.
Project management tools include Gnatt charts, Network Diagrams, Status Report.
Ques 24: What is feasibility study?
Ans.
Feasibility study is done to see how much a project will profit the organization. It includes the total budget of the project, whether the project is practical or not and whether the final product will be in demand or not. Based on all this information the feasibility study is done and a report is prepared.
Ques 25:What are the disadvantages of the Spiral Model in SDLC?
Ans.
Disadvantages of Spiral Model in SDLC include:-
- It is not good for small projects
- It is a complicated model difficult to understand especially for any new team member
- It has no defined end points, thus causing the process to take more time than required.
Software Engineering Interview Questions with Answers
Ques 26: What is software prototyping?
Ans.
Software Prototyping is the process of creating a prototype of the software product, to evaluate customer satisfaction. In the prototyping process the software is built and tested to evaluate the customer reviews and satisfaction. The advantage of this method is that it helps make changes based on the customer reviews.
Ques 27: What is RAD model?
Ans.
RAD model or rapid application software development model is based on the iterative and prototype model. In RAD the project is broken down into small segments or modules and when all the modules are completed, they are integrated to make a final software product. There are 4 phases:-
- requirement analysis
- customer evaluation
- construction
- cut-over
Ques 28: What is alpha and beta testing?
Ans.
Alpha Testing:- It is used to find the defects/bugs in software applications before delivering the product to the customers or public. There are two phases:-
- First phase:- where testing is done by developers to identify defects
- Second phase:- where testing is done by quality assurance team to ensure that the product works properly
Beta Testing:- It is performed after the alpha testing, and is done at the client or users end. Also known as Field Testing or Pre Release Testing, it is done to check the quality of the software product and to ensure that the product is ready to use for real time users or the public
Ques 29:What are the various approaches used in software engineering?
Ans.
There are numerous approaches used in SDLC, the most common amongst them being:-
- Top Down Approach
- BottomUp Approach
- Big Bang Approach
- Hybrid Approach
Ques 30: What is Hybrid Approach in software testing?
Ans.
Hybrid Approach in software testing as the name suggest is a combination of top down approach and bottom up approach. It is also known as Sandwich integration testing or Mixed Integration testing
Software Engineering Interview Questions with Answers
Ques 31: What are Functional and Non-Functional Requirements in Software Engineering?
Ans.
Functional Requirements:
- Define what the software should do (features, functionality).
- Example: “The system should allow users to log in using a username and password.”
Non-Functional Requirements:
- Define system quality attributes (performance, security, usability).
- Example: “The system should respond within 2 seconds for 95% of user requests.”
Ques 32: What is Software Testing, and what are its different types?
Ans.
Software Testing is the process of evaluating a system to detect and fix defects.
Types of Software Testing:
- Unit Testing: Tests individual components (e.g., functions, classes).
- Integration Testing: Ensures multiple modules work together.
- System Testing: Verifies the entire system’s functionality.
- Acceptance Testing: Confirms if the system meets business requirements.
- Regression Testing: Checks if new changes break existing functionality.
Ques 33: What is a Software Requirement Specification (SRS) document?
Ans.
SRS document outlines the detailed requirements of a software project.
Components of SRS:
- Introduction: Purpose, scope, and definitions.
- Functional Requirements: Features and expected behavior.
- Non Functional Requirements: Performance, security, scalability.
- System Models: Diagrams, flowcharts, and use cases.
- External Interfaces: Interaction with other systems.
Ques 34: What is Version Control, and how does Git help in software development?
Ans.
Version control is a system that records changes to files over time. Git is a popular distributed version control system used for tracking changes and collaboration.
Git Features:
- Branching and Merging: Work on different features independently.
- Commit History: Tracks all changes for easy rollback.
- Collaboration: Multiple developers can work simultaneously.
git init # Initialize a repository git clone # Copy a remote repository git add . # Stage changes git commit -m "Message" # Save changes git push # Upload changes to remote
Ques 35: What are Software Design Patterns? Name a few common ones.
Ans.
Design patterns are reusable solutions to common software design problems.
Types of Design Patterns:
- Creational Patterns – Manage object creation efficiently. (e.g., Singleton, Factory)
- Structural Patterns – Define relationships between components. (e.g., Adapter, Composite)
- Behavioral Patterns – Improve communication between objects. (e.g., Observer, Strategy)
Software Engineering Interview Questions with Answers
Ques 36: What is the Waterfall Model, and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
Ans.
Waterfall Model is a linear and sequential software development approach where each phase must be completed before moving to the next.
Phases of the Waterfall Model:
- Requirement Analysis
- System Design
- Implementation (Coding)
- Testing
- Deployment
- Maintenance
Ques 37: What is the Agile Model, and how does it improve software development?
Ans.
- Agile Model is an iterative and incremental approach that focuses on flexibility, collaboration, and continuous delivery.
- Work is divided into small iterations (Sprints) (usually 2-4 weeks).
- Uses frameworks like Scrum and Kanban.
- Frequent releases with customer feedback.
Ques 37: What is Unit Testing and why is it important?
Ans.
- Unit Testing is the process of testing individual components or functions of a software system in isolation.
- It is typically performed by developers to ensure that each unit of code works as expected.
- Tests smallest functional parts (functions, methods, modules).
- Helps catch bugs early in development. Uses mocking to test dependencies separately.
Ques 38: What is Integration Testing? How is it different from Unit Testing?
Ans.
- Integration Testing checks if multiple components/modules of a system work together correctly.
- It is performed after unit testing to verify that units interact properly.
Types of Integration Testing:
- Big Bang Testing: All modules are combined and tested at once.
- Incremental Testing: Modules are tested step-by-step (Top-Down or Bottom-Up).
- Stub & Driver Approach: Used when dependent modules are not yet developed.
Ques 39: What is White Box Testing, Black Box and automated testing ?
Ans.
| White Box Testing | Black Box Testing | Automated Testing |
|---|---|---|
| Tests internal code structure, logic, and flow | Tests software functionality without looking at internal code | Uses tools and scripts to automate test execution |
| Requires knowledge of programming and code | No need to understand the internal code | Reduces manual effort and speeds up testing |
| Used for Unit Testing and Security Testing | Used for Functional and User Acceptance Testing | Used for Regression, Load, and Performance Testing |
| Example: Checking if all paths in an “if-else” statement work correctly | Example: Entering valid/invalid inputs in a login form | Example: Using Selenium to automate login test cases |
| Tools: JUnit, NUnit, CppUnit | Tools: Selenium, Postman, QTP | Tools: Selenium, Appium, TestNG, JMeter |
Ques 40: What is a CI/CD Pipeline, and why is it important in modern software development?
Ans.
CI/CD (Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment) Pipeline automates the process of building, testing, and deploying software to ensure faster and more reliable releases.
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Corrective Maintenance | Fixes bugs, errors, or defects found after deployment. | Fixing a crash issue in a mobile app. |
| Adaptive Maintenance | Modifies software to work with changes in environment (OS, hardware, business rules). | Updating an app to support a new Android/iOS version. |
| Preventive Maintenance | Proactively improves software to prevent future issues. | Refactoring old code to improve performance and security. |
Benefits of CI/CD:
- Faster and more frequent releases.
- Early bug detection with automated testing.
- Less manual effort, reducing deployment errors.
Example CI/CD Workflow:
- Developer pushes code to GitHub.
- Jenkins/GitHub Actions runs automated tests.
- If tests pass, Docker builds the application.
- Kubernetes or AWS deploys the update automatically.
Popular CI/CD Tools: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, CircleCI, TravisCI.
Getting Ready for Interviews with Other subjects to:
Also Check:
Join Our Interview Course Now to Get Yourself Prepared -
Join Our Interview Course Now to Get Yourself Prepared
Prepare for the interview process in both Service and Product Based companies along with Group Discussion, Puzzles, Resume Building, HR, MR and Technical Interviews.
Login/Signup to comment