Java

Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in 1

Following are the important topics that are important from interview perspective for core java. We
cover these in great detail in this guide.

CORE JAVA ........................................................................................................................................................... 2
WHY IS JAVA SO POPULAR? ............................................................................................................................................. 2
WHAT IS PLATFORM INDEPENDENCE? ............................................................................................................................... 2
WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN C++ AND JAVA? ....................................................................................... 3
WHAT ARE WRAPPER CLASSES? ........................................................................................................................................ 3
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT UTILITY METHODS PRESENT IN WRAPPER CLASSES? ........................................................................... 4
WHAT IS AUTO BOXING? ................................................................................................................................................ 5
ARE ALL STRINGS IMMUTABLE? ....................................................................................................................................... 6
WHERE ARE STRING LITERALS STORED IN MEMORY? .............................................................................................................. 6
CAN YOU GIVE EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT UTILITY METHODS IN STRING CLASS? ............................................................................ 6
EXPLAIN ABOUT TOSTRING METHOD IN JAVA? .................................................................................................................... 7
WHAT IS THE USE OF EQUALS METHOD IN JAVA? .................................................................................................................. 8
WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN IMPLEMENTING EQUALS METHOD? ........................................................ 9
WHAT IS THE HASHCODE METHOD USED FOR IN JAVA? ......................................................................................................... 9
WHAT IS CASTING? ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
WHAT IS IMPLICIT CASTING? ......................................................................................................................................... 10
WHAT IS EXPLICIT CASTING? ......................................................................................................................................... 10
HOW ARE VARIABLES INITIALIALIZED IN JAVA? ................................................................................................................... 10
WHAT IS A NESTED IF ELSE? CAN YOU EXPLAIN WITH AN EXAMPLE? ....................................................................................... 11
ARRAYS .............................................................................................................................................................. 12
HOW DO YOU DECLARE AND CREATE AN ARRAY? ................................................................................................................ 12
CAN THE SIZE OF AN ARRAY BE CHANGED DYNAMICALLY? ..................................................................................................... 12

2 Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in

CAN YOU CREATE AN ARRAY WITHOUT DEFINING SIZE OF AN ARRAY? ...................................................................................... 12

WHAT ARE THE DEFAULT VALUES IN AN ARRAY? ................................................................................................................. 12
HOW DO YOU LOOP AROUND AN ARRAY USING ENHANCED FOR LOOP? ................................................................................... 13
HOW DO YOU PRINT THE CONTENT OF AN ARRAY? .............................................................................................................. 13
HOW DO YOU COMPARE TWO ARRAYS? ........................................................................................................................... 13
HOW DO YOU SORT AN ARRAY? ...................................................................................................................................... 14

ENUM ................................................................................................................................................................ 14
WHAT IS AN ENUM? .................................................................................................................................................... 14
HOW DO YOU CREATE AN ENUM FROM A STRING VALUE? .................................................................................................... 14
WHAT IS AN ENUM ORDINAL? ....................................................................................................................................... 14
HOW DO YOU COMPARE TWO ENUMS? ........................................................................................................................... 14
CAN YOU USE A SWITCH STATEMENT AROUND AN ENUM? ................................................................................................... 14

Core Java
Following videos cover these topics in great detail. In addition to following this guide, we recommend
that you watch the videos as well.
Java Interview : A Freshers Guide - Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njZ48YVkei0.
Java Interview : A Freshers Guide - Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyXuo0y-xoU

Why is Java so Popular?

Two main reasons for popularity of Java are
1. Platform Independence
2. Object Oriented Language
We will look at these in detail in later sections.

What is Platform Independence?

This video(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLgcgvIHyAw) explains Platform Independence
in great detail. Refer to it for more detailed answer.
Platform Independence is also called build once, run anywhere. Java is one of the most popular platform
independent languages. Once we compile a java program and build a jar, we can run the jar (compiled
java program) in any Operating System - where a JVM is installed.
Java achieves Platform Independence in a beautiful way. On compiling a java file the output is a class file
- which contains an internal java representation called bytecode. JVM converts bytecode to executable
instructions. The executable instructions are different in different operating systems. So, there are
different JVM's for different operating systems. A JVM for windows is different from a JVM for mac.
However, both the JVM's understand the bytecode and convert it to the executable code for the
respective operating system.

Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in 3

What are the important differences between C++ and Java?

1. Java is platform independent. C++ is not platform independent.
2. Java is a pure Object Oriented Language (except for primitive variables). In C++, one can write
structural programs without using objects.
3. C++ has pointers (access to internal memory). Java has no concept called pointers.
4. In C++, programmer has to handle memory management. A programmer has to write code to
remove an object from memory. In Java, JVM takes care of removing objects from memory
using a process called Garbage Collection.
5. C++ supports Multiple Inheritance. Java does not support Multiple Inheritance.

Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in
At http://www.JavaInterview.in, we want you to clear java interview with ease. So, in addition to
focussing on Core and Advanced Java we also focus on topics like Code Reviews, Performance, Design
Patterns, Spring and Struts.
We have created more than 20 videos to help you understand these topics and become an expert at
them. Visit our website http://www.JavaInterview.in for complete list of videos. Other than the videos,
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With more 900K video views (Apr 2015), we are the most popular channel on Java Interview Questions
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Java Interview : A Freshers Guide - Part 1:
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Java Interview : A Freshers Guide - Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyXuo0y-xoU

What are wrapper classes?

This video(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQbZRw2yIBk) covers the topic in great detail.
A brief description is provided below.
A primitive wrapper class in the Java programming language is one of eight classes provided in the
java.lang package to provide object methods for the eight primitive types. All of the primitive wrapper
classes in Java are immutable.

4 Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in

Wrapper: Boolean,Byte,Character,Double,Float,Integer,Long,Short
Primitive: boolean,byte,char
,double, float, int , long,short
Wrapper classes are final and immutable. Examples of creating wrapper classes are listed below.
Integer number = new Integer(55);//int
Integer number2 = new Integer("55");//String

Float number3 = new Float(55.0);//double argument
Float number4 = new Float(55.0f);//float argument
Float number5 = new Float("55.0f");//String

Character c1 = new Character('C');//Only char constructor
//Character c2 = new Character(124);//COMPILER ERROR

Boolean b = new Boolean(true);

//"true" "True" "tRUe" - all String Values give True
//Anything else gives false
Boolean b1 = new Boolean("true");//value stored - true
Boolean b2 = new Boolean("True");//value stored - true
Boolean b3 = new Boolean("False");//value stored - false
Boolean b4 = new Boolean("SomeString");//value stored - false

b = false;

What are the different utility methods present in wrapper classes?

A number of utility methods are defined in wrapper classes to create and convert them from primitives.
valueOf Methods
Provide another way of creating a Wrapper Object
Integer seven =
Integer.valueOf("111", 2);//binary 111 is converted to 7

Integer hundred =
Integer.valueOf("100");//100 is stored in variable

xxxValue methods
xxxValue methods help in creating primitives

Integer integer = Integer.valueOf(57);
int primitive = seven.intValue();//57
float primitiveFloat = seven.floatValue();//57.0f

Float floatWrapper = Float.valueOf(57.0f);
int floatToInt = floatWrapper.intValue();//57
float floatToFloat = floatWrapper.floatValue();//57.0f

parseXxx methods
parseXxx methods are similar to valueOf but they return primitive values

Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in 5

int sevenPrimitive =
Integer.parseInt("111", 2);//binary 111 is converted to 7

int hundredPrimitive =
Integer.parseInt("100");//100 is stored in variable

static toString method

Look at the example of the toString static method below.
Integer wrapperEight = new Integer(8);
System.out.println(Integer.
toString(wrapperEight));//String Output: 8

Overloaded static toString method

2nd parameter: radix
System.out.println(Integer
.toString(wrapperEight, 2));//String Output: 1000

static toXxxString methods.

Xxx can be Hex,Binary,Octal
System.out.println(Integer
.toHexString(wrapperEight));//String Output:8
System.out.println(Integer
.toBinaryString(wrapperEight));//String Output:1000
System.out.println(Integer
.toOctalString(wrapperEight));//String Output:10

What is Auto Boxing?

Autoboxing is the automatic conversion that the Java compiler makes between the primitive types and
their corresponding object wrapper classes. For example, converting an int to an Integer, a double to a
Double, and so on. If the conversion goes the other way, this is called unboxing.
Integer ten = new Integer(10);
ten++;//allowed. Java does had work behind the screen for us

Boxing and new instances

Auto Boxing helps in saving memory by reusing already created Wrapper objects. However wrapper
classes created using new are not reused.
Two wrapper objects created using new are not same object.
Integer nineA = new Integer(9);
Integer nineB = new Integer(9);
System.out.println(nineA == nineB);//false
System.out.println(nineA.equals(nineB));//true

Two wrapper objects created using boxing are same object.

Integer nineC = 9;

6 Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in

Integer nineD = 9;
System.out.println(nineC == nineD);//true
System.out.println(nineC.equals(nineD));//true

Are all Strings immutable?

This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh6L8zO_Hr4) covers all the topics related to
Strings in great detail. Refer to it for more details.
Value of a String Object once created cannot be modified. Any modification on a String object creates a
new String object.
String str3 = "value1";
str3.concat("value2");
System.out.println(str3); //value1

Note that the value of str3 is not modified in the above example. The result should be assigned to a new
reference variable (or same variable can be reused).
String concat = str3.concat("value2");
System.out.println(concat); //value1value2

Where are string literals stored in memory?

All strings literals are stored in "String constant pool". If compiler finds a String literal,it checks if it exists
in the pool. If it exists, it is reused.
Following statement creates 1 string object (created on the pool) and 1 reference variable.
String str1 = "value";

However, if new operator is used to create string object, the new object is created on the heap.
Following piece of code create 2 objects.
//1. String Literal "value" - created in the "String constant pool"
//2. String Object - created on the heap
String str2 = new String("value");

Can you give examples of different utility methods in String class?

String class defines a number of methods to get information about the string content.
String str = "abcdefghijk";

Get information from String

Following methods help to get information from a String.
//char charAt(int paramInt)
System.out.println(str.charAt(2)); //prints a char - c
System.out.println("ABCDEFGH".length());//8
System.out.println("abcdefghij".toString()); //abcdefghij
System.out.println("ABC".equalsIgnoreCase("abc"));//true

//Get All characters from index paramInt

Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in 7

//String substring(int paramInt)
System.out.println("abcdefghij".substring(3)); //cdefghij

//All characters from index 3 to 6
System.out.println("abcdefghij".substring(3,7)); //defg

Explain about toString method in Java?

This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k02nM5ukV7w) covers toString in great detail.
toString method is used to print the content of an Object. If the toString method is not overridden in a
class, the default toString method from Object class is invoked. This would print some hashcode as
shown in the example below. However, if toString method is overridden, the content returned by the
toString method is printed.
Consider the class given below:
class Animal {

public Animal(String name, String type) {
this.name = name;
this.type = type;
}

String name;
String type;

}
Run this piece of code:
Animal animal = new Animal("Tommy", "Dog");
System.out.println(animal);//com.rithus.Animal@f7e6a96

Output does NOT show the content of animal (what name? and what type?). To show the content of the
animal object, we can override the default implementation of toString method provided by Object class.

Adding toString to Animal class

class Animal {

public Animal(String name, String type) {
this.name = name;
this.type = type;
}

String name;
String type;

public String toString() {
return "Animal [name=" + name + ", type=" + type
+ "]";
}

}

8 Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in

Run this piece of code:
Animal animal = new Animal("Tommy","Dog");
System.out.println(animal);//Animal [name=Tommy, type=Dog]
Output now shows the content of the animal object.

What is the use of equals method in Java?

Equals method is used when we compare two objects. Default implementation of equals method is
defined in Object class. The implementation is similar to == operator. Two object references are equal
only if they are pointing to the same object.
We need to override equals method, if we would want to compare the contents of an object.
Consider the example Client class provided below.
class Client {
private int id;

public Client(int id) {
this.id = id;
}
}
== comparison operator checks if the object references are pointing to the same object. It does NOT look
at the content of the object.

Client client1 = new Client(25);
Client client2 = new Client(25);
Client client3 = client1;

//client1 and client2 are pointing to different client objects.
System.out.println(client1 == client2);//false

//client3 and client1 refer to the same client objects.
System.out.println(client1 == client3);//true

//similar output to ==
System.out.println(client1.equals(client2));//false
System.out.println(client1.equals(client3));//true
We can override the equals method in the Client class to check the content of the objects. Consider the
example below: The implementation of equals method checks if the id's of both objects are equal. If so, it
returns true. Note that this is a basic implementation of equals and more needs to be done to make it foolproof.
class Client {
private int id;

public Client(int id) {
this.id = id;
}

@Override

Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in 9

public boolean equals(Object obj) {
Client other = (Client) obj;
if (id != other.id)
return false;
return true;
}
}
Consider running the code below:
Client client1 = new Client(25);
Client client2 = new Client(25);
Client client3 = client1;

//both id's are 25
System.out.println(client1.equals(client2));//true

//both id's are 25
System.out.println(client1.equals(client3));//true
Above code compares the values (id's) of the objects.

What are the important things to consider when implementing equals

method?
Any equals implementation should satisfy these properties:
1. Reflexive. For any reference value x, x.equals(x) returns true.
2. Symmetric. For any reference values x and y, x.equals(y) should return true if and only if
y.equals(x) returns true.
3. Transitive. For any reference values x, y, and z, if x.equals(y) returns true and y.equals(z) returns
true, then x.equals(z) must return true.
4. Consistent. For any reference values x and y, multiple invocations of x.equals(y) consistently
return true or consistently return false, if no information used in equals is modified.
5. For any non-null reference value x, x.equals(null) should return false.
Let's now provide an implementation of equals which satisfy these properties:
//Client class
@Override
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
if (this == obj)
return true;
if (obj == null)
return false;
if (getClass() != obj.getClass())
return false;
Client other = (Client) obj;
if (id != other.id)
return false;
return true;
}

What is the hashCode method used for in Java?

HashCode's are used in hashing to decide which group (or bucket) an object should be placed into. A
group of object's might share the same hashcode.

10 Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in

The implementation of hash code decides effectiveness of Hashing. A good hashing function evenly
distributes object's into different groups (or buckets).
A good hashCode method should have the following properties
If obj1.equals(obj2) is true, then obj1.hashCode() should be equal to obj2.hashCode()
obj.hashCode() should return the same value when run multiple times, if values of obj used in
equals() have not changed.
If obj1.equals(obj2) is false, it is NOT required that obj1.hashCode() is not equal to
obj2.hashCode(). Two unequal objects MIGHT have the same hashCode.
A sample hashcode implementation of Client class which meets above constraints is given below:
//Client class
@Override
public int hashCode() {
final int prime = 31;
int result = 1;
result = prime * result + id;
return result;
}

What is casting?
Casting is used when we want to convert on data type to another.
There are two types of Casting
Implicit Casting
Explicit Casting

What is Implicit Casting?

Implicit Casting is done by the compiler. Good examples of implicit casting are all the automatic widening
conversions i.e. storing smaller values in larger variable types.
int value = 100;
long number = value; //Implicit Casting
float f = 100; //Implicit Casting

What is Explicit Casting?

Explicit Casting is done through code. Good examples of explicit casting are the narrowing conversions.
Storing larger values into smaller variable types;
long number1 = 25678;
int number2 = (int)number1;//Explicit Casting
//int x = 35.35;//COMPILER ERROR
int x = (int)35.35;//Explicit Casting
Explicit casting would cause truncation of value if the value stored is greater than the size of the variable.
int bigValue = 280;
byte small = (byte) bigValue;
System.out.println(small);//output 24. Only 8 bits remain.

How are variables initialialized in Java?

Member and Static variables are alway initialized with default values. Default values for numeric types is
0, floating point types is 0.0, boolean is false, char is '\u0000' and object reference variable is null.
Local/block variables are NOT initialized by compiler.

Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in 1

1

If local variables are used before initialization, it would result in a compilation error.
package com.rithus.variables;

public class VariableInitialization {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Player player = new Player();

//score is an int member variable - default 0
System.out.println(player.score);//0 - RULE1

//name is a member reference variable - default null
System.out.println(player.name);//null - RULE1

int local; //not initialized
//System.out.println(local);//COMPILER ERROR! RULE3

String value1;//not initialized
//System.out.println(value1);//COMPILER ERROR! RULE3

String value2 = null;//initialized
System.out.println(value2);//null - NO PROBLEM.
}
}

What is a nested if else? Can you explain with an example?

Look at the example below. The code in first if condition which is true is executed. If none of the if
conditions are true, then code in else is executed.
int z = 15;
if(z==10){
System.out.println("Z is 10");//NOT executed
} else if(z==12){
System.out.println("Z is 12");//NOT executed
} else if(z==15){
System.out.println("Z is 15");//executed. Rest of the if else are skipped.
} else {
System.out.println("Z is Something Else.");//NOT executed
}

z = 18;
if(z==10){
System.out.println("Z is 10");//NOT executed
} else if(z==12){
System.out.println("Z is 12");//NOT executed
} else if(z==15){
System.out.println("Z is 15");//NOT executed
} else {
System.out.println("Z is Something Else.");//executed
}

12 Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in

Arrays
Refer to this video(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bVysCXT-io) for exhaustive coverage
of all the interview questions about arrays.

How do you declare and create an array?

Lets first discuss about how to declare an array. All below ways are legal. However, using the third

format of declaration is recommended.

int marks[]; //Not Readable
int[] runs; //Not Readable
int[] temperatures;//Recommended

Declaration of an Array should not include size.

//int values[5];//Compilation Error!

Declaring 2D Array Examples:

int[][] matrix1; //Recommended
int[] matrix2[]; //Legal but not readable. Avoid.

Lets now look at how to create an array (define a size and allocate memory).
marks = new int[5]; // 5 is size of array

Declaring and creating an array in same line.

int marks2[] = new int[5];

Can the size of an array be changed dynamically?

Once An Array is created, its size cannot be changed.

Can you create an array without defining size of an array?

Size of an array is mandatory to create an array.
//marks = new int[];//COMPILER ERROR

What are the default values in an array?

New Arrays are always initialized with default values.
int marks2[] = new int[5];
System.out.println(marks2[0]);//0

Default Values
byte,short,int,long 0
float,double 0.0


boolean false

Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in 1

3

object null

How do you loop around an array using enhanced for loop?

Name of the variable is mark and the array we want to loop around is marks.
for (int mark: marks) {
System.out.println(mark);
}

How do you print the content of an array?

Lets look at different methods in java to print the content of an array.
Printing a 1D Array
int marks5[] = { 25, 30, 50, 10, 5 };
System.out.println(marks5); //[I@6db3f829
System.out.println(
Arrays.toString(marks5));//[25, 30, 50, 10, 5]

Printing a 2D Array
int[][] matrix3 = { { 1, 2, 3 }, { 4, 5, 6 } };
System.out.println(matrix3); //[[I@1d5a0305
System.out.println(
Arrays.toString(matrix3));
//[[I@6db3f829, [I@42698403]
System.out.println(
Arrays.deepToString(matrix3));
//[[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6]]

matrix3[0] is a 1D Array
System.out.println(matrix3[0]);//[I@86c347
System.out.println(
Arrays.toString(matrix3[0]));//[1, 2, 3]

How do you compare two arrays?

Arrays can be compared using static method equals defined in Arrays class. Two arrays are equal only if
they have the same numbers in all positions and have the same size.
int[] numbers1 = { 1, 2, 3 };
int[] numbers2 = { 4, 5, 6 };

System.out.println(Arrays
.equals(numbers1, numbers2)); //false

int[] numbers3 = { 1, 2, 3 };
System.out.println(Arrays
.equals(numbers1, numbers3)); //true

14 Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in

How do you sort an array?

Arrays can be sorted using static utility method sort defined in Arrays class.
int rollNos[] = { 12, 5, 7, 9 };
Arrays.sort(rollNos);
System.out.println(
Arrays.toString(rollNos));//[5, 7, 9, 12]

Enum
Refer to this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64Y7EP8-Ark) for exhaustive
coverage of all the interview questions about Enum.

What is an Enum?
Enum allows specifying a list of values for a Type. Consider the example below. It declares an enum
Season with 4 possible values.
enum Season {
WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, FALL
};

How do you create an enum from a String value?
Function valueOf(String) is used to convert a string to enum.
//Converting String to Enum
Season season = Season.valueOf("FALL");
Function name() is used to find String value of an enum.
//Converting Enum to String
System.out.println(season.name());//FALL

What is an Enum Ordinal?

Java assigns default ordinals to an enum in order. However, it is not recommended to use ordinals to
perform logic.
//Default ordinals of enum
// By default java assigns ordinals in order
System.out.println(Season.WINTER.ordinal());//0
System.out.println(Season.SPRING.ordinal());//1
System.out.println(Season.SUMMER.ordinal());//2
System.out.println(Season.FALL.ordinal());//3

How do you compare two Enums?

Values of Enums can be compared using == or the equals function.
//Comparing two Enums
Season season1 = Season.FALL;
Season season2 = Season.FALL;
System.out.println(season1 == season2);//true
System.out.println(season1.equals(season2));//true

Can you use a Switch Statement around an Enum?

Example below shows how we can use a switch around an enum.

Java Interview Questions www.JavaInterview.in 1

5

//Using switch statement on an enum

public int getExpectedMaxTemperature() {
switch (this) {
case WINTER:
return 5;
case SPRING:
case FALL:
return 10;
case SUMMER:
return 20;
}
return -1;// Dummy since Java does not recognize this is possible
}

Videos
We have created more than 20 videos to help you understand these topics and become an expert at
them. You can watch these videos for free on YouTube. Visit our website http://www.JavaInterview.in
for complete list of videos. We answer the top 200 frequently asked interview questions on the website.
Register here for more updates : https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=RithusTutorials
Java Interview : A Freshers Guide - Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njZ48YVkei0
Java Interview : A Freshers Guide - Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyXuo0y-xoU
Java Interview : A Guide for Experienced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xcgzUdTO5M
Collections Interview Questions 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnR4hCvEIJQ
Collections Interview Questions 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dKGpOKAQqs
Collections Interview Questions 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JTIYhnLemA
Collections Interview Questions 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNhT_Z8_q9s
Collections Interview Questions 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5c8uXi4qTw