So ware Engineering Interview

Questions

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Contents

So ware Engineering Interview Questions for

Freshers
1. What are the various categories of so ware?
2. What are the characteristics of so ware?
3. What is a framework?
4. What is the main difference between a computer program and computer
so ware?
5. Describe the So ware Development Process in Brief.
6. What are different SDLC models available?
7. Which SDLC model is the best?
8. What is Debugging?
9. What does a so ware project manager do?
10. What is the waterfall method and what are its use cases?
11. What is So ware scope?
12. What are the merits of the incremental model?
13. What is So ware prototyping and POC?
14. What are the drawbacks of the spiral model?
15. What is baseline in So ware Development?
16. What is SRS?
17. What are CASE tools?
18. What are Verification and Validation?
19. What do you mean by So ware Re-engineering?

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

So ware Engineering Interview Questions for

Experienced
20. What is the feasibility study?
21. Define black box testing and white box testing?
22. What is Concurrency?
23. What are So ware Metrics?
24. What is the difference between cohesion and coupling?
25. What is Data Flow Diagram?
26. Explain the concept of modularization.
27. What is So ware Configuration Management?
28. What are functional and non-functional requirements?
29. What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality control?

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Let's get Started
The field of so ware engineering is devoted to the development of so ware. It has
the power to mold and transform the world as we know it. So ware developers
create programs, databases, user interfaces, etc. that are utilized by millions of
people all over the world. For many programmers, becoming a so ware engineer is
the zenith of their careers. A er all, so ware developers are essentially building the
future — a cool and sophisticated one at that – with so many jobs moving digital and
nearly everything becoming "smart" these days. In the so ware industry, so ware
developers are well rewarded. The fact that so ware engineering is such a dynamic
field is one of the reasons for this.

What is So ware Engineering?

So ware engineering is defined as the process of identifying user needs, then

designing, creating, and testing so ware to meet those requirements. It is a
discipline of engineering concerned with the growth of so ware products by the use
of well-defined scientific concepts, methodologies, and procedures. It follows a set of
principles, best practices, and procedures that have been fine-tuned through time,
evolving as so ware and technology evolves. So ware engineering results in a
product that is dependable, efficient, and effective in its function.
Interviews are gateways to the enticing world of so ware engineering. When
someone wants to work as a so ware engineer, they must be able to deal with
difficult interview questions. Everyone has a different way of posing a question, and
you must be prepared. They provide you with a real-world platform to assess your
problem-solving abilities as well as determine how competent you are. We have
gathered some So ware engineering questions which will help you crack that
interview.

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

These questions are divided into two categories, one part is for freshers and the other
for experienced professionals. So, let’s get started.
So ware Engineering Interview Questions for Freshers
So ware Engineering Interview Questions for Experienced

So ware Engineering Interview Questions for

Freshers
1. What are the various categories of so ware?
So ware products are mainly categorized into:
System so ware: So wares like operating systems, compilers, drivers, etc. fall
into this category.
Networking and web development so ware: Computer networking so ware
offers the necessary functionality for computers to communicate with one
another and with data storage facilities.
Embedded So ware: So ware used in instrumentation and control
applications such as washing machines, satellites, microwaves, TVs, etc.
Artificial Intelligence So ware: Expert systems, decision support systems,
pattern recognition so ware, artificial neural networks, and other types of
so ware are included in this category.
Scientific so ware: These support a scientific or engineering user's
requirements for performing enterprise-specific tasks. Examples include
MATLAB, AUTOCAD, etc.

2. What are the characteristics of so ware?

There are six major characteristics of so ware:

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

Functionality: The things that so ware is intended to do are called

functionality. For example, a calculator's functionality is to perform
mathematical operations.
Efficiency: It is the ability of the so ware to use the provided resources in the
best way possible. Increasing the efficiency of so ware increases resource
utilization and reduces cost.
Reliability: Reliability is the probability of failure-free operational so ware in an
environment. It is an important characteristic of so ware.
Usability: It refers to the user’s experience while using the so ware. Usability
determines the satisfaction of the user.
Maintainability: The ease with which you can repair, improve, and comprehend
so ware code is referred to as maintainability. A er the customer receives the
product, a phase in the so ware development cycle called so ware
maintenance begins.
Portability: It refers to the ease with which the so ware product can be
transferred from one environment to another.
Apart from the above-mentioned characteristics, the so ware also has the following
characteristics:
So ware is engineered, it is not developed or manufactured like hardware.
Development is an aspect of the hardware manufacturing process.
Manufacturing does not exist in the case of so ware.
The so ware doesn't wear out.
The so ware is custom-built.

3. What is a framework?
A framework is a well-known method of developing and deploying so ware. It is a set
of tools that allows developing so ware by providing information on how to make it
on an abstract level, rather than giving exact details. The So ware Process
Framework is the basis of the entire so ware development process. The umbrella
activities are also included in the so ware process structure.

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

4. What is the main difference between a computer program and

computer so ware?
The key difference between so ware is a collection of several programs used to
complete tasks, whereas a program is a set of instructions expressed in a
programming language. A program can be so ware, but so ware the vice versa is not
true.

5. Describe the So ware Development Process in Brief.

The So ware Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a number of fundamental phases that
teams must follow in order to produce and deliver high-quality so ware. So ware
typically goes through the following phases:
Requirements Gathering: The team identifies, collects, and defines core issues,
requirements, requests, and customer expectations related to the so ware
application or service during this stage of the project. Generating so ware
specifications, creating a thorough strategy, documentation, issue tracking, and
project or product planning, including allocating the resources, are some tasks
done during this phase.
So ware Design: The team makes so ware design decisions regarding the
architecture and make of the so ware solution throughout this design phase of
development.
So ware Development: Teams develop so ware solutions based on the design
decisions made during earlier stages of the project
Testing and Integration: So ware is packaged and tested to ensure quality.
Quality assurance, o en known as testing, ensures that the solutions deployed
fulfil the specified quality and performance criteria.
Deployment: The so ware is installed in a production setting. The gathered,
designed, built, and tested work is shared with the so ware service's customers
and users.
Operation and Maintenance: The so ware is installed in a production setting.
The work is shared with the so ware service's customers and users.

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

6. What are different SDLC models available?

Waterfall model
Spiral model
Incremental model
Agile Model
Big bang model
Iterative model

7. Which SDLC model is the best?

According to the annual State of Agile report, Agile is the best SDLC methodology and
also one of the most widely used SDLC in the IT industry. The reason is that it is a
hybrid of incremental and iterative approaches and works well in a flexible
environment. That being said, select the model that suits your requirements.

8. What is Debugging?
Debugging is the process of finding a so ware bug, in the context of so ware
engineering. To put it another way, it refers to the process of finding, evaluating, and
correcting problems. Debugging is essential once the so ware fails to run properly.

9. What does a so ware project manager do?

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

A so ware product manager leads and manages the so ware product management
department. They are in charge of the so ware product's specialization, goals,
structure, and expectations. They also head the planning, backlog grooming,
stakeholder management, and providing roadmap necessary to create the best
so ware.

10. What is the waterfall method and what are its use cases?
The waterfall is the easiest and most straightforward SDLC approach in so ware
development. In this approach, the development process is linear, and each step is
finished one by one. As the name implies, development progresses downwards,
much like a waterfall. The so ware has to cover the following phases in a waterfall
model:
Requirements
Design
Implementation
Testing and integration
Deployment
Maintenance
Use cases:
When requirements are well-defined and unchangeable.
There are no ambiguous requirements or conditions.
When the technology is well understood
The project is brief, and the cast is small.
The risk is negligible.

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

11. What is So ware scope?

The scope of a so ware project is a well-defined boundary that incorporates all the
activities involved in developing and delivering a so ware product. The scope
defines what the product will and will not do, as well as what the final product will
and will not contain. All capabilities and objects to be delivered as part of the
so ware are explicitly defined in the so ware scope.

12. What are the merits of the incremental model?

It can deliver iteration faster, in the first iteration itself.
Development takes place in parallel to each other.
We can reduce the first delivery cost by using this method.
The user or client can provide feedback at each level and unexpected changes in
the requirement can be avoided.
Risks can be identified and managed on a module-by-module basis.

13. What is So ware prototyping and POC?

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

A so ware prototype is a working model with limited functionality. The prototype

may or may not contain the exact logic used in the final so ware program, and
therefore is an additional work that should be considered in the calculation. Users
can review developer proposals and try them out before they are implemented
through prototyping. It also helps in comprehending user-specific details that may
have been missed by the developer during product development.
POC (Proof of Concept) is a method used by organizations to validate an idea or
concept's practicality. The stage exists prior to the start of the so ware development
process. On the basis of technical capability and business model, a mini project is
built to see if a concept can be executed.

14. What are the drawbacks of the spiral model?

The spiral model is a hybrid of the iterative development process and the waterfall
model, with a focus on risk analysis. In the SDLC Spiral model, the development
process begins with a limited set of requirements and progresses through each
development phase. Until the application is ready for production, the so ware
engineering team adds functionality for the increased requirement in ever-increasing
spirals.
Drawbacks of the spiral model are:
It's significantly more complicated than other SDLC models. The procedure is
intricate.
Due to its high cost, it is not recommended for small projects.
Risk Analysis is overly reliant, and it necessitates a high level of skill.
Time estimation is challenging
The spiral could continue endlessly.

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

15. What is baseline in So ware Development?

A baseline is a so ware development milestone and reference point marked by the
completion or delivery of one or more so ware deliverables. The main objective of
the baseline is to decrease and regulate vulnerability, or project weaknesses that can
easily damage the project and lead to uncontrollable changes.

16. What is SRS?

SRS is a formal report that serves as a representation of so ware that allows
customers to assess whether it meets their needs. It is a list of requirements for a
certain so ware product, program, or set of apps that execute specific tasks in a
specific environment. It also includes user needs for a system, as well as precise
system requirements specifications. Depending on who is writing it, it fulfils a variety
of purposes.

17. What are CASE tools?

CASE tools are a collection of so ware application programs that automate SDLC
tasks. Analysis tools, Design tools, Project management tools, Database Management
tools, and Documentation tools are a few of the CASE tools available to simplify
various stages of the So ware Development Life Cycle.

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

18. What are Verification and Validation?

Verification: The process of ensuring that so ware accomplishes its objectives
without defects is known as verification. It's the procedure for determining
whether the product being developed is correct or not. It determines whether
the resulting product meets our specifications. It is mainly focused on
functionality.
Validation: Validation is the process of determining whether a so ware product
meets the required standards, or in other words, whether it meets the product's
quality criteria. It is the process of verifying product validation or ensuring that
the product we are building is correct. Validation focuses on the quality of the
so ware.

19. What do you mean by So ware Re-engineering?

The process of updating so ware is known as so ware reengineering. This procedure
entails adding new features and functionalities to the so ware in order to make it
better and more efficient.

So ware Engineering Interview Questions for

Experienced
20. What is the feasibility study?
As the name implies, a feasibility study is a measurement of a so ware product in
terms of how useful product development will be for the business from a practical
standpoint. Feasibility studies are conducted for a variety of reasons, including
determining whether a so ware product is appropriate in terms of development,
implementation, and project value to the business. The feasibility study concentrates
on the following areas:
Economic feasibility
Technical feasibility
Operational feasibility
Legal feasibility
Schedule feasibility

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

21. Define black box testing and white box testing?

Black box testing is a type of high-level testing in which the primary goal is to
evaluate functionalities from a behavioural standpoint. In black-box testing, the
tester does not test the code; instead, they utilize the program to see if it works
as expected.
When you have insight into the code or broad information about the
architecture of the so ware in question, you can perform white box testing,
also known as clear box testing. It falls under the category of low-level testing
and is mostly concerned with integration and unit testing. White box testing
requires programming expertise or at the very least a thorough grasp of the
code that implements a particular functionality.

22. What is Concurrency?

In so ware engineering, concurrency refers to a set of techniques and mechanisms
that allow the so ware to do many tasks at the same time. Concurrency can be
achieved by using languages like C++ or Java because these languages support the
concept of thread. New hardware and so ware features are required to achieve
concurrency.

23. What are So ware Metrics?

A so ware metric is a quantitative measure of program properties. So ware metrics
can be used for a range of things, such as analyzing so ware performance, planning,
estimating productivity, and so on. Load testing, stress testing, average failure rate,
code complexities, lines of code, etc. are some so ware metrics. The benefits of
so ware metrics are many, some of them being:
It reduces cost.
It increases ROI (return on investment).
Reduces workload.
Highlights areas for improvement.

24. What is the difference between cohesion and coupling?

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

Cohesion Coupling

Coupling refers to
Cohesion refers to the relationship
the relationship
within modules.
between modules.

Increasing cohesion is good for the Coupling should be

so ware. avoided.

Modules are
Modules focus on a particular thing in coupled to one
cohesion. another through
coupling.

Example: Two
Example: A function that checks file
models sharing
permission and then opens it, or a
data with each
function to decrypt messages.
other.

25. What is Data Flow Diagram?

A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) shows the flow of information flows through a system. It
shows data inputs, outputs, storage sites, and paths between each destination using
symbols such as rectangles, circles, and arrows, as well as short text labels. Data
flowcharts can range from simple to in-depth DFDs that go deeper into how data is
processed. They can be used to evaluate a current system or to create a new system.
A DFD can effortlessly express things that are difficult to describe in words, and it can
be used by both technical and non-technical audiences.

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

26. Explain the concept of modularization.

Modularization is breaking down a program's functionality into separate,
independent modules, each of which includes just the information needed to carry
out one part of the intended capability. In simple terms, it is the practice of dividing
the program into smaller modules so that we can deal with them separately. We can
simply add independent and smaller modules to a program using modularization
without being hampered by the complexity of the program's other functionalities.
Modularization is based on the notion of designing applications that are easier to
develop and maintain, self-contained components. In monolithic design, on the
other hand, there's always the risk of a simple change knocking the entire application
down. The final step would be to combine these independent modules.

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

In the above diagram, both the applications have been divided into smaller modules.
These modules can then be dealt with separately.

27. What is So ware Configuration Management?

When a piece of so ware is created, there is always room for improvement. To
modify or improve an existing solution or to establish a new solution for a problem,
changes may be required. Changes to the existing system should be examined before
being implemented, recorded before being implemented, documented with details
of before and a er, and controlled in a way that improves quality and reduces error.
This is where System Configuration Management is required.
During the So ware Development Life Cycle, So ware Configuration Management
(SCM) is a technique for systematically managing, organizing, and controlling
changes in documents, codes, and other entities. The main goal is to enhance
production while making as few mistakes as possible.

28. What are functional and non-functional requirements?

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

Functional Requirements Non-functional Requirements

These are the needs that These are the quality

the end-user specifies as requirements that the system
essential features that the must meet in order to fulfil the
system should provide. project contract.

Technical individuals, such as

architects, technical leaders,
The user specifies the
and so ware engineers,
functional requirements.
specify non-functional
requirements.

Functional Requirements
Non-functional requirements
are mandatory. For
are not Mandatory. For
example, the client might
example, the requirement to
want certain mandatory
enhance readability is non-
changes in UI, like dark
functional.
mode.

29. What is the difference between Quality Assurance and

Quality control?

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 So ware Engineering Interview Questions

Quality Assurance Quality Control

Quality Assurance Quality control focuses on

focuses on assuring controlling the processes, methods,
that the end product or techniques used in the
(so ware) will be of development of so ware so that the
the requested quality. quality requested is fulfilled.

It is a preventive
It is a corrective measure.
measure.

It applies to the full

so ware
It is applied in the testing phase.
development life
cycle.

Conclusion

So ware engineering is a lucrative job, and it requires hard work and dedication to
become one. Becoming aware of questions asked in interviews can really help a lot.
We covered so ware engineering questions that can help you crack that interview.
The above list of relevant questions can only be a guideline. We cannot predict the
exact problem that may pop up during the interview, but we hope that the general
architecture and design knowledge gained from them would be helpful for you.
So ware Engineer / Developer Salary in India
So ware Developer Vs So ware Engineer
So ware Engineer MCQs
Agile Interview Questions
SDLC vs STLC: Full Difference

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