The Ultimate Guide to Tech Interview Questions on Rest vs GraphQL

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1. Introduction

  • Why tech interviews matter.

  • What companies test: coding, system design, problem‑solving, communication.

2. Technical / Conceptual Questions

Example Q: Explain OOP principles. Answer: Encapsulation (data hiding), Abstraction (simplified interface), Inheritance (reuse), Polymorphism (different forms). 👉 Use a real‑world analogy: A car (encapsulation = engine hidden, abstraction = steering wheel, inheritance = electric vs petrol cars, polymorphism = different ways to “drive”).

Example Q: REST vs GraphQL (see cheat sheet above).

3. Coding / Problem-Solving

Example Q: Reverse a linked list. Answer (Python):

python
def reverse_list(head):
    prev = None
    while head:
        nxt = head.next
        head.next = prev
        prev = head
        head = nxt
    return prev

👉 Better Approach: Explain step‑by‑step:

  • Keep track of previous node.

  • Rewire pointers.

  • Iterate until list ends.

4. System Design

Example Q: Design a URL shortener. Answer:

  • Use a hash function to generate short codes.

  • Store mapping in a database.

  • Handle collisions with retries.

  • Add caching for performance. 👉 Easy analogy: Like a library index card pointing to a full book.

5. Behavioral / HR

Example Q: Tell me about a bug you solved. Answer:

  • Situation: Memory leak in production.

  • Action: Used profiling tools, found unclosed file handles.

  • Result: Fixed leak, reduced crashes. 👉 Use STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

6. Situational / Scenario-Based

Example Q: Your query is slow — what do you do? Answer:

  • Check query plan.

  • Add indexes.

  • Reduce joins.

  • Consider caching. 👉 Show structured thinking rather than just one fix.

7. Puzzle / Brain Teasers

Example Q: Two ropes burn in 1 hour unevenly. How to measure 45 minutes? Answer:

  • Light rope A at both ends + rope B at one end.

  • Rope A burns in 30 min.

  • Then light other end of rope B → burns in 15 min.

  • Total = 45 min.

8. EdTech-Specific Tech Questions

Example Q: How would you design a quiz engine? Answer:

  • Question bank with randomization.

  • Scoring module.

  • Analytics dashboard.

  • Accessibility compliance. 👉 Example: “Like Google Forms but scaled for millions of learners.”

9. Conclusion

  • Practice coding daily (LeetCode, HackerRank).

  • Mock interviews for system design.

  • Prepare behavioral answers with real examples.

  • Stay updated with industry trends.


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