For freshers C and C++ are the languages which are often selected by interviewer to select the right candidate for their company. If you’re applying to company as fresher or experienced for C++ developer position then you need to prepare accordingly. Level of the test difficult will vary based on your experience, freshers are likely to be tested with code, bugs and definitions. This post is an attempt to give you some pointers for how to prepare for C++ interview.
Books
I’ve compiled a short list of essential books which you should read before facing any C++ interview. You can either get them via library or online if you want to keep them in your shelf.
- Effective C++ and More Effective C++ by Meyers
- The C++ Programming Language by Stroustrup
- Design Patterns by Gamma et. al.
- Modern C++ Design: Generic Programming and Design Patterns Applied by Andrei Alexandrescu
- Smart and Gets Things Done by Joel Spolsky
- How Would You Move Mount Fuji? by William Poundstone
- Inside the Object Mode
These books will give you idea of what most interviewers are likely to ask to their candidates. Keep your basics sharp and try to explain things in simple possible way without cluttering things in your own mind.
Community
Spend some time reading the C++ Lite FAQ and old questions asked in C++ moderated newsgroup. You’ll find a lot of recurring problems of which you know the solution already,this will give you confidence boost. If you’re experienced developer then do read FQA.
Puzzles and Whitepaper
You can learn a lot of concepts if you solve some puzzle or read code which is simplified already. University of waterloo has tradition of hosting programming contests which has some interesting programming puzzles. Herb sutter hosts an interesting site called ‘guru of the week‘ which you should read regularly. Also don’t forget to read whitepapers which are from official STL or C++ standard.
Some interview Tips
Be honest if you don’t know anything. Your honestly will likely to reward you with job than your confusion which gives more chance to interviewer to keep you in loop. Your problem solving process is usually judged in interviews so don’t just attend interview by mugging up some definitions.
Hope this helps you during C++ interviews. Feel free to comment if you like this resource or have any suggestion.