Tips on answering:
1. Answer in full sentences in English. Not only is this formal but it also gives
you more time to think about your answer.
2. When given a term, define and explain.
3. Give an example of when you used it and why. If you haven’t used it, give
an example scenario of when you would use it and why.
C#:
1. What are the 4 Pillars of Object-Oriented Programming? Explain each.
a. Encapsulation – methods return results without exposing actual
implementation to calling class
b. Inheritance – variables, properties and methods are carried over for
use from the base class to the child class
c. Polymorphism – a class can behave like any of its parent classes or
interfaces, able to run and call their methods
d. (Data) Abstraction – data is organized within an object that contains
properties (and usually with constructors)
2. What is a Class? – basic construct that contains variables, properties,
constructors, methods, etc.; can be nested; can extend up to 1 class; can
implement multiple interfaces
3. How do you apply/use inheritance in C#? – by creating a class and
extending a base class; used when you want a derived class to be a
variation of a base class; syntax: DerivedClassName: BaseClassName
4. How do you apply/use polymorphism in C#? – by creating a class and
extending a base class and/or implementing interfaces; used when you
want a class to behave like its parent classes and its interfaces; syntax:
ClassName: BaseClass, Interface1, Interface2, InterfaceX
5. Explain an override method. – a class method that writes over an inherited
method existing in parent classes; overrideable methods are marked with
keywords abstract, override and virtual
6. Explain method overloading. – creating similarly named functions in the
same class but with different input parameters; used to handle different
implementations for different input parameters
7. What is a Sealed class? – cannot be inherited or extended; cannot be used
as a base class
8. What is an Abstract class? – cannot be instantiated; frequently with partial
or missing implementation; frequently with abstract method definitions
or stubs; usually used as base classes
9. What is the difference between an Abstract class and an Interface? –
Interface is not a class; abstract classes are. Interface can only have
method definitions; abstract class can have partial implementation
(variables, properties, method definitions or fully-implemented methods).
A class can extend only 1 abstract class but can implement multiple
interfaces.
10. What are Delegates? – variables that reference methods with parameter
list and return type; frequently used with event binding and handling;
syntax: public delegate int MethodName(object anObject, string aString)
11. What is LINQ? – Language-Integrated Query; a powerful SQL-like language
that enables querying and updating data for any data store, including in-
memory object collections
12. What is Entity Framework? – an object-relational mapper that allows for
working with relational data using domain-specific objects/models
13. What are Lambda Expressions? – anonymous functions that use the
lambda operator (=>) to write delegates/local functions that can be
passed as arguments and returned as return values
14. What are Generics? – a type variation of classes or methods; specifies its
subtypes upon declaration
a. Generic classes – usually used for collection classes; syntax: eg:
List<object>, Dictionary<string, object>
b. Generic methods – usually used for type-flexible methods; syntax: eg:
public void AddToCollection<T>(T anyCollectible)
ASP.NET/WCF:
1. Explain the ASP.NET Page life cycle.
a. Stages: Page request, Start, Initialization, Load, Postback event
handling, Rendering, Unload
b. Events: PreInit, Init, InitComplete, Preload, Load, Control events,
LoadComplete, PreRender, PreRenderComplete, SaveStateComplete,
Render, Unload
2. List down the different ASP.NET state management, explain each.
a. Client-side:
i. View State – a dictionary object that retains keys and values
between multiple requests in the same page; stores the page
state as a hashed string in a hidden input in the form; default
method for persisting page state; can be disabled
ii. Control State – like View State but used for custom controls;
stores subcontrols’ state into the control; cannot be disabled;
fallback state management for when View State is disabled
iii. Hidden Fields – simple storage for single values; placed in the
form
iv. Cookies – data stored in bits of text files that are stored in the
client’s computer as either physical files or in-memory in the
client browser session; usually relates to per-user/Session data
 v. Query String – key-value pairs in the form of a string appended
to a URL; starts with a question mark (?) and joined by
ampersand (&); syntax: eg:
?firstKey=valueOfFirstKey&secondKey=valueOfSecondKey
b. Server-side:
i. Application State – an instance of HttpApplicationState; a global
storage accessible by all pages and by all users; used for data to
be persisted across multiple page requests
ii. Session State – an instance of HttpSessionState; like Application
State but storage is per-user and scoped to current browser
session; dependent on session: data is lost when session expires
or a new session is started
iii. Profile Properties – user-specific storage; like Session State but
doesn’t depend on the session; by default, stores data in SQL
tables when using SqlProfileProvider
3. What is View State in asp.net? – (See ASP.NET/WCF Item 2.a.i.)
4. What is the difference between View State and Session State? –View State
is client-side storage; Session State is server-side storage. View State
persists data across multiple requests on the same page; Session State
persists data across multiple page requests.
5. Where are the Session variables stored? – depending on the
SessionStateProvider; the default SessionStateProvider uses the InProc
mode which stores in server memory; the SessionStateProvider or its
mode can be modified to store in a SQL database or a storage provider
6. What are Cookies? – (See ASP.NET/WCF Item 2.a.iv.)
7. What is HTML5? – HyperText Markup Language 5; successor to HTML4;
markup language for creating the visual, front-end component of web
pages
Sample tags/elements:
a. new structural tags: section, header, footer, nav, article, aside
b. new inline tags: mark, time, meter, progress
c. new elements: canvas, video, audio
8. What is CSS3? – Cascading Style Sheets 3; successor to CSS2.1; language
that describes the presentation of HTML documents; used at front-end
for aesthetic purposes; newly supports shadows, transformations,
animations and improves background capabilities
Sample attributes/properties:
a. for elements: background-size, border-radius, box-shadow, transition
b. for texts: text-overflow, text-shadow, text-stroke
9. What are jQuery, Bootstrap, Knockout.js and Angular.js?
a. jQuery – a feature-rich JavaScript library/plugin that simplifies
document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation and
AJAX; cross-browser compatible and extensible
b. Bootstrap – a front-end framework integrating HTML, CSS and
JavaScript that simplifies developing responsive, mobile-first
webpages via themes, controls and plugins
c. Knockout.js – a JavaScript library that simplifies building UIs in an
MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) pattern; simplifies data-binding and
event handling by encapsulating data and behavior into ViewModels
d. Angular.js – a feature-rich JavaScript library that simplifies building
web apps in an MVW (Model-View-Whatever) pattern; mostly used
as a framework for Single-Page Applications; simplifies routing, data-
binding, event handling via controllers, server communication via
services, creating reusable components via directives, and
localization; modular and extensible
10. What are Web Services? – programmable application logic; run on
standard web protocols such as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
which uses XML for data description and HTTP for transport; output are
SOAP messages
11. What are WCF Services? Explain their major components. – services built
upon Windows Communication Foundation framework; can send data as
asynchronous messages from one service endpoint to another, which can
be hosted by Internet Information Systems (IIS) or in an application;
output messages can be as simple as XML or as complex as a stream of
binary data
Components:
a. Service Class – implements the service interface; exposes at least one
method
b. Hosting Environment – a managed process for running the service
c. Endpoints – used by clients to access functionalities of the service;
found through 3 components: address, binding, and contract
12. Explain about the use of Controller, View and Model components in MVC.
a. Model – represents database objects
b. View – displays the data in the form of web pages
c. Controller – directs the flow of user interaction and user input
d. MVC – The Controller controls which Model will be updated, if
necessary, and passed to the View.
13. How many web.config files can a website application have? – Typically, just
one. But there can be one web.config file for each subdirectory in the web
app that overrides the configuration in the parent directories. Lastly, it’s
possible to create transformations of web.config files (eg:
web.transform.config) which build on top of the web.config file and can
insert, replace, remove configurations.
14. What is machine.config? – the universal config file with settings for the
entire computer; contains configuration for machine-wide assembly
binding, built-in remoting channels, and ASP.NET.
 15. Is there any other authentication available in the website besides Windows
authentication? – Yes, as follows:
a. Forms Authentication – form-based, credentials collection (usually an
email address or username, and a password); if successful, issues
cookies to the client
b. Passport – form-based, single logon and core profile services
provided by Microsoft
c. None – allows for no authentication at all or custom authentication
16. If you use authentication, where are the passwords saved? – saved in the
database, usually in the table aspnet_Users, but hashed using a one-way
encryption (SHA)
17. What are WCF bindings? – one of three components of endpoints; defines
how a service can be accessed and communicates with other endpoints;
must specify transport protocol
18. Could you name 2-3 bindings that are used in WCF? – Some common
examples of system-provided bindings are as follows:
a. BasicHttpBinding – an HTTP protocol binding suitable for services
conforming to WS-I Basic Profile specification
b. WSHttpBinding – interoperable binding suitable for WS-* protocols
c. NetNamedPipeBinding – uses the .NET framework to connect to
other WCF endpoints on the same machine
d. NetMsmqBinding – uses the .NET framework to create queued
message connections with other WCF endpoints
19. What are the different validators? – checks the validity of user input
against a set of rules
a. In ASP.NET web pages – validation controls that reference input
controls to validate
eg: RequiredFieldValidator, CompareValidator, RangeValidator,
RegularExpressionValidator, CustomValidator
b. In ASP.NET MVC – attributes used to decorate model properties
eg: Required, StringLength, Range, RegularExpression, DataType
SQL:
1. Enumerate the different join statements and explain each.
a. Inner Join – join that displays only the rows that have a match in both
joined tables
b. Outer Join – join that includes rows even if they do not have related
rows in the joined table; with three variations:
i. Left Outer Join – all rows from first-named/left table are
included; unmatched rows in second-named/right table not
included
ii. Right Outer Join – all rows in second-named/right table are
included; unmatched rows in first-named/left table not included
iii. Full Join – all rows in all joined tables are included regardless of
match
c. Cross Join – join whose result set includes one row for each possible
combination of rows from the two tables
2. What is the difference between an inner join and outer join? – Inner join
displays rows that have a match in both joined tables; Outer join displays
rows that have a match in at least one table, and may or may not have
related rows.
3. When do you use functions in SQL server? – when you want to encapsulate
reusable logic in the form of methods that compute and return
scalar/single values or table values; Scalar/single values can be used inline
in SQL statements, while table values can be joined upon, etc.
4. What is the difference between stored procedure and function? – Stored
Procedures can return zero, single or multiple values; Functions are
required to return one value or a set. Stored Procedures can have INSERT,
UPDATE, DELETE transactions; Functions cannot. Stored Procedures can
have input and output parameters; Functions only have input parameters.
Stored Procedures can call on Functions; Functions cannot call on Stored
Procedures. Stored Procedures cannot be used in SELECT, WHERE and
HAVING statements; Functions can be used. Stored Procedures can use
try-catch error handling; Functions cannot.
5. What are cursors and triggers? – Cursors are control structures used to
loop through database rows, similar to the FOR loop. Triggers are special
stored procedures that automatically execute when an INSERT, UPDATE
or DELETE event occurs in a table or a view.
6. Explain indexing in SQL. – used to quickly find database rows with specific
column values by finding relevant rows without having to read table/view
rows sequentially; like indexes in books, it enables finding data quickly
without reading the entire book. An Index in a database is a list of values
in a table/view with the storage locations of rows in the table/view that
contain each value – similar to how an index in a book is a list of
words/phrases with the page numbers that contain each word/phrase.
7. What is the difference between a Clustered Index and a Non-clustered
index? – A Clustered Index sorts and stores data rows in the table/view
based on their key values, which are columns included in the index
definition. There can be only one clustered index per table/view because
the data rows can only be sorted in only one order. A Non-clustered Index
has a structure separate from the data rows, contains the non-clustered
index key values and each key value entry has row locator, which is a
pointer to the data row that contains the key value.
 8. What are the different types of indexing in SQL server?
a. Hash – data is accessed through in-memory hash table
b. Memory-optimized Non-clustered – memory consumption is a
function of the row count and the size of the index key columns
c. Clustered – sorts and stores data rows of table/view in order based
on clustered index key
d. Non-clustered – can be defined on a table/view with a clustered
index or on a heap
e. Unique – ensures that the index key contains no duplicate values and
therefore every row in the table/view is unique
f. Columnstore –stores and manages data by using column-based data
storage and column-based query processing
g. Index with included columns – a non-clustered index that is extended
to include non-key columns
h. Index on computed columns – index on a column derived from the
value of one or more other columns
i. Filtered – an optimized non-clustered index, especially suited to cover
queries that select from a well-defined subset of data; uses a filter
predicate for indexing
j. Spatial – provides ability to perform certain operations more
efficiently on spatial objects in a column of geometry data type
k. XML – a shredded, persisted representation of XML binary large
objects (BLOBs) in the xml data type column
l. Full-text – token-based functional index built and maintained by
Microsoft Full-Text Engine; used for sophisticated word searches in
string data
9. What is the difference between a Union and Union all? – Union selects
related information from two tables whose selected columns need to be
of the same data type; additionally, an implicit DISTINCT SORT is run on
the results set, therefore only distinct values are selected. Union All does
the same but displays non-distinct values. Union can never have
duplicate, repetitive results; Union All can. Union is sorted; Union All is
unsorted.
Additional Questions:
1. Are you familiar with Design Patterns? What Design Patterns did you use on
your project before? – The 23 Gang of Four (GOF) patterns are considered
the foundation of all other patterns and as follows:
a. Creational
i. Abstract Factory – creates an instance of several families of
classes
ii. Builder – separates object construction from its representation
iii. Factory Method – creates an instance of several derived classes
iv. Prototype – a fully initialized instance to be copied or cloned
v. Singleton – a class of which only a single instance can exist
b. Structural
i. Adapter – match interfaces of different classes
ii. Bridge – separates an object’s interface from its implementation
iii. Composite – a tree structure of simple and composite objects
iv. Decorator – add responsibilities to objects dynamically
v. Façade – a single class that represents an entire subsystem
vi. Flyweight – a fine-grained instance used for efficient sharing
vii. Proxy – an object representing another object
c. Behavioral
i. Chain of Responsibility – a way of passing a request between a
chain of objects
ii. Command – encapsulate a command request as an object
iii. Interpreter – a way to include language elements in a program
iv. Iterator – sequentially access the elements of a collection
v. Mediator – defines simplified communication between classes
vi. Memento - capture and restore an object’s internal state
vii. Observer – a way of notifying change to a number of classes
viii. State – alter an object’s behavior when its state changes
ix. Strategy – encapsulates an algorithm inside a class
x. Template Method – defer the exact steps of an algorithm to a
subclass
xi. Visitor – defines a new operation to a class without change
For more info, see: http://www.dofactory.com/net/design-patterns
2. Are you familiar with Software Development Methodology? Are you
familiar with Agile, RAD, and Tiered Architecture? Can you explain each?
a. Agile – a conceptual framework that works in iterations (typically
lasting one to four weeks) with the intention of releasing new
software at the end of every iteration; emphasis is on real-time
communication and working software as measure of progress;
sample methodologies: Crystal Methods, Dynamic Systems
Development Model (DSDM), and Scrum.
b. Rapid Application Development – generally relates to faster
implementation and saving time by reducing construction cycle via
using programming languages faster than 3rd-gen languages; faster
development involves workshops, prototyping, user testing, software
component reuse, informal communications
c. Tiered Architecture – client-server architecture where presentation,
application processing/logic, data management functions are
physically separated into tiers/layers
 For more info, see: http://www.itinfo.am/eng/software-development-
methodologies/
3. Have you experienced using TFS or any Source Control software on your
projects? – Team Foundation Server (and other source control software,
more or less) provides source code management, reporting, requirements
management, project management, automated builds, lab management,
testing and release management capabilities; it covers the entire
application lifecycle.
4. Have you experienced implementing TDD (Test Driven Development) on
one of your projects? – Test Driven Development relies on the repetition
of a very short development cycle: first the developer writes an (initially
failing) automated test case that defines a desired improvement or new
function, then produces the minimum amount of code to pass that test,
and finally refactors the new code to acceptable standards.
5. What is SOLID in Object-Oriented Design? – SOLID is the first five object-
oriented design principles which makes software development easily
maintainable and extensible. This stands for:
a. S – Single Responsibility Principle – A class should have one and only
one job.
b. O – Open-closed Principle – Objects should be open for extension but
closed for modification.
c. L – Liskov Substitution Principle – Every subclass/derived class should
be substitutable for their base/parent class.
d. I – Interface Segregation Principle – Classes should not be forced to
implement an interface it doesn’t use or depend on methods it
doesn’t use.
e. D – Dependency Inversion Principle – Entities must depend on
abstractions, not on concretions.
For more info, see: https://scotch.io/bar-talk/s-o-l-i-d-the-first-five-
principles-of-object-oriented-design