Grokking Java Interview 1 Sold to

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 Table Of Contents

PREFACE
Object Oriented Programming Interview
Questions
What is method overloading in OOP or Java?
What is the method overriding in OOP or Java?
What is the method of hiding in Java?
Is Java a pure object-oriented language? if not
why?
What are the rules of method overloading and
overriding in Java?
The difference between method overloading
and overriding?
Can we overload a static method in Java?
Can we override the static method in Java?
Can we prevent overriding a method without
using the final modifier?
Can we override a private method in Java?
What is the covariant method overriding in
Java?
Can we change the return type of method to
subclass while overriding?

Grokking Java Interview i

Can we change the argument list of an
overriding method?
Can we override a method that throws runtime
exception without throws clause?
How do you call a superclass version of an
overriding method in a subclass?
Can we override a non-static method as static
in Java?
Can we override the final method in Java?
Can we have a non-abstract method inside an
interface?
What is the default method of Java 8?
What is an abstract class in Java?
What is an interface in Java? What is the real
user of an interface?
The difference between Abstract class and
interface?
Can we make a class abstract without an
abstract method?
Can we make a class both final and abstract at
the same time?
Can we overload or override the main method
in Java?

Grokking Java Interview ii

What is the difference between Polymorphism,
Overloading, and Overriding?
Can an interface extend more than one
interface in Java?
Can a class extend more than one class in Java?
What is the difference between abstraction and
polymorphism in Java?
What problem is solved by the Strategy pattern
in Java?
Which OOP concept Decorator design Pattern
is based upon?
When to use the Singleton design pattern in
Java?
What is the difference between State and
Strategy Patterns?
What is the difference between Association,
Aggregation, and Composition in OOP?
What is the difference between Decorator,
Proxy and Adapter pattern in Java?
What is the 5 objects oriented design principle
from SOLID?
What is the difference between Composition
and Inheritance in OOP?

Grokking Java Interview iii

PREFACE
Cracking a Java Interview is not easy and one of the
main reason for that is Java is very vast. There are lot
of concepts and APIs to master to become a decent
Java developer. Many people who are good at general
topics like Data Structure and Algorithms, System
Design, SQL and Database fail to crack the Java
interview because the don’t spend time to learn the
Core Java concepts and essential APIs and packages
like Java Collection Framework, Multithreading, JVM
Internals, JDBC, Design Patterns and Object Oriented
Programming.

This book aims to fill that gap and introduce you will
classical Java interview questions from these topics.
By going through these questions and topic you will
not only expand your knowledge but also get ready for
your Next Java interview. If you are preparing for Java
interviews then I highly recommend you go through
these questions before your telephonic or face-to-
face interviews, you will not only gain confidence and
knowledge to answer the question but also learn how
to drive Java interview in your favor. This is the single
most important tip I can give you as a Java developer.
Always, remember, your answers drive interviews, and
these questions will show you how to drive Interviewer
to your strong areas. All the best for Java interview and
if you have any questions or feedback you can always
contact me on twitter javinpaul or comment on my
blogs Javarevisited and Java67.

Grokking Java Interview 1

OBJECT ORIENTED
PROGRAMMING
INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
Java is an object-oriented programming language and
you will see a lot of object-oriented programming
concept questions on Java interviews. The classic
questions like the difference between an interface and
abstract class are always there but from the last couple
of years more sophisticated questions based upon
advanced design principles and patterns are also asked
to check OOP knowledge of the candidate. Though,
Object-oriented programming questions are more
popular on Java interviews for 1 to 3 years experienced
programmers. It makes sense as well, as these are the
programmers who must know the OOP basics like
Abstraction, Inheritance, Composition, Class, Object,
Interface, Encapsulation, etc.

If you look for Java interview questions for 2 to 4

years experienced programmer, you will find lots
of questions based upon OOP fundamentals like
Inheritance and Encapsulation but as you gain more
experience, you will see questions based on object-
oriented analysis and design e.g. code a vending design
machine or implement a coffeemaker in Java.

Grokking Java Interview 2

These questions are more difficult and require not only
a true understanding of OOP fundamentals but also
about SOLID design principles and patterns.

In this section, I am going to share with you some

OOPS concept based Java interview questions that I
have collected from friends and colleagues and they
have seen in various Java interviews on different
companies. They are mostly asked at first a few rounds
like on screening round or on the telephonic round.

If you are a senior Java developer then you already

know answers to this question and I suggest you
practice more on object-oriented analysis and design
skill i.e. how to do code against a specification. If you
are fresher and junior Java developer with 2 to 3 years
experience then you must revise these questions,
learn if you don’t know to do well on your Java Job
interviews.

What is method overloading in OOP or Java?

It’s one of the oldest OOPS concept questions, I have

seen it 10 years ago and still sees it now. When we have
multiple methods with the same name but different
functionality then it’s called method overloading. For
example. System.out.println() is overloaded as we have
a 6 or 7 println() method each accepting a different
type of parameter.

Grokking Java Interview 3

What is the method overriding in OOP or
Java?

It’s one of the magic of object-oriented programming

where the method is chose based upon an object at
runtime. In order for method overriding, we need
Inheritance and Polymorphism, as we need a method
with the same signature in both superclass and
subclass. A call to such a method is resolved at runtime
depending upon the actual object and not the type o
variable.

What is the method of hiding in Java?

When you declare two static methods with same name

and signature in both superclass and subclass then
they hide each other i.e. a call to the method in the
subclass will call the static method declared in that
class and a call to the same method is superclass is
resolved to the static method declared in the super-
class.

Is Java a pure object-oriented language? if not

why?

Java is not a pure object-oriented programming

language e.g. there are many things you can do
without objects e.g. static methods. Also, primitive
variables are not objects in Java.

Grokking Java Interview 4

What are the rules of method overloading and
overriding in Java?

One of the most important rules of method

overloading in Java is that the method signature should
be different i.e. either the number of arguments or
the type of arguments. Simply changing the return
type of two methods will not result in overloading,
instead, the compiler will throw an error. On the other
hand, method overriding has more rules e.g. name
and return type must be the same, method signature
should also be the same, the overloaded method
cannot throw a higher exception, etc.

The difference between method overloading

and overriding?

Several differences but the most important one is

that method overloading is resolved at compile-
time and method overriding is resolved at runtime.
The compiler only used the class information for
method overloading, but it needs to know the object
to resolved overridden method calls. This diagram
explains the difference quite well, though:

Grokking Java Interview 5

Can we overload a static method in Java?

Yes, you can overload a static method in Java. You can

declare as many static methods of the same name as
you wish provided all of them have different method
signatures.

Can we override the static method in Java?

No, you cannot override a static method because it’s

not bounded to an object. Instead, static methods
belong to a class and resolved at compile time
using the type of reference variable. But, Yes, you
can declare the same static method in a subclass,
that will result in method hiding i.e. if you use the
reference variable of type subclass then new method
will be called, but if you use the reference variable of
superclass than old method will be called.

Can we prevent overriding a method without

using the final modifier?

Yes, you can prevent the method overriding in Java

without using the final modifier. In fact, there are
several ways to accomplish it e.g. you can mark the
method private or static, those cannot be overridden.

Can we override a private method in Java?

No, you cannot. Since the private method is only

accessible and visible inside the class they are
declared, it’s not possible to override them in
subclasses. Though, you can override them inside the
inner class as they are accessible there.

Grokking Java Interview 6

What is the covariant method overriding in
Java?

In the covariant method overriding, the overriding

method can return the subclass of the object returned
by the original or overridden method. This concept
was introduced in Java 1.5 (Tiger) version and it’s very
helpful in case the original method is returning general
type like Object class, because, then by using the
covariant method overriding you can return a more
suitable object and prevent client-side typecasting.
One of the practical use of this concept is when you
override the clone() method in Java.

Can we change the return type of method to

subclass while overriding?

Yes, you can, but only from Java 5 onward. This feature
is known as covariant method overriding and it was
introduced in JDK 5 release. This is immensely helpful
if the original method return super-class like clone()
method return java.lang.Object. By using this, you can
directly return the actual type, preventing client-side
type-casting of the result.

Can we change the argument list of an

overriding method?

No, you cannot. The argument list is part of the

method signature and both overriding and overridden
methods must have the same signature.

Grokking Java Interview 7

Can we override a method that throws
runtime exception without throws clause?

Yes, there is no restriction on unchecked exceptions

while overriding. On the other hand, in the case of
checked exception, an overriding exception cannot
throw a checked exception which comes higher in
type hierarchy e.g. if the original method is throwing
IOException than the overriding method cannot throw
java.lang.Exception or java.lang.Throwable.

How do you call a superclass version of an

overriding method in a subclass?

You can call a superclass version of an overriding

method in the subclass by using super keyword.
For example to call the toString() method from java.
lang.Object class, you can call super.toString().

Can we override a non-static method as static

in Java?

Yes, you can override the non-static method in Java,

no problem on them but it should not be private or
final :)

Can we override the final method in Java?

No, you cannot override a final method in Java, the

final keyword with the method is to prevent method
overriding. You use the final when you don’t want
subclass changing the logic of your method by
overriding it due to security reasons. This is why the
String class is final in Java. This concept is also used
Grokking Java Interview 8
in the template design patterns where the template
method is made final to prevent overriding.

Can we have a non-abstract method inside an

interface?

From Java 8 onward you can have a non-abstract

method inside interface, prior to that it was not
allowed as all method was implicitly public abstract.
From JDK 8, you can add static and default methods
inside an interface.

What is the default method of Java 8?

The default method, also known as the extension

method is new types of the method which you
can add on the interface now. These method has
implementation and intended to be used by default.
By using this method, JDK 8 managed to provide
common functionality related to lambda expression
and stream API without breaking all the clients which
implement their interfaces. If you look at Java 8 API
documentation you will find several useful default
methods on key Java interface like Iterator, Map, etc.

What is an abstract class in Java?

An abstract class is a class that is incomplete. You

cannot create an instance of an abstract class in Java.
They are provided to define default behavior and
ensured that client of that class should adore to those
contract which is defined inside the abstract class. In
order to use it, you must extend and implement their
abstract methods. BTW, in Java, a class can be abstract

Grokking Java Interview 9

without specifying any abstract method.

What is an interface in Java? What is the real

user of an interface?

Like an abstract class, the interface is also there

to specify the contract of an API. It supports the
OOP abstraction concept as it defines only abstract
behavior. It will tell that your program will give output
but how is left to implementors. The real use of the
interface to define types to leverage Polymorphism.

The difference between Abstract class and

interface?

In Java, the key difference is that abstract class can

contain a non-abstract method but the interface
cannot, but from Java 8 onward interface can also
contain static and default methods that are non-
abstract.

Grokking Java Interview 10

Can we make a class abstract without an
abstract method?

Yes, just add abstract keyword on the class definition

and your class will become abstract.

Can we make a class both final and abstract at

the same time?

No, you cannot apply both final and abstract keyword

at the class at the same time because they are exactly
opposite of each other. A final class in Java cannot be
extended and you cannot use an abstract class without
extending and make it a concrete class. As per Java
specification, the compiler will throw an error if you
try to make a class abstract and final at the same time.

Can we overload or override the main method

in Java?

No, since main() is a static method, you can only

overload it, you cannot override it because the static
method is resolved at compile time without needing
object information hence we cannot override the main
method in Java.

What is the difference between

Polymorphism, Overloading, and Overriding?

This is a slight tricky OOP concept question because

Polymorphism is the real concept behind on both
Overloading and Overriding. Overloading is compiled
time Polymorphism and Overriding are Runtime

Grokking Java Interview 11

Polymorphism.

Can an interface extend more than one

interface in Java?

Yes, an interface can extend more than one interface

in Java, it’s perfectly valid.

Can a class extend more than one class in

Java?

No, a class can only extend another class because Java

doesn’t support multiple inheritances but yes, it can
implement multiple interfaces.

What is the difference between abstraction

and polymorphism in Java?

Abstraction generalizes the concept and Polymorphism

allows you to use different implementation without
changing your code. This diagram explains the
abstraction quite well, though:

Grokking Java Interview 12

Object-Oriented design
principle and pattern
Interview Questions
Now let’s see some OOPS concept questions based on
the SOLID design principles and GOF design patterns
that take advantage of the OOPS concept discussed
here.

What problem is solved by the Strategy

pattern in Java?

Strategy pattern allows you to introduce a new

algorithm or new strategy without changing the
code which uses that algorithm. For example, the
Collections.sort() method which sorts the list of the
object uses the Strategy pattern to compare objects.
Since every object uses a different comparison
strategy you can compare various objects differently
without changing the sort method.

Which OOP concept Decorator design Pattern

is based upon?

The decorator pattern takes advantage of Composition

to provide new features without modifying the original
class. A very good to-the-point question for the
telephonic round. This is quite clear from the UML
diagram of the Decorator pattern, as you can see the
Component is associated with a Decorator.

Grokking Java Interview 13

When to use the Singleton design pattern in
Java?

When you need just one instance of a class and want

that to be globally available then you can use the
Singleton pattern. It’s not free of cost though because
it increases the coupling between classes and makes
them hard to test. This is one of the oldest design
pattern questions from Java interviews.

What is the difference between State and

Strategy Patterns?

Though the structure or class diagram of State and

Strategy pattern is the same, their intent is completely
different. The state pattern is used to do something
specific depending upon state while Strategy allows
you to switch between algorithms without changing
the code which uses it.

Grokking Java Interview 14

What is the difference between Association,
Aggregation, and Composition in OOP?

When an object is related to another object is

called association. It has two forms, aggregation,
and composition. the former is the loose form of
association where the related object can survive
individually while later is a stronger form of
association where a related object cannot survive
individually. For example, the city is an aggregation of
people but is the composition of body parts.

What is the difference between Decorator,

Proxy and Adapter pattern in Java?

Again they look similar because their structure or

class diagram is very similar but their intent is quite
different. The Decorator adds additional functionality
without touching the class, Proxy provides access
control and Adapter is used to make two incompatible
interfaces work together.

What is the 5 objects oriented design

principle from SOLID?

SOLID is the term given by Uncle Bob in his classic

book, the Clean Code, one of the must-read books for
programmers. In SOLID each character stands for one
design principle:

• S for Single Responsibility Principle

• O for Open closed design principle
• L for Liskov substitution principle
• I for Interface segregation principle
• D for Dependency inversion principle
Grokking Java Interview 15
What is the difference between Composition
and Inheritance in OOP?

This is another great OOPS concept question

because it tests what matters, both of them are very
important from a class design perspective. Though
both Composition and Inheritance allows you to
reuse code, formerly is more flexible than later.
Composition allows the class to get an additional
feature at runtime, but Inheritance is static. You can
not change the feature at runtime by substitution of a
new implementation.

That’s all about in this list of object-oriented

programming or OOPS concept interview questions.
We have seen questions from various OOPS concepts
like Abstraction, Encapsulation, Inheritance,
Composition, Aggregation, Association, Class, Object,
Grokking Java Interview 16
and Interface, etc.

We have also seen questions from Object-oriented

design principles also known as SOLID principles and
GOF design patterns like Strategy, State, and Factory,
which are based upon both the object-oriented
programming concept and OOP design principle.

But, as I said, if you are a senior Java developer then

you focus more on object-oriented analysis and design
and learn how to code against a requirement using
all your OOP knowledge. You can also read Cracking
the Coding Interview, 6th Edition to for more Object
Oriented Programming questions.

Grokking Java Interview 17