EPAM Interview Experience
Summary
I recently interviewed with EPAM for a Python Developer role. The interview focused heavily on Python-specific concepts, object-oriented programming, and system design principles related to microservices, and I am sharing the questions.
Full Experience
I recently had a Python interview with EPAM, and I wanted to share my experience in case it helps anyone else preparing for similar roles. The interview was quite comprehensive, delving deep into core Python concepts, specifically advanced features and object-oriented programming. We also spent significant time discussing system design, particularly focusing on microservices architecture. I found the questions to be practical, often requiring me to explain concepts with code examples or discuss real-world applications and trade-offs.
Interview Questions (10)
Explain what decorators are in Python and how they function. Discuss the order of execution and behavior when multiple decorators are applied to a single function. Provide a code example demonstrating multiple decorators.
Explain the concept of exception handling in Python. Why is the order of except blocks important when handling multiple types of exceptions? Provide a code example.
Explain the behavior and purpose of raising an exception using the from keyword in Python (exception chaining). What is the output of the given code snippet?
Explain multiple inheritance in Python. How does Python resolve method calls when a child class inherits from multiple parent classes that both define a method with the same name? Provide the output of the given code snippet and explain the mechanism behind it.
Explain Python's context management protocol and the role of with statements. How are context managers typically utilized within a Flask application, especially concerning resources like database connections?
Explain the concept of dependency injection. How can dependency injection be implemented and utilized within a Flask application, specifically when integrating with SQLAlchemy for database operations?
Explain the fundamental differences between monolithic and microservices architectural styles. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each, and in which scenarios it is more appropriate to choose one over the other.
Describe common strategies and tools used for deploying microservices. Consider aspects like containerization, orchestration, and continuous delivery.
Explain various methods and patterns for inter-service communication within a microservices architecture. Discuss both synchronous and asynchronous communication approaches.
Explain the concept of event-driven architecture (EDA) and the scenarios where using events is beneficial in a microservices context. Provide examples of when to leverage events for communication and state changes.