The Top 5 Object-Oriented Programming Concepts You Need to Know for Technical Interviews

Are you preparing for a technical interview at a FANG company or any other tech company? If yes, then you must be aware of the importance of object-oriented programming concepts in technical interviews. Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that is widely used in software development. It is based on the concept of objects, which can contain data and code to manipulate that data. In this article, we will discuss the top 5 object-oriented programming concepts that you need to know for technical interviews.

1. Encapsulation

Encapsulation is the process of hiding the implementation details of an object from the outside world. It is one of the fundamental concepts of OOP. Encapsulation helps in achieving data abstraction, which means that the data is hidden from the outside world and can only be accessed through the object's methods. Encapsulation also helps in maintaining the integrity of the data by preventing unauthorized access.

In technical interviews, you may be asked to explain encapsulation and provide an example of how it can be implemented in code. For example, you can create a class called "Person" that contains private variables such as name, age, and address. You can then create public methods such as "setName", "setAge", and "setAddress" to set the values of these variables. The private variables can only be accessed through these public methods, which ensures that the data is encapsulated.

2. Inheritance

Inheritance is a mechanism in which one class acquires the properties and methods of another class. The class that inherits the properties and methods is called the subclass, and the class that is inherited from is called the superclass. Inheritance helps in achieving code reusability and reduces the amount of code duplication.

In technical interviews, you may be asked to explain inheritance and provide an example of how it can be implemented in code. For example, you can create a class called "Animal" that contains properties and methods common to all animals. You can then create subclasses such as "Cat", "Dog", and "Bird" that inherit the properties and methods of the "Animal" class. The subclasses can then add their own properties and methods specific to their type of animal.

3. Polymorphism

Polymorphism is the ability of an object to take on many forms. It is one of the key features of OOP. Polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as if they were objects of the same class. This is achieved through method overriding and method overloading.

In technical interviews, you may be asked to explain polymorphism and provide an example of how it can be implemented in code. For example, you can create a class called "Shape" that contains a method called "draw". You can then create subclasses such as "Circle", "Rectangle", and "Triangle" that override the "draw" method to draw their respective shapes. You can also create a method called "calculateArea" that is overloaded to accept different types of shapes and calculate their areas.

4. Abstraction

Abstraction is the process of hiding the complexity of an object and only exposing the essential features. It is one of the key principles of OOP. Abstraction helps in reducing the complexity of the code and makes it easier to understand and maintain.

In technical interviews, you may be asked to explain abstraction and provide an example of how it can be implemented in code. For example, you can create a class called "Car" that contains properties such as "make", "model", and "year". You can then create a method called "start" that abstracts the complexity of starting the car by hiding the details of the internal combustion engine.

5. Interface

An interface is a collection of abstract methods that define a contract for a class to implement. It is one of the key features of OOP. Interfaces help in achieving loose coupling between classes and promote code reusability.

In technical interviews, you may be asked to explain interfaces and provide an example of how it can be implemented in code. For example, you can create an interface called "Drawable" that contains a method called "draw". You can then create classes such as "Circle", "Rectangle", and "Triangle" that implement the "Drawable" interface and provide their own implementation of the "draw" method.

Conclusion

In conclusion, object-oriented programming concepts are essential for technical interviews at FANG companies and other tech companies. The top 5 object-oriented programming concepts that you need to know for technical interviews are encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction, and interface. Make sure to understand these concepts thoroughly and be able to provide examples of how they can be implemented in code. Good luck with your technical interviews!

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