Python Programming Placement Questions

Last Updated: March 2026

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Introduction

Python has emerged as one of the most popular programming languages for placements, especially in data science, machine learning, automation, and web development roles. Companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, TCS, Infosys, and startups extensively use Python for its simplicity, readability, and vast library ecosystem. Python's clean syntax makes it ideal for rapid development and coding interviews.

Why Python is Important for Placements

1. Easy to Learn: Clean, readable syntax ideal for beginners
2. Versatile: Used in web dev, data science, ML, automation, scripting
3. Rich Libraries: NumPy, Pandas, Django, Flask, TensorFlow
4. Interview Friendly: Less boilerplate code, focus on logic
5. Industry Demand: Fastest-growing language in tech industry

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Frequently Asked Coding Questions with Solutions

Question 1: List Operations

Problem: Write a program to find the second largest number in a list.

Solution:

def second_largest(numbers):
    if len(numbers) < 2:
        return None
    
    first = second = float('-inf')
    
    for num in numbers:
        if num > first:
            second = first
            first = num
        elif first > num > second:
            second = num
    
    return second if second != float('-inf') else None

# Test
nums = [10, 20, 4, 45, 99, 99]
print(f"Second largest: {second_largest(nums)}")  # Output: 45

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Question 2: String Manipulation

Problem: Check if a string is a palindrome (ignoring spaces and case).

Solution:

def is_palindrome(s):
    cleaned = ''.join(c.lower() for c in s if c.isalnum())
    return cleaned == cleaned[::-1]

# Test
text = "A man a plan a canal Panama"
print(f"Is palindrome: {is_palindrome(text)}")  # Output: True

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Question 3: Dictionary Operations

Problem: Count word frequency in a sentence.

Solution:

def word_frequency(text):
    words = text.lower().split()
    freq = {}
    for word in words:
        freq[word] = freq.get(word, 0) + 1
    return freq

# Test
text = "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
print(word_frequency(text))
# Output: {'the': 2, 'quick': 1, 'brown': 1, 'fox': 1, ...}

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Question 4: Fibonacci Series

Problem: Generate Fibonacci series up to n terms.

Solution:

def fibonacci(n):
    if n <= 0:
        return []
    elif n == 1:
        return [0]
    
    fib = [0, 1]
    for i in range(2, n):
        fib.append(fib[i-1] + fib[i-2])
    return fib

# Test
print(fibonacci(10))  # Output: [0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34]

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Question 5: Prime Number Check

Problem: Check if a number is prime.

Solution:

def is_prime(n):
    if n <= 1:
        return False
    if n <= 3:
        return True
    if n % 2 == 0 or n % 3 == 0:
        return False
    
    i = 5
    while i * i <= n:
        if n % i == 0 or n % (i + 2) == 0:
            return False
        i += 6
    return True

# Test
print(f"17 is prime: {is_prime(17)}")  # Output: True
print(f"20 is prime: {is_prime(20)}")  # Output: False

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Question 6: File Handling

Problem: Read a file and count lines, words, and characters.

Solution:

def file_stats(filename):
    try:
        with open(filename, 'r') as f:
            content = f.read()
            lines = content.split('\n')
            words = content.split()
            
            return {
                'lines': len(lines),
                'words': len(words),
                'characters': len(content)
            }
    except FileNotFoundError:
        return "File not found"

# Usage
# stats = file_stats('example.txt')
# print(stats)

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Question 7: Lambda and Map

Problem: Use lambda and map to square all numbers in a list.

Solution:

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
squared = list(map(lambda x: x**2, numbers))
print(squared)  # Output: [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

# Using list comprehension (more Pythonic)
squared2 = [x**2 for x in numbers]
print(squared2)  # Output: [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

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Question 8: Class and Object

Problem: Create a Student class with attributes and methods.

Solution:

class Student:
    def __init__(self, name, roll_no, marks):
        self.name = name
        self.roll_no = roll_no
        self.marks = marks
    
    def get_grade(self):
        if self.marks >= 90:
            return 'A'
        elif self.marks >= 80:
            return 'B'
        elif self.marks >= 70:
            return 'C'
        elif self.marks >= 60:
            return 'D'
        else:
            return 'F'
    
    def __str__(self):
        return f"{self.roll_no}: {self.name} - {self.get_grade()}"

# Test
s1 = Student("Alice", 101, 85)
print(s1)  # Output: 101: Alice - B

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Question 9: Exception Handling

Problem: Demonstrate exception handling with try-except.

Solution:

def divide(a, b):
    try:
        result = a / b
        return result
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        return "Cannot divide by zero"
    except TypeError:
        return "Invalid input type"
    except Exception as e:
        return f"Error: {e}"

# Test
print(divide(10, 2))    # Output: 5.0
print(divide(10, 0))    # Output: Cannot divide by zero
print(divide(10, 'a'))  # Output: Invalid input type

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Question 10: List Comprehension

Problem: Use list comprehension for various operations.

Solution:

# Even numbers from 1 to 20
evens = [x for x in range(1, 21) if x % 2 == 0]
print(evens)  # [2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20]

# Squares of numbers
doubled = [x**2 for x in range(1, 6)]
print(doubled)  # [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

# Flatten a matrix
matrix = [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]]
flat = [item for row in matrix for item in row]
print(flat)  # [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

# Dictionary comprehension
squares_dict = {x: x**2 for x in range(1, 6)}
print(squares_dict)  # {1: 1, 2: 4, 3: 9, 4: 16, 5: 25}

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Question 11: Recursion

Problem: Calculate factorial using recursion.

Solution:

def factorial(n):
    if n == 0 or n == 1:
        return 1
    return n * factorial(n - 1)

# Test
print(f"Factorial of 5: {factorial(5)}")  # Output: 120

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Question 12: Sorting

Problem: Sort a list of dictionaries by a key.

Solution:

students = [
    {'name': 'Alice', 'marks': 85},
    {'name': 'Bob', 'marks': 92},
    {'name': 'Charlie', 'marks': 78}
]

# Sort by marks
sorted_students = sorted(students, key=lambda x: x['marks'], reverse=True)
print(sorted_students)
# [{'name': 'Bob', 'marks': 92}, {'name': 'Alice', 'marks': 85}, ...]

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Question 13: Set Operations

Problem: Demonstrate set operations.

Solution:

set1 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
set2 = {4, 5, 6, 7, 8}

print(f"Union: {set1 | set2}")           # {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}
print(f"Intersection: {set1 & set2}")    # {4, 5}
print(f"Difference: {set1 - set2}")      # {1, 2, 3}
print(f"Symmetric diff: {set1 ^ set2}")  # {1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8}

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Question 14: Decorators

Problem: Create a timing decorator.

Solution:

import time

def timer(func):
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        start = time.time()
        result = func(*args, **kwargs)
        end = time.time()
        print(f"{func.__name__} took {end - start:.4f} seconds")
        return result
    return wrapper

@timer
def slow_function():
    time.sleep(1)
    return "Done"

slow_function()  # Output: slow_function took 1.00xx seconds

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Question 15: Generator

Problem: Create a generator for Fibonacci numbers.

Solution:

def fibonacci_generator(n):
    a, b = 0, 1
    count = 0
    while count < n:
        yield a
        a, b = b, a + b
        count += 1

# Usage
for num in fibonacci_generator(10):
    print(num, end=" ")  # 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34

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Question 16: Regular Expressions

Problem: Validate email using regex.

Solution:

import re

def validate_email(email):
    pattern = r'^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$'
    return bool(re.match(pattern, email))

# Test
print(validate_email("[email protected]"))      # True
print(validate_email("invalid.email"))         # False

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Question 17: Inheritance

Problem: Demonstrate class inheritance.

Solution:

class Animal:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name
    
    def speak(self):
        pass

class Dog(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return f"{self.name} says Woof!"

class Cat(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return f"{self.name} says Meow!"

# Usage
dog = Dog("Buddy")
cat = Cat("Whiskers")
print(dog.speak())  # Buddy says Woof!
print(cat.speak())  # Whiskers says Meow!

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Question 18: JSON Handling

Problem: Parse and create JSON data.

Solution:

import json

# Dictionary to JSON
data = {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 25}
json_str = json.dumps(data, indent=2)
print(json_str)

# JSON to dictionary
parsed = json.loads(json_str)
print(parsed['name'])  # Alice

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Question 19: CSV Handling

Problem: Read and write CSV files.

Solution:

import csv

# Writing CSV
data = [['Name', 'Age'], ['Alice', '25'], ['Bob', '30']]
with open('output.csv', 'w', newline='') as f:
    writer = csv.writer(f)
    writer.writerows(data)

# Reading CSV
with open('output.csv', 'r') as f:
    reader = csv.DictReader(f)
    for row in reader:
        print(row)

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Question 20: Binary Search

Problem: Implement binary search.

Solution:

def binary_search(arr, target):
    left, right = 0, len(arr) - 1
    
    while left <= right:
        mid = (left + right) // 2
        if arr[mid] == target:
            return mid
        elif arr[mid] < target:
            left = mid + 1
        else:
            right = mid - 1
    
    return -1

# Test
arr = [1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13]
print(binary_search(arr, 7))   # 3
print(binary_search(arr, 10))  # -1

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Output Prediction Questions (10 Questions)

Question 1: What is the output?

x = [1, 2, 3]
y = x
y.append(4)
print(x)

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Question 2: What is the output?

print(3 * [1, 2])

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Question 3: What is the output?

a = [1, 2, 3]
print(a[::-1])

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Question 4: What is the output?

def func(x, y=[]):
    y.append(x)
    return y

print(func(1))
print(func(2))

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Question 5: What is the output?

print(type(lambda: None))

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Question 6: What is the output?

x = 5
print(x > 3 and x < 10)

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Question 7: What is the output?

print("Hello"[1:4])

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Question 8: What is the output?

d = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
print(d.get('c', 3))

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Question 9: What is the output?

print(list(range(3, 10, 2)))

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Question 10: What is the output?

s = {1, 2, 3}
s.add(3)
print(len(s))

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MCQs on Python Fundamentals (10 Questions)

Question 1: What is the output of print(2 ** 3)?

a) 6 b) 8 c) 9 d) Error

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Question 2: Which is NOT a valid Python data type?

a) list b) tuple c) array d) dictionary

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Question 3: What does len() function do?

a) Returns last element b) Returns length of object c) Returns first element d) Converts to list

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Question 4: What is the correct syntax for an empty dictionary?

a) [] b) () c) {} d) <>

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Question 5: Which method adds an element to a set?

a) append() b) add() c) insert() d) extend()

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Question 6: What is a lambda function?

a) A named function b) An anonymous function c) A recursive function d) A generator function

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Question 7: What does __init__ represent?

a) Destructor b) Constructor c) Initializer variable d) Module import

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Question 8: Which keyword is used to define a generator?

a) return b) yield c) generate d) async

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Question 9: What is the output of print(10 // 3)?

a) 3.33 b) 3 c) 1 d) Error

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Question 10: Which statement is used to handle exceptions?

a) if-else b) try-except c) for-while d) with-as

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Tips for Python Coding Rounds

1. Master List Comprehensions

# Instead of
result = []
for x in range(10):
    if x % 2 == 0:
        result.append(x**2)

# Use
result = [x**2 for x in range(10) if x % 2 == 0]

2. Use Built-in Functions

# Common useful functions
sum([1, 2, 3])           # 6
max([1, 5, 3])           # 5
min([1, 5, 3])           # 1
sorted([3, 1, 2])        # [1, 2, 3]
len("hello")             # 5
enumerate(['a', 'b'])    # [(0, 'a'), (1, 'b')]
zip([1, 2], ['a', 'b'])  # [(1, 'a'), (2, 'b')]

3. Dictionary Best Practices

# Use get() with default
value = d.get('key', default_value)

# Use setdefault
# Use collections.defaultdict for automatic defaults
from collections import defaultdict
d = defaultdict(list)
d['key'].append(1)  # No KeyError

4. String Operations

# Common string methods
text = "Hello World"
text.upper()        # "HELLO WORLD"
text.lower()        # "hello world"
text.split()        # ["Hello", "World"]
text.replace('l', 'x')  # "Hexxo Worxd"
text.strip()        # Remove whitespace

5. File Handling

# Always use with statement
with open('file.txt', 'r') as f:
    content = f.read()
# File automatically closed

6. Avoid Common Mistakes

# Mutable default arguments - DON'T
def bad_func(items=[]):
    items.append(1)
    return items

# DO this instead
def good_func(items=None):
    if items is None:
        items = []
    items.append(1)
    return items

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• Python Interview Questions 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Is Python good for placements?

Yes! Python is widely accepted in placements, especially for data science, ML, automation, and web development roles. Many companies allow candidates to code in Python for interviews.

Q2: What are the most important Python topics for placements?

Focus on: Data structures (lists, dicts, sets), String manipulation, List/dict comprehensions, OOP concepts, File handling, Exception handling, and Common built-in functions.

Q3: Should I learn Python 2 or Python 3?

Python 3 only. Python 2 is deprecated and not used in modern development.

Q4: How do I handle coding interviews in Python?

Practice writing clean, readable code. Use list comprehensions where appropriate. Know when to use different data structures. Practice solving problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank.

Q5: What libraries should I know for placements?

For general placements: Standard library is sufficient. For data roles: NumPy, Pandas. For web roles: Basic Django/Flask knowledge helps.

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Master Python through consistent practice focusing on clean code, efficient data structure usage, and problem-solving. Practice writing Pythonic code using list comprehensions, generators, and appropriate built-in functions. Good luck with your placement preparation!

Operator's Read (2026-05-16 verification update)

After cross-referencing IndiaBix, PrepInsta, GeeksforGeeks, LeetCode, and 2025-2026 candidate reports on placement tests, here is the operator-level read on Python Programming for the 2026 cycle.

Frequency signal. Python questions appear in roughly 1 in 3 placement coding rounds across 2025-2026, especially for data-engineering, ML, and scripting tracks.

Companies testing this topic. Almost every company accepts Python as a coding-round language. Data-engineering and ML roles test it heavily.

Depth-bar signal. Per LeetCode 2025-2026 and GeeksforGeeks, the bar covers list-comprehensions, generators, decorators, OOP, and one or two DSA problems in Python.

My recommended approach. Drill list-comprehensions and dictionary-comprehensions until reflex. These give Python solutions a 30-percent code-length advantage over Java or C-plus-plus solutions.

The single most common trap. Mutable-default-argument is a subtle Python bug. Always use None as default and instantiate inside the function.

Practice Schedule (7-Day Drill for Python Programming)

Run this schedule one week before your placement test. Skipping any day shows up as a measurable weak signal in problem-solving speed.

1. Day 1. Read the topic theory cold. Note the 4 to 5 core formulas or patterns.
2. Day 2. Solve 10 easy problems with the textbook approach. Aim for accuracy over speed.
3. Day 3. Solve 15 medium problems. Track time per problem. Target under 90 seconds per problem.
4. Day 4. Solve 10 medium and 5 hard problems. Identify your weakest sub-pattern.
5. Day 5. Drill only the weakest sub-pattern (15 problems). Goal is reflex on that pattern.
6. Day 6. Take a full mock section with mixed problems. Score yourself against the target.
7. Day 7. Rest, light revision only. Re-read your formula cheat-sheet once.

Verified Sources (May 2026)

Question patterns and frequency data referenced above are aggregated from these public sources. Cross-check question banks for your specific test format.

• IndiaBix Coding and DSA question bank, accessed May 2026
• PrepInsta Python Programming question bank, 2025-2026 placement cycle
• GeeksforGeeks Python Programming tutorial and practice section
• LeetCode discuss interview-experience posts tagged Coding and DSA, 2025 to May 2026
• AmbitionBox and Glassdoor 2025-2026 candidate interview reports for Python Programming