Software Engineer mock test

About the role

A software engineer writes, tests, debugs and maintains the code that a product runs on. Titles and stacks vary, but employers hiring for this role look for the same core: reading unfamiliar code quickly, finding the real cause of a bug, and understanding the systems the code talks to, from the database to the network.

Most postings ask for one language in depth, commonly Python, Go, Java or TypeScript, and working knowledge of APIs, relational databases, Git and Linux.

What you will do

• Design, build and test features, and own them through release and operation.
• Debug failures in your own code and in code you did not write, using tests, logs and a debugger.
• Build and use APIs, and write efficient SQL against relational databases such as PostgreSQL or MySQL.
• Use Git day to day, including history, branches and recovering from mistakes.
• Review code, write documentation, and take part in incident response for the services you own.
• Use AI coding tools well, and check their output before it ships.

What we look for

• Professional experience writing software in at least one language, ideally Python.
• A methodical approach to debugging.
• Understanding of HTTP APIs, relational databases and SQL.
• Git beyond commit and push: reflog, reset, branches and merges.
• Networking basics: DNS, TCP, ports and HTTP.

Nice to have

• A systems language such as Go or Rust.
• Concurrency and distributed systems.
• Experience with Linux, Docker and CI/CD.

About this mock test

One hour on a real Linux machine, in a terminal in your browser. You debug two small Python programs and recover lost commits with Git, then answer short written questions on APIs, databases, version control and networking.

This is practice. There is no job at the end of it. It is the same interview format employers run on EasyEnv, so you can measure yourself against what companies hiring for this role ask for, and see where you need more work.