🚀 Top 20 Scenario-Based Java
Interview Questions
1. You have a large list of objects. How would you remove duplicates efficiently?
Answer:
Use a Set like HashSet or LinkedHashSet to remove duplicates. If using custom objects,
override equals() and hashCode() properly.
2. How do you handle a NullPointerException in production code?
Answer:
Avoid it with null checks, Optional, and defensive programming. Use tools like Lombok’s
@NonNull, and consider returning empty objects or collections.
3. How would you implement a thread-safe Singleton class in Java?
Answer:
Use the Bill Pugh Singleton approach (static inner class) or Enum Singleton (which also
handles serialization and reflection).
4. A method throws a checked exception. How will you handle it in another method
without try-catch?
Answer:
Propagate the exception using throws keyword in the calling method's signature.
5. How would you design a caching mechanism in Java?
Answer:
Use HashMap for in-memory caching or frameworks like Caffeine, Ehcache, or Guava Cache.
Implement cache eviction (LRU, TTL) as needed.
6. How do you handle concurrent modification when iterating a collection?
Answer:
Use Iterator and iterator.remove() or use CopyOnWriteArrayList /
ConcurrentHashMap depending on the structure. Avoid modifying inside enhanced for loop.
7. How would you find a memory leak in a Java application?
Answer:
Use tools like VisualVM, jProfiler, or MAT (Memory Analyzer Tool). Look for unclosed
resources or static references holding objects.
8. How to create an immutable class in Java?
Answer:
● Declare class final
● All fields private final
● No setters
● Deep copy in constructor and getter for mutable objects
9. You have a list of employees. How do you sort by salary and then by name?
Answer:
Use Java 8 Streams:
employees.stream()
.sorted(Comparator.comparing(Employee::getSalary)
.thenComparing(Employee::getName))
.collect(Collectors.toList());
10. How to safely stop a thread in Java?
Answer:
Use a volatile boolean flag like isRunning and check it inside the run loop. Avoid using
deprecated stop().
11. How to handle exceptions in a multi-threaded application?
Answer:
Use Thread.setUncaughtExceptionHandler() for uncaught exceptions. For tasks via
ExecutorService, use Future.get() which throws ExecutionException.
12. How would you detect a deadlock in Java?
Answer:
Use jconsole or jstack. Programmatically detect using
ThreadMXBean.findDeadlockedThreads().
13. How do you ensure resource cleanup (e.g., file, DB connection)?
Answer:
Use try-with-resources (Java 7+), or in older code, try-finally blocks to ensure close()
is always called.
14. How to prevent method overriding in Java?
Answer:
Declare the method as final. To prevent class inheritance altogether, mark the class as
final.
15. How do you compare two JSON strings in Java for logical equality?
Answer:
Parse both JSONs to Map<String, Object> using libraries like Jackson or Gson, then
compare the maps.
16. How would you handle large file processing in Java?
Answer:
Use BufferedReader with streaming, or Java NIO (Files.lines()), process line-by-line to
avoid OOM errors.
17. How would you implement retry logic in Java?
Answer:
Use a loop with a retry counter and sleep (exponential backoff). Or use libraries like
Resilience4j or Spring Retry.
18. How do you ensure immutability in a multi-threaded environment?
Answer:
Make the object immutable (final fields), no setters, use final class. No shared mutable state =
thread-safe.
19. You need to schedule a recurring task every 10 seconds. How?
Answer:
Use ScheduledExecutorService or TimerTask. Prefer ScheduledExecutorService
for better control.
20. How would you design a producer-consumer solution?
Answer:
Use BlockingQueue (e.g., ArrayBlockingQueue) to allow thread-safe message passing.
Producer puts, consumer takes.
