C# interview question

[Bunk]

It's at this point in the interview I'd be thanking you for your time, smiling whilst gesturing towards the door, and letting you know that we'd be in touch in a day or two to let you know the outcome. I'd be hoping that the next candidate in would be more able to focus on getting results with C# than on philosophy and nit-picking semantics.

NF would be interviewing you.

[NickFitz]

It's at this point in the interview I'd be thanking you for your time, smiling whilst gesturing towards the door, and letting you know that we'd be in touch in a day or two to let you know the outcome. I'd be hoping that the next candidate in would be more able to focus on getting results with C# than on philosophy and nit-picking semantics.

Serves you right for interviewing someone whose CV clearly lists a degree in Philosophy

[Gentile]

NF would be interviewing you.

I wouldn't have thought so. Most people that interview me aren't coders themselves, but are people with problems they want me to help them solve.

Nice digression, though; tell me, do you know what 500<<4 evaluates to?

[Gentile]

Serves you right for interviewing someone whose CV clearly lists a degree in Philosophy

Never mind, you seem to be OK now. Plus that farm surrounding the business centre your present ClientCo is based in looks gorgeous.

[Spacecadet]

Power of two, surely? 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256…



Is there an equivalent of Godwin's Law stating that all discussions of programming end up using a motor car analogy?

I agree!

http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...ml#post1565538

[Willapp]

No, the whole point of interviews in the real world is to determine whether the person you're interviewing can produce meaningful solutions within reasonable timescale and budgetary constraints. I think you might be thinking of the differing goals of schools and universities if you conversely believe the point is to merely assess knowledge for the sake if it.

I wasn't talking about interviews though, this is about answering a question in a test and either getting that question wrong or right, no? I'm confused what you would do if faced with that question yourself (or hypothetically what a candidate should do), surely you can't refuse to answer it on the grounds that "using the bitshift operator doesn't produce meaningful solutions"?

Don't get me wrong, I am not disputing that for 95% of C# programmers there is no real-world scenario where you would legitimately use it, and anyone who does use it out of context should certainly be admonished for doing so, but there are those 5% of cases where it does have a purpose and regardless of that, knowing the answer to a question in a test is getting you 1% closer to securing the contract.

[Gentile]

I wasn't talking about interviews though, this is about answering a question in a test and either getting that question wrong or right, no? I'm confused what you would do if faced with that question yourself (or hypothetically what a candidate should do), surely you can't refuse to answer it on the grounds that "using the bitshift operator doesn't produce meaningful solutions"?

Don't get me wrong, I am not disputing that for 95% of C# programmers there is no real-world scenario where you would legitimately use it, and anyone who does use it out of context should certainly be admonished for doing so, but there are those 5% of cases where it does have a purpose and regardless of that, knowing the answer to a question in a test is getting you 1% closer to securing the contract.

Well, this thread is about C# interview questions. If I were asked it in an interview and I didn't know the answer, I'd say "I don't know".

[Willapp]

Well, this thread is about C# interview questions. If I were asked it in an interview and I didn't know the answer, I'd say "I don't know".

But you do know, clearly!

I wasn't trying to start an argument, just the OP seemed to be frustrated that such a question came up in a C# test and the ensuing debate I thought was around whether this is a legitimate question to ask - I would say it is, even if it's not necessarily a good question because of its limited application in a commercial setting.

[louie]

But you do know, clearly!

I wasn't trying to start an argument, just the OP seemed to be frustrated that such a question came up in a C# test and the ensuing debate I thought was around whether this is a legitimate question to ask - I would say it is, even if it's not necessarily a good question because of its limited application in a commercial setting.

Bottom line, the guy who could answer it is invoicing that client, whereas the OP is whinging on here.

[louie]

Please don't tell me they use C# or C++ in bombs.

It'll be like "Dark Star" all over again.

Apparently C++ was used in one of the Mars Rovers.