Junior Python mock interview: a simple ‘split’ and some tricky questions

Sergey is teaching himself Python, working on personal projects and moving towards backend development. In the interview, we start with what might seem like simple questions: what methods are, how they differ from functions, why we need protected/private attributes, and how type annotations work.

But the main part of the interview is a breakdown of the simple split() method. It is precisely through such basic concepts that it often becomes clear whether a candidate has not only knowledge of the syntax, but also a deep understanding of the language.

This interview isn’t about ‘failing the candidate’, but about how simple questions help identify areas for growth and understand where to go next.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Start
00:44 — Getting to know the candidate
04:57 — What are methods in Python?
05:48 — Methods, functions and classes
12:57 — How to find out an object’s attributes and methods
17:43 — Functions vs methods: what’s the real difference?
26:22 — Protected and private in Python
32:26 — Type annotations
36:37 — Practical exercise: breaking down split()
50:33 — The candidate’s self-assessment
52:27 — Feedback on the interview