Episode 27

Preparing for an Interview With Python Practice Problems

September 18, 202047m 10s

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Show Notes

What is an effective way to prepare for a Python interview? Would you like a set of problems that increase in difficulty to practice and hone your Python skills? This week on the show, we have Jim Anderson to talk about his new Real Python article, “Python Practice Problems: Get Ready for Your Next Interview.” This article provides several problems, which include skeleton code, unit tests, and solutions for you to compare your work. David Amos also joins us this week, and he has brought another batch of PyCoder’s Weekly articles and projects from the Python community. We cover these topics: Structural Pattern Matching, Common Python Data Structures, A Tax Attorney Uses Python, Discover the Role of Python in Space Exploration, and Five Pairs of Magic Methods in Python That You Should Know. <div class="alert alert-primary" role="alert"> Course Spotlight: <a href="https://realpython.com/courses/python-stack/">How to Implement a Python Stack</a> In this course, you’ll learn how to implement a Python stack. You’ll see how to recognize when a stack is a good choice for data structures, how to decide which implementation is best for a program, and what extra considerations to make about stacks in a threading or multiprocessing environment. </div> Topics: <ul> <li>00:00:00 – Introduction</li> <li>00:01:37 – Python Practice Problems</li> <li>00:08:19 – Structural Pattern Matching</li> <li>00:14:16 – Common Python Data Structures</li> <li>00:17:49 – Video Course Spotlight</li> <li>00:18:42 – A Tax Attorney Uses Python</li> <li>00:23:36 – Discover the Role of Python in Space Exploration</li> <li>00:26:33 – Thanks for the Reviews!</li> <li>00:27:28 – 5 Pairs of Magic Methods in Python That You Should Know</li> <li>00:36:56 – python-adventure: Original Colossal Caves Adventure Game</li> <li>00:41:06 – clifford: Geometric Algebra for Python</li> <li>00:43:45 – pippi: Computer Music With Python</li> <li>00:46:24 – Thanks and Goodbye</li> </ul> Show Links: <a href="https://realpython.com/python-practice-problems/">Python Practice Problems: Get Ready for Your Next Interview</a> – Are you a Python developer brushing up on your skills before an interview? If so, then this tutorial will usher you through a series of Python practice problems meant to simulate common coding test scenarios. <a href="https://lwn.net/SubscriberLink/828486/7a095406396208ef/">“Structural Pattern Matching”; for Python, Part 2</a> – The saga of PEP 622 continues with updates to the proposed structure of the <code>match</code> statement—which has some similarities to a <code>switch</code> statement—and a discussion on the best way to document objections to a PEP. <a href="https://realpython.com/python-data-structures/">Common Python Data Structures (Guide)</a> – In this tutorial, you’ll learn about Python’s data structures. You’ll look at several implementations of abstract data types and learn which implementations are best for your specific use cases. <a href="https://intltax.typepad.com/intltax_blog/2020/09/a-tax-attorney-uses-python.html">A Tax Attorney Uses Python</a> – See how one tax attorney uses Python to automate grueling and repetitive tasks and improve his business. While the article is non-technical, it’s always fun to see how Python is used in diverse fields. <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/introduction-python-space-exploration-nasa/">Discover the Role of Python in Space Exploration</a> – In this learning path from Microsoft, you’ll get an introduction to Python, and be inspired to learn, discover, and create using Python-based data science and machine learning to help generate knowledge about the world beyond Earth. <a href="https://medium.com/better-programming/5-pairs-of-magic-methods-in-python-you-should-know-f98f0e5356d6">5 Pairs of Magic Methods in Python That You Should Know</a> – Magic, or “dunder,” methods are an important part of creating custom classes in Python. Learn about some commonly used magic methods by exploring hem in pairs that are frequently used together. <a href="https://github.com/brandon-rhodes/python-adventure">python-adventure: Original Colossal Caves Adventure Game, but in Python 3</a> <a href="https://github.com/pygae/clifford">clifford: Geometric Algebra for Python</a> <a href="https://github.com/luvsound/pippi">pippi: Computer Music With Python</a> Additional Links: <ul> <li><a href="https://realpython.com/courses/python-coding-interviews-tips-best-practices/">Python Coding Interviews: Tips & Best Practices: Real Python Course</a></li> <li><a href="https://python-patterns.guide/gang-of-four/singleton/">The Singleton Pattern: A “Creational Pattern” from the Gang of Four book</a></li> <li><a href="https://realpython.com/python-heapq-module/">The Python heapq Module: Using Heaps and Priority Queues: Real Python Article</a></li> <li><a href="https://realpython.com/how-to-implement-python-stack/">How to Implement a Python Stack: Real Python Article</a></li> <li><a href="https://realpython.com/queue-in-python/">Python Stacks, Queues, and Priority Queues in Practice: Real Python Article</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/codespell-project/codespell">codespell: Fix common misspellings in text files.</a></li> </ul> Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses: <ul> <li><a href="https://realpython.com/courses/intro-object-oriented-programming-oop-python/">A Conceptual Primer on OOP in Python</a></li> <li><a href="https://realpython.com/courses/python-stack/">Implementing a Stack in Python</a></li> <li><a href="https://realpython.com/courses/working-linked-lists-python/">Working With Linked Lists in Python</a></li> </ul> <a rel="payment" href="https://realpython.com/join">Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas</a>

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