The C++ Interview Companion - Volume 1

The C++ Interview Companion, Volume 1 covers the object-oriented core of modern C++, the material that comes up first in nearly every C++ interview. It works through 55 chapters of real interview questions, and every answer ships with complete, runnable code you can build with a single command using g++ and -std=c++23. No fragments, no pseudo-code, no hand-waving.

You'll learn how objects actually behave: construction and destruction, copies and moves and the Rule of Five, value categories, polymorphism and virtual functions, inheritance done properly, and the real difference between is-a and has-a. You'll go under the hood into object lifetime, memory layout, struct padding, alignment, and bit manipulation. You'll master smart pointers from first principles, unique_ptr, shared_ptr, weak_ptr, and when each one is the right tool. And you'll work through templates, concepts, SOLID principles, design patterns, code smells, and refactoring, the topics that separate a junior answer from a senior one.

Every chapter follows the same rhythm. A plain-language short answer first, then a runnable program, then a "Somebody's Gotta Ask" exchange that handles the follow-up a sharp interviewer would actually throw at you, and a "Points to Remember" summary you can review the night before. The tone stays conversational, so you walk away with the reasoning, not just the fact.

This book is for C++ developers preparing for technical interviews, engineers returning to the language after time away, and anyone who wants to understand modern C++ well enough to explain it out loud.

All examples target modern C++ through C++23, compiled and verified, so what you read is what runs.

Prepare with it. Interview with it.