4/12/25, 9:23 PM Top 30 Embedded Systems Interview Questions Updated (2024) - Naukri Code 360

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Embedded Systems Interview Questions

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Introduction
An embedded system combines hardware and software for specific tasks on a computer. It is
widely used across industries and is poised for significant growth, driven by investments in
artificial intelligence and computing.

So, here we have prepared a bunch of top embedded interview questions in this article that covers
the the most asked embedded systems interview questions. So let's get started with the
embedded interview questions and answers.

30 Commonly Asked Embedded

Interview Questions With Answers
In this section, we will cover the most commonly asked Embedded Interview Questions and
answers we can study to be better equipped to face our interview.

1. What is embedded system?

Explanat ion: An embedded system combines computer software and hardware designed to
perform a specific function. Embedded systems can also function within a more extensive system
or machine. They can be programmable or have a fixed functionality. Some examples of an

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embedded system are Industrial machines, consumer electronics, agricultural and processing
industry devices, automobiles, mobile devices, etc.

2. Mention the essential components of the embedded system?

Explanat ion: An embedded system has the following essential components for working of
its hardware:

Power Supply: The power supply is the essential part of an embedded system circuit.
Processor: A processor is the main brain inside an embedded systems=.
Memory: Memory is used to store data and instructions in an embedded system.
T imers: These are the counters.
Communicat ion Ports.
Input and Out put .
Applicat ion-Specific Circuits.

Embedded syst em soft ware: Softwares in an embedded system are a set of codes written to
carry out various/specific functions. Most embedded system software runs on micro-controllers. It
checks on the availability of System Memory and Processor Speed.

Real-T ime Operat ing Syst em (OS): It runs a process as scheduled and performs switching from
one process to another as and when required.

3. What is a real-time embedded system?

Explanat ion: Computer systems that monitor, respond to, or control an external environment are
called real-time embedded systems. Actuators, sensors, and input-output interfaces connect this
environment to the computer system.

4. What are microcontrollers?

Explanat ion: In an embedded system, a microcontroller is a small integrated circuit that governs a
specific operation. On a single chip, a microcontroller contains a CPU, memory, and input/output
(I/O) peripherals. A microcontroller is a self-sufficient system that may be used as an embedded
system.

You can also read 8051 Microcontroller Pin Diagram here.

5. What are the differences between a microcontroller and a

microprocessor?
Explanat ion: Here are the differences between Microprocessor and Microcontroller.

Microprocessor Microcont roller

Microprocessors are the heart of any Microcontrollers are the heart of any
Computer system. embedded system.

It is just a processor, so I/O and memory Microcontrollers have a processor along with
components are connected externally. I/O and internal memory components.

I/O and memory are connected externally, so I/O and memory are present, and the internal
the internal circuit becomes complex. circuit is small.

We can’t use it in compact systems We can use it in compact systems.

The cost for the entire system is high The cost for the entire system is low

Total power consumption is high. Total power consumption is less.

6. What is the DMA address? And what does it deal with?

Explanat ion: Direct memory access (DMA) is speeding up memory operations by allowing an
input/output (I/O) device to send or receive data directly to or from the main memory, bypassing
the CPU.

DMA addresses deal with physical addresses. During data transfer, it is a device that directly drives
the data and address bus. As a result, it's only a physical address.

7. What is interrupt latency? How to reduce it?

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Explanat ion: The period between when an interrupt/process is triggered and when the interrupt
handler begins to execute is known as interrupt latency. This is hardware-dependent and cannot
be improved in software for a single isolated interrupt.

However, If a lower priority interrupt is triggered while a higher priority interrupts handler is active,
the lower priority one will start later, increasing the interrupt latency. In this scenario, reducing
interrupt handler execution time reduces the interrupt latency for equal or lower priority
interruptions.

8. What are the buses used for communication in an embedded system?

Explanat ion: The buses used for communication in embedded systems include

I2C (Int er-Int egrat ed Circuit ) is used to communicate between numerous integrated circuits
(ICs).
CAN (Cont roller Area Net work) is a network protocol that's utilized in cars with a centrally
controlled network.
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a standard for communicating between a computer's processor
and peripheral devices such as a mouse.

9. Explain the need for an infinite loop in an embedded system?

Explanat ion: For repeated processing or monitoring of the program's state, embedded systems
require endless loops. Consider the example of a program that is constantly checked for any
unusual mistakes that may occur during runtime, such as memory outage or dividing by zero, etc.

10. What is a semaphore?

Explanat ion: In a concurrent system, such as a multiprogramming operating system, a semaphore
is an abstract data type or variable used to regulate access to a shared resource by many
processes. Semaphores are used for two main purposes.

To be able to share a common recollection

To grant others access to files

11. What are some applications of an embedded system?

Explanat ion: The following are the applications of embedded systems:

Using a speed-checker device, detect reckless driving on highways and alert traffic officials.
Control street lights and detect vehicle movement on highways.
A density-based traffic signal system regulates signal timing at intersections based on traffic
density.
Using a GPS modem, determine the exact location of a car.
For a home automation system with a remote control based on an Android application.

12. What is a real-time embedded system?

Explanat ion: A real-time embedded system is a computer system that monitors, responds to, or
controls external environments.

13. What are t he uses of a t imer?

Explanat ion: The various uses of timers in embedded systems are as follows:

It is the RTC (Real-Time Clock) for the system

It initiates an event after a provided time delay.
It captures the count value of an event.
It finds the time interval between any two events.
It reduces the time spent on various processes/tasks.
It schedules tasks in RTOS

14. What is a Watchdog timer?

Explanat ion: A watchdog timer is an electronic device dedicated to a specific operation after a
specified time if anything goes wrong with the system.

15. What are some common errors in an Embedded system?

Explanat ion: Some of the common errors encountered in an embedded system are as follows:

Data lines malfunctioning.

Some memory locations become inaccessible.
Address line malfunctioning due to a short in the circuit.
Damage to memory devices.
Wrong control signals.

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16. State the differences between a mutex and a semaphore?

Explanat ion: The differences between a mutex and a semaphore are listed below in the table:

MUT EXES SEMAPHORES

It is only released by the acquired thread. It can be signalled by another thread or process.

Mutexes have a known owner. The thread owner is not known.

It provides a deadlock-free mutual It is a synchronization tool that can overcome

exclusion. that critical section problem.

They are binary semaphores. Their states Semaphores are counter locks.
are locked or unlocked.

17. What is a recursive function?

Explanat ion: The technique of repeating objects in a self-similar manner is known as recursion. A
recursive call of the function occurs when a program permits you to call a function inside another
function.

18. What are memory leaks?

Explanat ion: A memory leak is a resource leak that occurs when a computer software poorly
controls memory allocations, preventing memory from being freed that is no longer needed. When
an item is saved in memory but cannot be accessible by the running code, this is known as a
memory leak.

19. What is the automotive embedded system?

Explanat ion: An automotive embedded system is a computer system that can act as a control
system for electronic devices that affects the mechanism of the automobile or its data.

20. What is an embedded C?

Explanat ion: Embedded C is an extended version of the C programming language. We can use it
to develop applications based on micro-controllers like device drivers (WIFI device drivers, Camera
device drivers, etc.)

21. What causes segmentation fault error in embedded C?

Explanat ion: A segmentation fault error in embedded C is a runtime issue that can occur for a
variety of reasons.

It's possible that a pointer doesn't have a proper address or memory location to point to.
If the user tries to access a memory location that is read-only.
If the user tries to release a memory that has already been freed (through a pointer).

22. Why do we use a ‘volatile’ keyword in embedded C?

Explanat ion: The volatile keyword prevents the compiler from doing any optimizations on objects
that can change in ways that the compiler cannot predict. Objects marked as volatile are not
optimized because their values can be modified at any time by code outside the scope of the
present function.

23. What are Soft and Hard real-time systems?

Explanat ion: A hard-real-time system is one in which missing even a single deadline can result in
total or catastrophic system failure.

A soft real-time system is one in which one or more failures to reach the deadline are not seen as
complete system failures, but rather as decreased performance.

24. What are the various levels of testing in an embedded system?

Explanat ion: We have four levels of testing in an embedded system:

Unit testing.
Integration testing.

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System testing.
User acceptance testing.

25. What are the phases of the Software Development Life Cycle?
Explanat ion: The software development life cycle is divided into five stages:

Cust omer Requirement : During this phase, the customer fills out a requirement form in which
they write down exactly what they require from the product.
Analysis: The requirements are transformed into documents in this phase, which include all of
the functional requirement specifications.
Design: During this phase, the product's design is finalised. The requirements are translated
into a design for architecture. The following items are included in this phase:
a.) Design Documentation at the Lowest Level (LLD)
b.) Design Documentation at a High Level (HLD)
Coding: The requirements are transformed into a coded form during this phase.
Test ing: During this phase, the software under development is put to the test to ensure that it
is of high quality. There are two forms of this:
a.) Testing in a static environment
b.) Testing in a dynamic environment
Maint enance: During this phase, the product's maintenance is carried out.

26. What is software quality assurance?

Explanat ion: Software testing and quality assurance refer to the software development process:

Improving and monitoring the process

Ensuring that procedures and standards are followed
Ensuring that the problems are found and corrected or rectified. Your
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27. What is equivalence partitioning?
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29. In embedded systems, how does a combination of functions minimise Vie
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memory requirements?
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Explanat ion: The amount of code that needs to be dealt with is decreased, which reduces
in the need for an in… overhead, and redundancy is removed if the functions have anything in common.
hat is a semaphore?
Another feature that is optimised is memory allocation, and it makes sense to group a set of
hat are some applic… functions that are related in some way as a single unit rather than having them distributed across
the programme.
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hat is a Watchdog ti…

30. How does using a local variable's address lead to less-than-optimal
hat are some comm… code?
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Explanat ion: Register allocation is the compiler's most effective optimization. That is, it uses the
hat is a recursive fun… register to manipulate the variable before using a memory.
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hat are memory leaks? register, though, if we take its address.
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With this, we come to an end for the top embedded interview questions and answers.
hat is an embedded …
Also see, Html interview questions
hat causes segment…

hy do we use a ‘vola…

hat are Soft and Har… Frequently Asked Questions

hat are the various le…

hat are the phases o… How do I prepare for an embedded interview?

hat is software quali… You can prepare for an embedded interview by focusing on microcontroller programming, real-time
hat is equivalence p…
systems, and embedded C. Understand hardware-software interaction and practice problem-

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