Member-only story

Understanding Java Exceptions and Errors: The Key to Acing Your Tech Interview

Naveen Metta
6 min readDec 25, 2024

--

credit goes to the owner: https://www.javatpoint.com/exception-vs-error-in-java
source: javatpoint.com

Have you ever found yourself in a technical interview, sweating bullets, worrying about whether your knowledge in Java is enough to score that dream job? I have. It was all going great until I was asked to explain the difference between an Exception and an Error in Java. Despite years of programming, I fumbled. Why? Because I assumed they were more or less the same. Spoiler alert: they are not. This mix-up cost me an opportunity. So let’s take a deep dive into Java's Exception and Error classes and arm you with the understanding you need so you don’t make the same mistake.

Java Basics: The Throwable Family Tree

In Java, both Exception and Error are children of the Throwable class, which means they can both be thrown and caught. However, these two have distinct roles and are used differently in applications.

The Exception Class

Most of the issues your code will bump into are exceptions. These are issues that your program can catch and deal with, like trying to read a file that doesn’t exist or parsing a string into a number when it’s not possible. Exceptions can be spotted during compile time or runtime and are meant to be handled by the programmer.

Checked Exceptions

--

--

Naveen Metta
Naveen Metta

Written by Naveen Metta

I'm a Full Stack Developer with 3+ years of experience. feel free to reach out for any help : mettanaveen701@gmail.com

No responses yet