iOS (Objective-C) Assessment Test

An iOS Objective-C Assessment Test evaluates individuals on their proficiency in developing iOS applications using Objective-C, the primary programming language for iOS before Swift. Objective-C remains essential for maintaining legacy applications and integrating with existing codebases. This test assesses the candidate’s knowledge of Objective-C syntax, iOS frameworks, and app development best practices.

A iOS (Objective-C) Assessment Test evaluates candidates for:

• Proficiency in Objective-C syntax, including variable declarations, data types (e.g., int, float, NSString, NSArray, NSDictionary), control flow statements (e.g., if, switch, for, while), and Objective-C-specific features like message passing.
• Skills in class and object creation, using @interface and @implementation for class declarations, defining properties with @property, and initializing objects with init methods.
• Proficiency in object-oriented programming, implementing inheritance, method overriding, and using protocols to define interfaces. Skills in creating subclasses and applying polymorphism in Objective-C.
• Experience with memory management, using Manual Retain-Release (MRR) with retain, release, and autorelease before Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) and understanding how ARC automates memory management with strong and weak references.
• Proficiency in Foundation framework, using classes like NSString, NSArray, NSDictionary, and NSDate. Skills in manipulating strings, collections, and dates in iOS apps.
• Skills in working with UIKit, building user interfaces programmatically or using Interface Builder. Understanding how to create and manage views, labels, buttons, and other UI components.
• Proficiency in view controller lifecycle, understanding the UIViewController lifecycle methods like viewDidLoad, viewWillAppear, and viewDidDisappear. Managing view transitions and handling memory warnings.
• Experience in Auto Layout and constraints, using Auto Layout to create dynamic, responsive user interfaces. Proficiency in setting up constraints programmatically or via Interface Builder.
• Skills in delegation pattern, implementing delegate methods to handle interactions between view controllers and other objects. Understanding the role of delegates in communication within Objective-C.
• Proficiency in using Notification Center, observing and posting notifications with NSNotificationCenter for broadcasting messages across different parts of an application.
• Skills in working with Core Data, managing data persistence with Core Data, performing CRUD operations, and using NSManagedObjectContext to manage object lifecycles and persist data.
• Experience with NSUserDefaults, using NSUserDefaults for storing user preferences and small amounts of data.
• Proficiency in making network requests, using NSURLSession or NSURLConnection to connect to RESTful APIs, send HTTP requests, and handle JSON or XML responses.
• Skills in handling asynchronous tasks, using Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) or NSOperationQueue to perform background tasks and ensure that the UI remains responsive.
• Experience with multithreading, creating and managing threads to perform concurrent operations and updating the UI on the main thread after background processing.
• Proficiency in Storyboards and XIB files, designing interfaces visually and connecting UI elements to code using IBOutlet and IBAction.
• Skills in managing segues and navigation, setting up transitions between view controllers using Storyboard Segues or programmatic navigation with UINavigationController and UITabBarController.
• Experience in error handling, using NSError objects for handling errors and exceptions. Proficiency in using try-catch blocks to manage exception handling in Objective-C.
• Proficiency in unit testing, using XCTest to write unit tests for Objective-C code, ensuring application correctness, and implementing test-driven development (TDD) practices.
• Experience with debugging tools, using Xcode’s debugger, Instruments, and memory management tools to identify and resolve memory leaks, performance issues, and bugs.
• Skills in app deployment, understanding the process of packaging, signing, and distributing apps to the App Store. Managing provisioning profiles, certificates, and app versioning.

Overall, an iOS Objective-C Assessment Test evaluates candidates' abilities to develop, maintain, and optimize iOS applications using Objective-C.

It assesses both technical skills (such as memory management, object-oriented programming, and UI development) and practical expertise (such as handling asynchronous tasks, managing navigation, and working with data persistence), ensuring candidates can build robust, efficient iOS applications in Objective-C.

This evaluation is essential for identifying individuals who can work effectively with Objective-C to maintain legacy applications, build new iOS apps, and ensure seamless integration with modern iOS development practices.