Low power: interview prep

Interview questions

Key points for each answer are in the app's question bank.

1. Compare sleep, stop and standby modes on a typical MCU.Basic
2. How do you choose wake-up sources for a battery device?Intermediate
3. A device draws 10× the expected sleep current. How do you find out why?Intermediate
4. A device draws 5 mA for 50 ms every second and 5 µA otherwise. Estimate battery life on 220 mAh.Basic
5. Why gate peripheral clocks you're not using?Basic
6. What is DVFS and when is it worth using?Intermediate
7. What is a brown-out, and how should firmware handle it?Intermediate
8. Design a sensor node that reports every 10 minutes for years.Intermediate
9. Race-to-sleep versus running slowly: which saves more energy?Intermediate
10. How do you measure current accurately on a low-power device?Basic

Hands-on challenges

Design rounds

Companies that emphasise it