GDB Debugging Practice Exam
GDB Debugging Practice Exam
About GDB Debugging Exam
The GDB Debugging Practice Exam is designed to test your knowledge of how to find and fix errors in C and C++ programs using the GNU Debugger (GDB). It checks your understanding of breakpoints, step-by-step execution, memory inspection, and backtrace analysis. This exam is useful for students, developers, and professionals working with low-level or system programming.
Who should take the Exam?
This exam is suitable for:
- Students learning C or C++ programming
- Developers working on Linux or system-level projects
- Beginners struggling with runtime errors or bugs
- Professionals preparing for technical interviews or coding assessments
- Trainers teaching programming or debugging techniques
Skills Required
- Basic knowledge of C or C++ programming
- Familiarity with compiling and running code from the terminal
- Understanding of variables, functions, and memory in C/C++
- Interest in fixing program errors and crashes
- Willingness to work with command-line tools
Knowledge Gained
- Confidence in using GDB to debug C/C++ programs
- Understanding how to set breakpoints and trace program flow
- Skills to detect segmentation faults and memory issues
- Knowledge of common bugs and debugging strategies
- Experience in reading error logs and debugging output
Course Outline
The GDB Debugging Practice Exam covers the following topics:
Domain 1 – Introduction to GDB
- What is GDB and how it helps in debugging
- Installing and starting GDB
- Compiling programs with debug symbols (-g flag)
Domain 2 – Running Programs in GDB
- Starting a program in GDB
- Passing command-line arguments to programs
- Running, restarting, and stopping execution
Domain 3 – Breakpoints and Watchpoints
- Setting and removing breakpoints
- Conditional breakpoints
- Watching variables and memory changes
Domain 4 – Stepping Through Code
- Using next, step, continue, and finish
- Controlling program flow line-by-line
- Understanding call stacks and function calls
Domain 5 – Inspecting Values and Memory
- Printing variable values with print and display
- Checking pointer values and arrays
- Examining memory locations and registers
Domain 6 – Backtracing and Error Diagnosis
- Using backtrace to find the source of a crash
- Reading segmentation fault locations
- Tracking bugs in nested function calls
Domain 7 – Debugging Segmentation Faults
- Identifying and fixing invalid memory access
- Checking for buffer overflows and null pointer issues
- Working with core dumps
Domain 8 – Advanced Usage and Scripting
- Using GDB commands in scripts
- Customizing GDB sessions
- Logging and saving debugging sessions
