What is the difference between throw and throws in Java?
Why Interviewers Ask This
Interviewers use this question to quickly assess whether a candidate has the foundational knowledge required for Java development. It reveals whether you understand the building blocks that more complex concepts rely on.
Answer
throw is a statement used inside a method body to explicitly throw an exception object: throw new IllegalArgumentException("Value must be positive");. It transfers control to the nearest matching catch block or propagates up the call stack. throws is a declaration in the method signature that declares what checked exceptions the method might throw, warning callers that they need to handle them: public void readFile() throws IOException. A method can declare multiple exceptions with throws. Think of it this way: throw is the action of throwing, throws is the warning on the label.
Pro Tip
Back up your answer with a specific project or situation. Saying 'In my last Java project, I used this when...' immediately makes your answer more credible and memorable.
Previous
What is the difference between checked and unchecked exceptions?
Next
What is an array in Java?