Break and continue in PowerShell - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this PowerShell script using break?

Consider the following script. What will it output?

PowerShell

for ($i = 1; $i -le 5; $i++) {
  if ($i -eq 3) { break }
  Write-Output $i
}

A

1
2
3
4
5

B

3
4
5

C

1
2

D

1
2
3

💡 Hint

Remember, 'break' stops the entire loop immediately.

The loop counts from 1 to 5. When $i equals 3, 'break' stops the loop, so only 1 and 2 are output.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What does this PowerShell script print using continue?

Look at this script. What will it print?

PowerShell

for ($i = 1; $i -le 5; $i++) {
  if ($i -eq 3) { continue }
  Write-Output $i
}

A

1
2
4
5

B

1
2
3
4
5

C 3

D

1
2
3
4

💡 Hint

'continue' skips the current loop iteration but keeps looping.

When $i is 3, 'continue' skips the Write-Output line, so 3 is not printed. All other numbers print.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this PowerShell script output only 1?

This script is supposed to print numbers 1 to 5 but only prints 1. Why?

PowerShell

for ($i = 1; $i -le 5; $i++) {
  if ($i -eq 2) { break }
  Write-Output $i
  continue
}

A Because 'continue' after Write-Output skips printing 2.

B Because 'break' stops the loop when $i is 2, so only 1 prints.

C Because the loop condition is wrong and stops early.

D Because Write-Output is inside the if block and only runs once.

💡 Hint

'break' stops the loop completely when condition is met.

When $i equals 2, 'break' stops the loop, so only the first iteration prints 1.

💻 Command Output

advanced

What is the output of this nested loop with break and continue?

Analyze this script and choose the correct output.

PowerShell

for ($i = 1; $i -le 3; $i++) {
  for ($j = 1; $j -le 3; $j++) {
    if ($j -eq 2) { continue }
    if ($i -eq 2) { break }
    Write-Output "$i,$j"
  }
}

A

1,1
1,2
1,3
3,1
3,3

B

1,1
1,3
2,1
2,3
3,1
3,3

C

1,1
1,3
2,1
3,1
3,3

D

1,1
1,3
3,1
3,3

💡 Hint

'continue' skips inner loop iteration; 'break' stops inner loop when $i=2.

For $i=1, inner loop skips $j=2 and prints 1,1 and 1,3. For $i=2, inner loop breaks immediately, so no output. For $i=3, same as $i=1.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

Which statement about break and continue in PowerShell is TRUE?

Choose the correct statement about how 'break' and 'continue' work in PowerShell loops.

A 'break' exits the entire loop immediately; 'continue' skips to the next iteration of the loop.

B 'break' can only be used in switch statements; 'continue' only in loops.

C 'break' and 'continue' both skip the current iteration but differ in syntax.

D 'break' exits only the current iteration; 'continue' exits the entire loop.

💡 Hint

Think about what happens when you want to stop looping versus skipping one step.

'break' stops the whole loop immediately. 'continue' skips the rest of the current loop step and moves to the next.