[Oracle interview]What is the difference between error and an exception?

An error  is an irrecoverable condition occurring at runtime. Such as OutOfMemory  error. These JVM errors and you can not repair them at runtime. While  exceptions are conditions that occur because of bad input etc. e.g.  FileNotFoundException will be thrown if the specified file does not exist. Or  a NullPointerException will take place if you try using a null reference. In  most of the cases it is possible to recover from an exception (probably by  giving user a feedback for entering proper values etc.).