How do you approach debugging a problem you have never seen before?
Model answer
Describe a calm, repeatable method: reproduce the problem reliably; read the error messages and logs; narrow down where it happens by testing one thing at a time (or using version history to find when it began); form a hypothesis and test it; fix the cause, not the symptom; add a test or note so it does not return. Ask a colleague when you have been stuck longer than a set time, and document what you learned.
Give a short real example: what the symptom was, how you narrowed it and what the fix was.
Tips
- Interviewers value a method more than a lucky guess.
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