Software Engineer interview questions and scorecard
US context, federal rules as of 30 Oct 2026.
Use these 12 questions to interview a software engineer the same way every time. Ask all candidates the same questions, score each answer from 1 to 4 against the notes below, and decide on the total, not on first impressions. Pick 8 to 10 questions per interview.
At a glance
- Match the questions to your software engineer job description: one question per must-have.
- Score each criterion right after the interview, before you talk to other interviewers.
- Follow up with "What did you personally do?" to separate individual work from the team's.
Questions
| # | Question | A good answer shows | Red flags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Describe the hardest bug you debugged. How did you find the cause? | Reproduces, narrows, tests hypotheses, adds a test to prevent recurrence | Guesses, or "I restarted it" |
| 2 | Walk me through a feature you built from request to release. What was your part? | Clear scope, own decisions, measured result | Only "we", no specifics |
| 3 | Tell me about an estimate that was wrong. What happened? | Honest cause, early communication, changed method | Blames others or hides it |
| 4 | What do you check when you review a pull request? | Correctness, tests, readability, risk, tone | Only style nitpicks |
| 5 | How do you decide what to test? | Tests behavior and edge cases; weighs cost and risk | "Everything" or "nothing" |
| 6 | Describe a design choice you regret. | Names the trade-off and what they learned | Claims no regrets |
| 7 | Design a simple URL shortener. Where does it break first? | Asks about scale and requirements, sketches storage and lookup, finds bottlenecks | Jumps to tools with no requirements |
| 8 | A production service is slow after a release. What do you do first? | Checks recent changes, metrics and logs; rolls back if needed; communicates | Starts rewriting code |
| 9 | How would you handle a database schema change with no downtime? | Stepwise migrations, backward compatibility, rollback plan | Single risky change |
| 10 | Explain a database index to a non-engineer. | Accurate, plain, uses an analogy | Jargon only |
| 11 | Tell me about a disagreement on a technical approach. | Listened, used evidence, committed to the decision | Won or lost by seniority |
| 12 | What have you taught yourself in the last year, and how did you use it? | Specific skill, applied at work | Only course lists |
Scorecard (1 to 4)
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Weak: no relevant example, or a red flag |
| 2 | Partial: general or hypothetical answer, little evidence |
| 3 | Good: a real, specific example that meets the standard |
| 4 | Strong: specific, repeated evidence and clear reasoning |
| Criterion | Questions | What a 4 looks like | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem solving | 1, 2, 3 | Breaks the problem down, tests hypotheses, confirms the fix | |
| Code quality and review | 4, 5, 6 | Names concrete practices: tests, small changes, kind and specific review | |
| System thinking | 7, 8, 9 | Clarifies requirements, weighs trade-offs, names failure modes | |
| Communication | 10, 11 | Explains a technical idea simply and accurately | |
| Ownership and learning | 12 | Owns results and names what changed afterward | |
| Total | / 20 |
Suggested rule: shortlist candidates whose average is 3 or higher with no criterion at 1. Change the rule before the first interview, not after.
Run it as a video interview on LiveRec
Open the candidate and choose Schedule interview, then choose Video and pick LiveRec video, which needs no link. After the call, open the interview and choose Submit feedback to give star ratings for Technical skills, Communication skills and Culture fit, a Decision and your comments; paste your scorecard result into the comments. Recorded LiveRec video interviews are deleted 90 days after the interview as standard, so tell candidates before you record. See Schedule an interview, private notes and feedback and recordings.
Fair interviewing
Ask only job-related questions, the same ones of every candidate. Keep questions about age, family plans, religion, disability or national origin out of the interview. See illegal interview questions.
Next step
Copy the scorecard into your interview scorecard template, then schedule the first interviews. For the method, read the structured interview guide.
Sources
- US OPM, Structured Interviews: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/structured-interviews/
- EEOC, Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices: https://www.eeoc.gov/prohibited-employment-policies-practices
- Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, 29 CFR Part 1607: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1607
This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change and your situation may differ. Consult a licensed attorney or qualified adviser.