How is problem solving different from critical thinking?

Critical thinking evaluates information and arguments. Problem solving uses that thinking to reach a fix. Many interviews combine them, but the scoring criteria differ.

Should I give a live problem to solve in the interview?

A short scenario can work if every candidate gets the same one. Score how they ask questions and structure their thinking, not whether they reach your exact answer.

How do I assess problem solving for a non-technical role?

Ask about everyday issues such as a customer complaint, a scheduling clash or a process that kept failing. The method is the same as for technical work.

What if the candidate's example was a team effort?

Ask which parts they did and what they decided. If the candidate cannot separate their contribution from the team's, mark the evidence as limited.

Interview questions

Interview questions to assess problem solving.

Updated 5 October 2026

Problem solving is finding the cause of an issue and choosing a fix that works. Listen for how the candidate narrowed down the cause before acting, and how they checked that the fix worked. Strong candidates describe their steps in order and say what they would do differently.

What is problem solving?

Problem solving at work is the process of defining a problem, finding its cause, choosing among options and confirming the fix. The behaviours that show it are asking questions before proposing a solution, separating symptoms from causes, testing a small change before a large one, and recording what was learned. It overlaps with critical thinking, but it focuses on getting to a working outcome.

Problem Solving interview questions

Tell me about a problem at work that had no obvious cause. How did you find it? Listen for: a step by step narrowing of possibilities, with evidence at each step.
Describe a time your first fix did not work. What did you do next? Listen for: a willingness to drop the first idea and revisit the facts.
Tell me about a recurring problem that you solved permanently. Listen for: finding the root cause instead of repeating a workaround.
Describe a problem you solved with limited information or resources. Listen for: a sensible assumption, stated openly, and a plan to check it.
A process your team follows keeps producing errors. Where do you start? Listen for: looking at where errors appear, asking those involved, and measuring before changing.
A customer reports something that you cannot reproduce. What do you do? Listen for: asking for details, checking conditions and keeping the customer informed.
You find two possible fixes, one quick and one thorough. How do you choose? Listen for: weighing risk and cost, possibly doing the quick fix now and the thorough one after.
Tell me about a time you asked for help on a problem. Listen for: knowing when to escalate and arriving with what had already been tried.

What does a strong answer look like?

Signal	Strong answer	Weak answer
Defining the problem	Stated the problem and its impact before moving to solutions.	Jumped to a fix without saying what was wrong.
Finding the cause	Listed possible causes and ruled them out with evidence.	Guessed and tried changes at random.
Checking the fix	Confirmed the problem was gone and watched for a return.	Assumed it was fixed because nothing was reported.
Learning	Records what was learned and shares it with the team.	Cannot say what they would do differently.

How do you score problem solving fairly?

Score problem solving on the method the candidate used, not on how impressive the problem was. A small problem solved with a clear method can score higher than a large problem described in vague terms.

Ask all candidates the same past-behaviour question and the same scenario question.
Write criteria for defining the problem, finding the cause and checking the fix before the interviews start.
Score each candidate against those criteria first, and compare candidates only afterwards.
Quote the step in which the candidate ruled out a cause or confirmed the fix as the evidence.

How does an AI interviewer assess problem solving?

The AI interviewer from AI Interview Agents (AIIA) speaks with each candidate in their browser and asks questions built from the job title, description and areas you choose. Problem solving can be one of those areas for technical and operational roles alike.

If an answer jumps from the problem straight to the result, the interviewer follows up on how the candidate found the cause. The interview report scores the answer with reasoning tied to what the candidate said, and your team decides who goes forward. The interview kit generator can help you draft a scenario question.