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Software Engineer

How do you usually use Git day to day, from starting a piece of work to getting it merged?

TechnicalEntry levelTests: Version control & delivery
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What the interviewer is looking for

  • This question tests version control & delivery. Uses branches, small commits and pull requests fluently, understands continuous integration, and knows how to roll back or fix forward safely.
  • Strong answers: Creating a branch, small meaningful commits, keeping up to date with main, opening a pull request, responding to review, and resolving conflicts calmly.
  • Likely follow-up: How do you handle a messy merge conflict in a file someone else changed heavily?

Another way it may be asked: You're picking up a new ticket this morning. Talk me through what you do in Git until your change is in the main branch.

A structure to follow: Answer, explain, example, limits

  1. Step 1

    Answer

    Give your direct answer in the first sentence so the interviewer knows where you are going.

  2. Step 2

    Explain

    Say how it works or why you would do it that way, in plain words before jargon.

  3. Step 3

    Example

    Anchor it in something you have actually done or seen, with the detail that shows hands-on experience.

  4. Step 4

    Limits

    Say when your approach would not be the right one. It shows judgement.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

  • Reciting a definition without showing you have applied it.
  • Using terms you cannot explain if asked a level deeper.
  • Claiming experience beyond what you can discuss in detail.

How to practise it

Say the answer in 90 seconds, then answer the follow-up as if it were a new question.

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How do you usually use Git day to day, from starting a piece of work to getting it merged? | How to answer