Yep. Professors are not only able to get an answer, but able to define the problem. It varies by region and domain for when that is meant to be true, so you nee

Yep. Professors are not only able to get an answer, but able to define the problem. It varies by region and domain for when that is meant to be true, so you need to understand the system a bit better. Ex: US CS PhDs from the Top 30 are generally like this and a quick CV scan and conv can help verify they achieved that. Conversely, many EU CS PhD stage programs are shorter and for more prepackaged concepts, so the same level of experience does happen.. but later. Ex: US bio fields often are 'one big paper' for a PhD, so you can be assured of grit and uncertainty tolerance. But for the same reason, you don't know independence until the post doc.