> "There are four things I would...", and I'm thinking "Damn! You already thought through the entire response in enough detail to count the bullet points!" As

> "There are four things I would...", and I'm thinking "Damn! You already thought through the entire response in enough detail to count the bullet points!" As someone in a similar role – it's all cheating. They've seen a version of your problem so many times it doesn't feel new to them. While you were talking, the architect was walking down a decision tree of possible problem patterns. Every new clue you provided eliminated part of the tree until the only thing that was left were 4 options that you can eliminate or confirm by asking followup questions or doing followup investigation. Once identified, you use the off-the-shelf solution in your brain. Slightly tweaked for the current problem. That's what people buy when they hire for experience.