advanced · testing

Three Times Faster, Apparently

A teammate says their change makes a function 3× faster and wants to ship it. What do you ask?

Practical scenario

A pull request description reads "optimised the serializer — 3× faster (benchmark included)". The benchmark is a loop over the same 200-byte payload, run once per version, on a laptop.

What it tests

  • Benchmark hygiene as a checklist
  • Whether the candidate connects the micro result to system impact
  • Ability to challenge a claim without being obstructive

Lessons behind this question