AMA Interview
AMA Interview
Top Data Scientist Interview Questions
Practice this list of Data Scientist interview questions and answers verified by hiring managers and candidates.
What is the difference between left join and right join?
Easy
Jun 22,2024
SQL
Amazon
Amazon
What the interviewer is looking for: • The interviewer wants to assess problem-solving skills. • They are evaluating the candidate's ability to write efficient queries. • The focus is on understanding average calculations in a database context. Key points to address: • Include the SQL functions needed to compute averages. • Explain how to group responses by user for accurate results.
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Explain the difference between correlation and causation.
Easy
Aug 4, 2024
Statistical Analysis
Microsoft
Microsoft
What the interviewer is looking for: • Understanding the difference between correlation and causation. • Ability to apply this knowledge in real-world scenarios. • Critical thinking skills in evaluating data relationships. Key points to address: • Define correlation and causation clearly in your response. • Provide an example illustrating the difference between the two concepts.
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What are the differences between Bag of Words and Word Vectors in NLP?
Medium
Nov 20, 2024
Machine Learning
Natural Language Processing
C3 AI
C3 AI
What the interviewer is looking for: • Understands AI's role in interview preparation. • Can articulate product value proposition. • Able to design a user-friendly interface. Key points to address: • Discuss the AI's functionality in your product. • Highlight the unique selling points.
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Explain the concept of a loss function and feature engineering.
Easy
Oct 15, 2024
Concept
Microsoft
Microsoft
What the interviewer is looking for: • Understanding of how loss functions guide model training. • Knowledge of feature engineering's impact on model performance. • Ability to articulate the relationship between loss and feature selection. Key points to address: • Explain common loss functions like MSE and cross-entropy. • Discuss techniques for effective feature selection and transformation.
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What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Easy
Dec 15, 2024
Behavioral Question
Microsoft
Microsoft
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assessing self-awareness and honesty in candidates. • Understanding how candidates handle challenges. • Evaluating the ability to improve and grow. Key points to address: • Mention specific strengths relevant to the job. • Discuss weaknesses and how you are addressing them.
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How would you approach analyzing a dataset with millions of rows?
Medium
Aug 3, 2024
Data Analysis Technique
Microsoft
Microsoft
What the interviewer is looking for: • Ability to handle large datasets effectively. • Understanding of analytical methods and tools. • Problem-solving skills in data analysis scenarios. Key points to address: • Discuss techniques for data sampling or partitioning. • Mention tools or frameworks suitable for large-scale analysis.
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Can you briefly describe your experience with managing projects?
Medium
Aug 2, 2024
Behavioral
Amazon
Amazon
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assessing your project management skills and experience. • Understanding your approach to leading a team and meeting deadlines. • Evaluating your ability to handle challenges and adapt to changes. Key points to address: • Include specific projects you have managed and their outcomes. • Highlight your leadership style and how you motivate team members.
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How would you handle outliers in a dataset?
Medium
Aug 22, 2024
Statistical Analysis
Microsoft
Microsoft
What the interviewer is looking for: • Understanding of outlier impact on analysis results. • Knowledge of methods to identify and treat outliers. • Ability to justify the chosen approach to stakeholders. Key points to address: • Discuss techniques like Z-score or IQR for identifying outliers. • Explain how to decide whether to remove or adjust outliers.
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Explain the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, providing examples of each.
Medium
Nov 2, 2024
Data Analysis
Statistical Methods
Microsoft
Microsoft
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assess the candidate's problem-solving skills. • Evaluate the understanding and familiarity with AI technology. • Judging the creativity and innovation within candidate's idea. Key points to address: • Explain how AI will be incorporated in your product. • Discuss the unique selling point of your product.
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Describe the concepts of Type I and Type II errors in hypothesis testing, along with their implications in decision-making.
Hard
Nov 2, 2024
Decision Theory
Statistics
Microsoft
Microsoft
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assesses the candidate's problem-solving skills. • Understands the candidate's experience with AI technologies. • Gauges the candidate's communication and presentation skills. Key points to address: • Outline your related experiences with AI in a concise manner. • Demonstrate your problem-solving abilities using specific examples.
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Why do you want to work at OpenAI?
Easy
Oct,2024
Artificial Intelligence
Teamwork and Collaboration
OpenAI
OpenAI
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assess understanding of AI technology. • Gauge problem solving abilities. • Evaluate communication and explanation skills. Key points to address: • Demonstrate knowledge of AI. • Explain how you'll handle potential challenges.
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What are SQL window functions and when to use RANGE BETWEEN?
Medium
Jan 12, 2025
Data Analysis
Database Management
Waymo
Waymo
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assessment of candidate's problem-solving skills. • Understanding of AI and its application in real-world scenarios. • Creativity in designing AI-based solutions. Key points to address: • Provide a clear explanation of your approach. • Demonstrate understanding of AI limitations and potential.
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The PM responsible for Facebook events has a new idea to drive engagement – when your friends mark that they’ll attend an event, you will get a notification. How would you measure the success of this notification? What counter-metrics would you look at?
Medium
Nov 19, 2024
Data Analysis
Product Metrics
Meta
Meta
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assess understanding of AI and its application. • Gauge problem-solving ability for product development. • Understand the candidate's innovative thinking. Key points to address: • Discuss specifics of AI implementation in the product. • Detail an innovative solution for interview preparation.
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Why do you want to work here?
Easy
May 24, 2024
Behavioral Questions
Microsoft
Microsoft
What the interviewer is looking for: • The candidate's motivation for applying to the company matters. • Insight into how well the candidate understands the company culture. • Alignment between the candidate's values and the company's mission. Key points to address: • Highlight specific reasons that resonate with the company's goals. • Mention how your skills can contribute to the company's success.
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How would you handle situations where the chosen metrics may be influenced by external factors?
Medium
Jan 19, 2025
Data Analysis
Statistical Inference
Meta
Meta
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assess your understanding of AI technology. • Evaluate your problem-solving and creative thinking skills. • Understand your ability to articulate complex ideas simply. Key points to address: • Demonstrate your knowledge of AI applications. • Present your unique solution for the product.
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How would you measure user engagement in an A/B test?
Hard
Jan 19, 2025
Data Analysis
Statistical Inference
Meta
Meta
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assessing your technical skills and understanding. • Understanding your problem-solving process. • Checking your ability to communicate effectively. Key points to address: • Elaborate on your technical skills and experiences. • Discuss your problem-solving strategies and techniques.
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How do you handle NULL values in SQL queries?
Medium
Oct 26, 2024
Database Management
SQL Programming
C3 AI
C3 AI
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assessing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. • Evaluating knowledge of AI and its market applications. • Checking the candidate's ability to articulate ideas. Key points to address: • Demonstrate understanding of AI in the context of your product. • Explain how you have or can apply AI to problem-solving.
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Can you explain the concept of effect size and its relevance in interpreting A/B test results?
Hard
Jan 19, 2025
A/B Testing
Statistical Analysis
Meta
Meta
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assessment of technical knowledge. • Insight into problem-solving skills. • Understanding of AI and its applications. Key points to address: • Demonstrate knowledge in AI. • Highlight problem-solving abilities.
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What A/B testing pitfalls might you encounter?
Medium
Jan 8, 2025
Data Analysis
Statistical Inference
Meta
Meta
What the interviewer is looking for: • Ability to articulate complex ideas. • Understanding of AI concepts. • Experience working with AI. Key points to address: • Discuss your understanding of AI. • Speak about your experience with AI.
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Explain the bias-variance tradeoff
Medium
Jan 12, 2025
Data Analysis
Machine Learning
TikTok
TikTok
What the interviewer is looking for: • Assessing understanding of AI concepts. • Evaluating problem-solving skills. • Checking candidate's creativity and innovation. Key points to address: • Discuss your knowledge of AI and ML. • Detail your approach to problem-solving.
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