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pyspark interview questions

This document provides a comprehensive list of the top 50 interview questions for data engineers focusing on PySpark, covering topics such as RDDs, DataFrames, SQL optimization, and data pipeline scenarios. It includes practical coding challenges and quick tips for interviews to help candidates prepare effectively. The questions are categorized into sections to facilitate targeted study and understanding of key concepts in PySpark.

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20 views

pyspark interview questions

This document provides a comprehensive list of the top 50 interview questions for data engineers focusing on PySpark, covering topics such as RDDs, DataFrames, SQL optimization, and data pipeline scenarios. It includes practical coding challenges and quick tips for interviews to help candidates prepare effectively. The questions are categorized into sections to facilitate targeted study and understanding of key concepts in PySpark.

Uploaded by

spdcruise7
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TOP 50

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
FOR DATA ENGINEERS
Get ready to ace your next interview with these
essential PySpark questions

Abhishek Agrawal
Data Engineer
PySpark Basics and RDDs
Q1. What is the difference between RDD, DataFrame, and Dataset?

Q2. How does PySpark achieve parallel processing?

Q3. Explain lazy evaluation in PySpark with a real-world analogy.

Q4. What is SparkContext, and why is it important?

Q5. How do you handle large file processing in PySpark?

Q6. What is the difference between actions and transformations in


PySpark?

Q7. How does Spark handle data partitioning in distributed environments?

Q8. Explain the concept of fault tolerance in PySpark.

Q9. How do you broadcast variables in Spark, and when should you use
them?

Q10. What are accumulators in PySpark, and how do they differ from
broadcast variables?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


DataFrame and Dataset Operations
Q11. How do you perform data filtering using PySpark DataFrames?

Q12. What is the difference between repartition() and coalesce(), and


when would you use each?

Q13. How do you handle missing or null values in PySpark?

Q14. How can you add a new column to a DataFrame using withColumn()?

Q15. How do you perform a left join between two DataFrames in PySpark?

Q16. What are temporary views in PySpark, and how do they differ from
global temporary views?

Q17. How do you use window functions in PySpark for advanced analytics?

Q18. How can you register a UDF (User-Defined Function) in PySpark?

Q19. What is the difference between persist() and cache()?

Q20. How do you read and write data in Parquet, CSV, and JSON formats
in PySpark?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


Spark SQL and Query Optimization
Q21. How do you run SQL queries on a DataFrame in PySpark?

Q22. What is the purpose of Catalyst Optimizer in Spark SQL?

Q23. How do you handle schema inference when reading data from
external sources?

Q24. What are the different join types in Spark SQL, and when would you
use each?

Q25. How do you create a persistent table in Spark SQL?

Q26. How does dynamic partition pruning improve query performance?

Q27. Explain how to use broadcast joins to optimize query performance.

Q28. What is data skew, and how do you handle it in Spark SQL?

Q29. How can you perform aggregations using SQL queries on large
datasets?

Q30. How do you enable query caching in Spark SQL?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


Data Pipeline Scenarios and Real-
World Use Cases
Q31. How would you build an ETL pipeline using PySpark?

Q32. How do you handle real-time data processing with Structured


Streaming in PySpark?

Q33. What are the best practices for partitioning data in large datasets?

Q34. How would you debug and optimize a slow-running Spark job?

Q35. How do you handle schema evolution in PySpark pipelines?

Q36. What is the role of checkpointing in Spark Streaming?

Q37. How can you implement incremental data processing in PySpark?

Q38. How do you handle large joins between multiple DataFrames?

Q39. What is the difference between batch processing and stream


processing in Spark?

Q40. How would you secure sensitive data in a PySpark pipeline?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


Advanced PySpark Features
Q41. How do you handle large datasets in PySpark to optimize
performance and reduce memory usage?

Q42. What is the purpose of Delta Lake, and how does it improve
reliability?

Q43. How do you enable time travel queries using Delta Lake?

Q44. How do you handle complex aggregations using window functions?

Q45. What are stateful operations in Spark Structured Streaming?

Q46. How do you implement error handling and retries in PySpark jobs?

Q47. How do you monitor and manage Spark clusters using Spark UI?

Q48. What is the difference between SparkSession and SparkContext?

Q49. How do you handle late-arriving data in Spark Structured


Streaming?

Q50. What is the difference between Spark’s Catalyst Optimizer and


Tungsten Execution Engine?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


Bonus: Practical Coding Challenges
💻 Challenge 1: Write a PySpark function to remove duplicate
rows from a DataFrame based on specific columns.

💻 Challenge 2: Create a PySpark pipeline to read a CSV file,


filter out rows with null values, and write the result to a Parquet
file.

💻 Challenge 3: Implement a window function to rank


salespeople based on total sales by region.

💻 Challenge 4: Write a PySpark SQL query to calculate the


average salary by department, including only employees with
more than 3 years of experience.

💻 Challenge 5: Implement a PySpark function to split a large


DataFrame into smaller DataFrames based on a specific
column value.

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


Quick Tips for Interviews
Tip 1: Be ready to explain real-world scenarios where you’ve
used PySpark.

Tip 2: Know how to optimize Spark jobs using caching,


partitioning, and broadcasting.

Tip 3: Understand the trade-offs between RDDs, DataFrames,


and Datasets.

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


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Abhishek Agrawal
Azure Data Engineer

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