3/16/25, 11:28 AM First Ever Data Science Interview : r/datascience

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r/datascience • 1 yr. ago

Feeling_Bad1309

First Ever Data Science Interview

Career Discussion
I have my first ever data science interview soon! What is the best way to prep for it? Do books like Ace the Data
Science Interview or Cracking the Data Science Interview help?

Of course it would be sweet to do everything but I just passed the HR screening so should expect an interview in a
couple weeks.

Majors: Data Science and Finance YOE: 1

Update: they were looking for someone with A/B testing experience in particular and rejected me. :(

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[deleted] • 1y ago

Is the title Data Scientist? What technologies, languages, and stats methods are mentioned in the posting?

I just did an analyst interview. And I expected the technical to cover WAY more than it did. I should have
trusted the invitation to a "SQL and Python test" much more (it was pretty basic string, list methods, some
Pandas and SQL joins and agg functions).

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Feeling_Bad1309 OP • 1y ago

Title: Data Scientist

JD things: degree in quantitative field, 1-2 years of industry or project experience in a data science or
analytics role, proficiency in SQL, Python, data science libraries, visualization libraries, experience in online
experimentation and statistical analysis

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[deleted] • 1y ago

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3/16/25, 11:28 AM First Ever Data Science Interview : r/datascience

I'm just a fresher, but I'm deep in interview and app mode so here's my $0.02
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If I were you, I would be ready to discuss my industry & project experience succinctly, get ready for
SQL & Python (leetcode, datalemur, ace DS interview), go through some Py DS libraries that may be
relevant to online experimentation, and be ready to discuss p-values, everything regression (logistic,
linear), multicollinearity, etc..

Good luck, I'd be really interested in hearing about how all this went. Don't forget you were chosen
for a reason, so it's all about being your best self and showing what you're capable of.

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IGS2001 • 1y ago

Do they really ask leetcode questions for entry level DS roles?

[deleted] • 1y ago

I've only done 3 technicals so far, so I'd love some input from others here.

1. DA for bank: leetcode Python and SQL (pretty easy questions)

2. Statistician: takehome analysis of purely categorical dataset (I used Python)
3. Mathematician for "gaming" (gambling): probability theory questions

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IGS2001 • 1y ago • Edited 1y ago

Just to clarify I’m asking as someone applying to DS roles but who has never never got an
interview (yet)

av1922004 • 1y ago

In my experience, sometimes they do ask leetcode questions. Generally, they are easy
leetcode. But in some good companies, I have also been asked hard leetcode as well.

Consistent_Beat_4172 • 1y ago

Most of the time, no. But they can.

glossweary • 1y ago

I'm super new and have only interviewed for internships, but one of my interviews for a DS
internship at a tech company asked three leetcode SQL questions.

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How difficult were the SQL questions? Hope you did well

glossweary • 1y ago

Medium I think. Did not do well at all—they didn't tell me the first interview would be
a tech screen and I had learned SQL three weeks ago lol. But thank you! It was
disheartening at first (I felt so so stupid) but it was a good learning experience anyway
and I'll do better next time.

Ali_Perfectionist • 1y ago

Thank you for this, and for this entire post. I, as we all should, will take note too.

badhoneybad • 1y ago

To be honest the best preparation is probably studying the company/ industry you are interviewing for and
thinking what data they are likely working with on a daily basis, as this will likely affect the questions or
problems they may ask.

Is it tech products where you are looking at in product data and MAU. Retail with cost of good and basket
analysis. Insurance with risk or fraud. Marketing with customer lifetime value and add spend etc...

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dlchira • 1y ago

Surprised this isn’t the top answer, because it’s an important one. Study the company with the goal of
connecting what you’re good at to its industry, operations, aspirations, and values.

There’s also a massive human component to any interview. An implied major checkbox for any interview
is, “Would I want to work with this person for (potentially) many years?” The soft skills are an area where
we data folks don’t traditionally excel—but they’re called “skills” because they can be practiced and
improved.

Weary_Bother_5023 • 8mo ago

The soft skills are the one thing I know I can get right in these interviews, LoL. No joke!

Bow_to_AI_overlords • 1y ago

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3/16/25, 11:28 AM First Ever Data Science Interview : r/datascience

I got the Ace the Data Science interview and I think it's pretty helpful. It's a pretty nice review for probability
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and stats, and also good for prepping for product sense interviews since that's not something Create I got exposed
to in school or previous jobs. I haven't gone through the SQL or coding sections since I have exposure to SQL
and Python from my previous jobs, and there are other resources that teach coding (like Leetcode).

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Data_Nerd1979 • 1y ago

Nick Singh's book is on of the best. Highly recommended. And also, Nick has been speaking at ODSC and
podcast, and other events. He was a guest speaker at Jon Krohn's Superdatascience. You can check
spotify and listen to it, for sure you will get some insights there.

NickSinghTechCareers • 1y ago
Author | Ace the Data Science Interview Top 1% Commenter

Glad you liked the book!

FYI a lot of the book Python & SQL questions are solvable in an interactive coding environment on
DataLemur

toxicvolter • 1y ago

All the best my friend.

Data_Nerd1979 • 1y ago

I would recommend to follow Nick Singh, Co-Author of Ace The Data Science Interview,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-singh-tech/. Read his book. He is an awesome ODSC speaker, and he has a
lot of linkedin followers. His videos are in youtube, you can check as well. He was also a guest speaker at
Superdatascience hosted by Jon Krohn.

NickSinghTechCareers • 1y ago
Author | Ace the Data Science Interview Top 1% Commenter

Appreciate the shoutout!!

Data_Nerd1979 • 1y ago

No problem. I work for ODSC.

gmgm0101 • 1y ago

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3/16/25, 11:28 AM First Ever Data Science Interview : r/datascience

are you going to share how it went?

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Feeling_Bad1309 OP • 1y ago

Sure I’ll update the post once I have it

Feeling_Bad1309 OP • 1y ago

Didn’t get it coz they were looking for experimentation experience which I didn’t have.

ZookeepergameOne4262 • 1y ago • Edited 1y ago

In the end they can ask you anything;that's the difficulty of DS interviews.

the best you can do is look at the job description to see what they emphasize and also look at glassdoor
interviews reviews.

Like if the role is a SQL and stats type in the description, ML and deployment might not be as important to
review. I

Public_Depth_532 • 1y ago

Is this your first time interviewing for a position in IT ? If it is, you might want to try mock interviews to feel a
bit more confident.

rayguntec • 1y ago

If you want to get a sense of what kind of theoretical questions to expect, here is a good catalog of common
Data Science and ML interview questions (and answers)

scar1ex8 • 1y ago

i know this is not related to what you asked, but what sort of projects did you work on, I will be looking for
internships for next summer just curious what's your strategy for finding internships, what sort of projects and
profile do you have?

Feeling_Bad1309 OP • 1y ago

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3/16/25, 11:28 AM First Ever Data Science Interview : r/datascience

Honestly not the best person to ask since I myself am new to DS. I would say that based on my job hunt
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so far there is a high demand for Causal Inference type of projects as well as a strong proficiency in
Python and SQL. Im sure people here can answer your question better.

Imaballofstress • 1y ago

I’m nearing the end of my first year as a Data Scientist. I didn’t have any internships and lacked work
experience when I had graduated so my personal projects were a larger focus in my interview process. I
did two projects that could read a text file of autosomal dna (ancestry.com lets you save yours in a text
file for example) and returns genetic variants found that are associated with some type of health risk. One
was just different cancers but the other one I did later was a plethora of conditions because I used a very
large pre-existing database. It’s not very useful, but it was cool and I’m interested in bio. I also had
deployed my resume as a website through AWS with my own domain at the time. They liked those. Other
than that I just had some calculators I wrote in R using RShiny that I mainly just wanted to use to help me
with my homework lol

Classic-Ideal8751 • 1y ago

All the best

KingCobra___ • 1y ago

Good luck!

Effective_Map2940 • 1y ago

I’ve found paying for a premium membership in startascratch really helped my SQL coding skills. They also
have great non-coding questions so you can practice stats and ML. I highly recommend it! Also I LOVE LOVE
LOVE Emma Ding’s YouTube videos. Currently going through the interview process myself. I have my first day
of on-site next week 😬

[deleted] • 1y ago

Medium_Alternative50 • 1y ago

Hey All the best for your interview, I am a fresher I would love to hear about your experience once it's done,
do post about your experience. All the Best!

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Correct_Gas_6104 • 1y ago
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Following this thread

Complete_Finding_489 • 1y ago

You are getting interviews?

ubiond • 1y ago

I got questions for a data engeneering job. I think they just want to make sure you know pyhthon and SQL as
you say. I got questions like “what is WHERE in SQL, how would you do a cron job, what is the difference
between a li and a numpy array, what is a lambda function in python, why would you import one funcion or
the whole module ” .. Pretty basics stuff like this

Weary_Bother_5023 • 8mo ago

What really boggles my mind though is how much they expect you to just know off the top of your head. Like
all of a sudden, the internet hasn't been a thing for 30+ years and you just know all this crap off the top of
your head. Like you'll never ever forget anything or google anything ever.

AdFirst3371 • 7mo ago

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3/16/25, 11:28 AM First Ever Data Science Interview : r/datascience

The question bank consists of over 1,000 questions organized into 25 sets of 40 questions each, making it a
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valuable resource for mastering data science concepts and advancing your career. Create

https://startmyexam.com/f665f697-0b47-4d1d-a6f4-9a0f47b7d8fd

The provided link contains an extensive collection of advanced analytics questions designed to enhance your
understanding and prepare you for data science interviews. It covers a wide range of topics, including:

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Basic Regression

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Functional topics include:

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The question bank consists of over 1,000 questions organized into 25 sets of 40 questions each, making it a
valuable resource for mastering data science concepts and advancing your career.
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hitachivantara • 1y ago

Congratulations on your first data science interview!

As for prep, those books you mentioned, like "Ace the Data Science Interview" and "Cracking the Data
Science Interview," can be super helpful. They're packed with insights, practice questions, and strategies to
ace your interviews. Definitely worth a read if you have the time!

Since you've already passed the HR screening, it sounds like you're already off to a great start. Now, it's all
about brushing up on your technical skills, reviewing key concepts, and understanding practical challenges
you might face in the role.

Don't forget to also research the company and role you're interviewing for. Understanding their business,
culture, and the specific skills they're looking for can give you a leg up during the interview.

And finally, remember to relax and be yourself! Confidence and enthusiasm go a long way in interviews.

Best of luck, and knock 'em dead in that interview! You've got this!

Edit: Formatting

NickSinghTechCareers • 1y ago
Author | Ace the Data Science Interview Top 1% Commenter

Appreciate the book shoutout <3

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