How many X are in Y place?

This question takes many forms, but the premise of it is quite simple. It’s asking you to work through a mathematical problem, usually figuring out the number of an item in a certain place, or figuring out how much of something could potentially be sold somewhere. Here are some real examples from Glassdoor: “How many … Read more

How have you dealt with messy data in the past? (Two Sigma)

Up to 80% of a data analyst’s time can be spent on cleaning data. That makes this a very important concept to understand. Even more important when you consider that, if your data is unclean and produces inaccurate insights, it could lead to costly company actions based on false information. Yikes. That could mean trouble … Read more

What is the difference between data mining and data profiling? (Maestro Technologies)

Data mining is a process in which you identify patterns, anomalies, and correlations in large data sets to predict outcomes. On the other hand, data profiling lets analysts monitor and cleanse data. Whereas data mining is concerned with collecting knowledge from data, data profiling is concerned primarily with evaluating the quality of data. Data mining … Read more

Can you add 1-100 together right now? (Dealer.com)

This question is straightforward enough. You could, theoretically, compute the solution simply by adding the numbers in sequence, like so: 1+2+3… But this is impractical and probably not what the interviewer is looking for. Fortunately, there’s a formula called a series sum. It’s the number multiplied by itself plus 1, and the resulting solution divided … Read more

How do you feel about data? (Swedish)

This question is a measure of your enthusiasm and passion for the field; it serves as a pretty good ice breaker or an en passant between questions. Really about the only thing you don’t want to say is that you don’t have any sort of feeling for data. I feel that data is king. If … Read more