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Data Scientist Interviews

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Data Scientist Interview Questions

In a data scientist interview, expect employers to ask questions that assess your data modeling, problem-solving, and programming skills. Be prepared to answer general questions that test your knowledge of statistics and data science. You should also be ready to answer open-ended questions that test your creativity, communication skills, and formal education in data modeling and programming.

Top Data Scientist Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: Which data modeling techniques do you prefer and why?

How to answer
How to answer: Turning data into understandable and actionable information is a critical part of the data scientist's job. This question allows employers to understand your data modeling skills and background. List and discuss your preferred data modeling techniques, including benefits such as ease of use, flexibility, etc.
Question 2

Question #2: How would you detect bogus Instagram accounts used for scamming consumers?

How to answer
How to answer: Questions like this one allow an employer to test your problem-solving skills. When answering open-ended questions such as these, feel free to ask clarifying questions and use whiteboards to demonstrate your coding and diagramming skills. Share your thought process as you work through the problem.
Question 3

Question #3: Describe circumstances that require a list, tuple, or set in Python.

How to answer
How to answer: Interviewers will use questions such as this one to test your Python programming skills. Review Python basics such as lists, tuples, and sets before your interview. You should be able to explain when and how each tool is used by data scientists.

54,300 data scientist interview questions shared by candidates

I was given a Data set which had id, position_id and resume_title. I had some junk data , which needs to cleaned up and they expect you to do it onsite while two people watch you doing it. Felt like a ridiculous interview ( people watching you ) what you type , if you google for a command or not. I felt that they are not smart people thats why their interview process is like that. I wouldn't work there ever.
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Senior Data Scientist

Interviewed at Entelo

4.5★
Nov 9, 2017

I was given a Data set which had id, position_id and resume_title. I had some junk data , which needs to cleaned up and they expect you to do it onsite while two people watch you doing it. Felt like a ridiculous interview ( people watching you ) what you type , if you google for a command or not. I felt that they are not smart people thats why their interview process is like that. I wouldn't work there ever.

Some soft skills questions I was asked include projects I'd like to work on, what I'm looking for in a team, what attracted me to BuzzFeed. The video interview involved using codepad to demonstrate coding ability. I was asked SQL queries and to write code that involved the Jaccard similarity score. I was also asked about A/B testing, hypothesis testing and case studies of attracting users to sites given different features.
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Data Scientist

Interviewed at BuzzFeed

3.6★
Nov 30, 2017

Some soft skills questions I was asked include projects I'd like to work on, what I'm looking for in a team, what attracted me to BuzzFeed. The video interview involved using codepad to demonstrate coding ability. I was asked SQL queries and to write code that involved the Jaccard similarity score. I was also asked about A/B testing, hypothesis testing and case studies of attracting users to sites given different features.

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Glassdoor has 54,300 interview questions and reports from Data scientist interviews. Prepare for your interview. Get hired. Love your job.