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Data Analyst Interview Questions

The document provides a comprehensive list of 50 interview questions for data analysts, covering topics such as general data analysis concepts, SQL and database knowledge, data cleaning and statistics, data analysis and modeling, visualization tools, and behavioral scenarios. Key areas include data definitions, analysis steps, SQL operations, statistical methods, and effective communication strategies. It serves as a valuable resource for preparing for data analyst interviews.

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2 views7 pages

Data Analyst Interview Questions

The document provides a comprehensive list of 50 interview questions for data analysts, covering topics such as general data analysis concepts, SQL and database knowledge, data cleaning and statistics, data analysis and modeling, visualization tools, and behavioral scenarios. Key areas include data definitions, analysis steps, SQL operations, statistical methods, and effective communication strategies. It serves as a valuable resource for preparing for data analyst interviews.

Uploaded by

shailjadeeangan9
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DATA ANALYST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (Top 50)

1. General & Process

1. What is a Data Analyst?

A professional who collects, cleans, analyzes, and visualizes data to generate actionable insights.

2. Steps in Data Analysis?

Define objectives -> collect data -> clean/wrangle -> analyze -> visualize -> interpret.

3. Data Cleaning Importance?

Ensures accuracy by removing duplicates, fixing formats, handling outliers/missing values.

4. Structured vs Unstructured Data?

Structured: rows/columns (SQL, Excel).

Unstructured: free format (text, images).

5. What is Data Profiling?

Assess quality: distribution, uniqueness, NULLs, consistency.

6. What is a Data Pipeline?

End-to-end data flow: capture -> process -> load for analysis.

2. SQL & Database

7. Define JOIN types:

INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, FULL/FULL OUTER, CROSS JOINS.


8. WHERE vs HAVING?

WHERE: filters before grouping.

HAVING: filters after GROUP BY.

9. Find duplicates in SQL?

SELECT col, COUNT(*) FROM tbl GROUP BY col HAVING COUNT(*)>1

10. LEFT JOIN use case:

All from left table + matching from right.

11. EXISTS vs NOT EXISTS:

EXISTS: checks existence in subquery; NOT EXISTS: opposite.

12. How to optimize slow queries?

Use indexes, avoid SELECT *, analyze execution plans, write efficient joins.

13. What are CTEs and views?

CTE: temporary named result.

View: stored query.

14. Window functions examples:

ROW_NUMBER(), RANK(), SUM(...) OVER (...).

15. Union vs Union ALL:

UNION removes duplicates; UNION ALL keeps all rows.


16. Convert DATETIME -> DATE:

Use CAST(column AS DATE) or DATE(column) based on DB.

17. Subquery vs JOIN:

Subquery: nested SELECT. JOIN: merges tables.

18. Aggregate functions:

COUNT(), SUM(), AVG(), MAX(), MIN()

19. GROUP BY example:

SELECT dept, AVG(sal) FROM emp GROUP BY dept HAVING AVG(sal)>X

20. TOP vs LIMIT/OFFSET:

Use TOP (SQL Server), LIMIT (MySQL), OFFSET-FETCH (ANSI).

3. Data Cleaning & Stats

21. Handling missing data?

Drop rows, fill (mean/median/mode), regression, KNN, multiple imputation.

22. Detect outliers?

IQR method (1.5xIQR rule), standard deviation (+/-3 sigma), box plots.

23. Normalization vs Standardization?

Normalization: scale [0,1]. Standardization: mean=0, sd=1.

24. Mean vs Median vs Mode?


Mean: average; median: middle; mode: most frequent.

25. Descriptive vs Inferential Stats?

Descriptive: summarize data. Inferential: draw conclusions about population.

26. Correlation vs Causation?

Correlation is not causation; avoid incorrect inference.

27. Hypothesis testing steps?

Define H0 & H1, choose test (t/z/chi-square), compute p-value, accept/reject.

28. Type I / II errors?

Type I: false positive; Type II: false negative.

29. When to use t-test vs z-test?

t-test: n<30 or unknown sigma. z-test: n>=30, known sigma.

30. Explain p-value:

Probability of observing results under the null hypothesis.

4. Data Analysis & Modeling

31. What is EDA?

Visual + statistical exploration: distributions, correlations, outliers.

32. Time-series analysis?

Trend, seasonality, forecasting using ARIMA, exponential smoothing.


33. A/B testing?

Compare two versions, establish hypothesis, test statistical significance.

34. Cross-validation importance?

Avoid overfitting; K-fold cross-validation ensures reliable model performance.

35. Regression metrics (MAE, MSE, R-squared)?

MAE: avg abs error; MSE: squared error; R-squared: variance explained.

36. Overfitting vs Underfitting?

Overfitting: model too complex; Underfitting: too simple.

37. Clustering algorithms:

K-Means, Hierarchical, DBSCAN.

38. Bootstrapping meaning?

Resampling technique to estimate accuracy without assuming distributions.

39. Random Forest vs Decision Tree:

RF: ensemble of trees -> better accuracy, less overfit; DT: simple, interpretable.

40. When to use KNN imputation?

When missing values relate to similar records.

5. Visualization & Tools


41. Popular visualization tools?

Tableau, Power BI, Excel, Python's Matplotlib/Seaborn.

42. Pivot table use-case?

Summarize data quickly via drag-and-drop metrics and dimensions.

43. Bar vs Line charts?

Bar: categorical comparison. Line: trends over time.

44. Good dashboard attributes?

Clear KPIs, filters, minimal clutter, story-focused visuals.

45. Calculated fields & parameters in Tableau/Power BI?

Use for dynamic metrics, interactivity.

6. Behavioral & Scenario

46. STAR technique?

Structure answers: Situation -> Task -> Action -> Result.

47. Tell a data story?

Present context, findings, impact using visuals.

48. Describe solving a business problem.

Walk through data approaches and impact outcomes.

49. Explain to non-technical audience?


Use simple language, visuals, emphasize business outcomes.

50. Questions to ask interviewer?

Ask about typical day, team structure, tools, growth opportunities.

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