Candidates describe Scotiabank's Data Analyst interviews as mostly behavioral and conversational, with light technical checks in Excel, SQL and Power BI, and little in the way of algorithm questions.
$58K
Avg. Base Comp
$70K
Avg. Total Comp
2-3 rounds
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
Candidates describe Scotiabank's Data Analyst interviews as more behavioral than technical. Several reports describe a casual opening, such as a coffee chat or hiring-manager call, sometimes with other candidates present. Questions there covered motivation, why Scotiabank and why this role, and walking through a resume. One candidate also got an off-beat personality question about what animal they would be.
The technical content reported is practical and fairly basic. One candidate who received an offer had a technical test covering SQL, Excel and Python, with heavy attention to SUMIF and VLOOKUP and no leetcode-style challenges. Their final round was a relaxed coffee chat with the hiring manager about a past project and how they would handle a data quality problem. Others reported high-level questions, such as how to clean a large dataset or how to join information from two tables, plus discussion of tools like Power BI.
Formats vary. Some candidates reported a phone screen covering background, tools and desired salary, followed by a manager interview. Another described a Teams interview with two managers, followed by assessments on technical knowledge and customer service. That candidate said the managers narrowed the role's scope late in the interview, so asking early which responsibilities are central may help.
Most reports here ended without an offer, and several mention little or no feedback afterward. Prepare specific stories about your data work and keep Excel functions like SUMIF and VLOOKUP sharp, along with SQL joins and basic Python. Practice talking through a data-cleaning approach step by step as well.
Synthesized from 10 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Scotiabank process.
The process had three rounds. First was a 30-minute behavioral interview where they asked why I was interested in the role and we walked through my resume. Nothing too surprising there—standard opening questions.
The second round was a technical test covering SQL, Excel, and Python. That's where I had to actually demonstrate something. The Excel portion felt like their main focus—I spent a good chunk of the time on specific functions like SUMIF and VLOOKUP, and I was really glad I'd prepared on those because they drilled down on them pretty hard.
The final round was a coffee chat with the hiring manager, and the vibe completely changed. We talked through a project I'd worked on, and they asked scenario-based questions about how I'd handle a data quality problem. The atmosphere felt way more relaxed and conversational—like they genuinely wanted to understand my approach rather than just test me. Throughout the whole thing they asked about my Python and SQL ability, but there were no leetcode-style algorithmic challenges, no surprise technical assessments at the end. It was clear they cared more about what I could actually do than raw coding skills. Everything went smoothly and I got the offer.
Prep tip from this candidate
Master SUMIF and VLOOKUP for the technical test, and prepare detailed project examples to discuss in the final round—this company tests practical SQL, Excel, and Python skills, not algorithm challenges.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Scotiabank
Select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department
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| Why Do You Want to Work With Us | |
| Your Strengths and Weaknesses | |
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| Comments Histogram | |
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| Last Transaction | |
| Slacking Employees Salaries | |
| Find the Missing Number | |
| Monthly Customer Report | |
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| Paired Products | |
| 500 Cards | |
| Department Expenses | |
| Total Spent on Products | |
| Get Top N Frequent Words | |
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| Maximum Profit | |
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| Duplicate Rows |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report an initial call that confirmed application details, background, tool experience such as Power BI, and in one case desired salary. Reports describe it as friendly and fairly quick, but not every candidate mentioned this step, so it may vary by team.
Several candidates describe a casual conversation with HR or the hiring manager, sometimes with other candidates present. Questions typically covered motivation, why Scotiabank, a resume walk-through and sometimes personality. Technical content, when present, stayed high-level, such as how to clean a large dataset or join two tables.
Reports differ. One candidate described a technical test covering SQL, Excel and Python with heavy focus on SUMIF and VLOOKUP. Another received post-interview assessments on technical knowledge and customer service. Expect practical rather than algorithmic checks.
One candidate who received an offer described a final coffee chat with the hiring manager about a past project, plus scenario questions on handling a data quality problem. Other candidates did not reach a final round, so this format rests on a single account.
