Prepare for and practice interview questions from Grand Rounds across topics like Presentation, Takehome, Machine Learning and more.

Grand Rounds Interview Questions

Grand Rounds Interview Guides

Data Structures & Algorithms

Given an integer N, write a function that returns all of the prime numbers up to N

Prime to N

Given a string, write a function to find its first recurring character.

Recurring Character

Write a function str_map to determine if there exists a one-to-one correspondence between characters of string1 and string2

String Mapping

Given an array and a target integer, write a function that returns the indices of two integers in the array that add up to the target integer.

Target Indices

Write a function to retrieve the combination that allows you to spend all of your store credit while getting at least two books at the lowest weight.

Book Combinations

Machine Learning

In which case would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm

Bagging vs Boosting

How does random forest generate the forest and why use it over logistic regression

Random Forest Explanation

choosing k value during k-means clustering

Choosing k

Design a function to detect anomalies in univariate and bivariate data

Variate Anomalies

Explain the difference between XGBoost and random forest and give an example where you would use one over the other

Xgboost vs Random Forest

Behavioral

Describing a data project and its challenges

Hurdles In Data Projects

Strategically resolving misaligned expectations with stakeholders for a successful project outcome

Stakeholder Communication

How would you answer when an Interviewer asks why you applied to their company?

Why Do You Want to Work With Us

What do you tell an interviewer when they ask you what your strengths and weaknesses are?

Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Statistics

Explain what a p-value is to someone who is not technical

P-value to a Layman

How do you detect and handle correlation between variables in linear regression, and what happens if you ignore it

Correlation in Regression

What is the difference between type I and type II errors?

Type I and II Errors

How would you tackle multicollinearity in multiple linear regression

Multicollinearity in Regression

Business Case

Why would the number of applicants be steadily decreasing while job postings remain the same

Declining Applicants

How would you decide whether Google should build a game feature for Google Home

Game Feature Home

What would be your recommendation on utilizing a customer success manager versus just a free trial to get new or existing customers to use the new product

Customer Success vs. Free Trial

Demystifying data for non-technical users through visualization and clear communication

Accessible Data

Implement the k-means clustering algorithm in python from scratch, given the following:

<ul>
<li>A two-dimensional NumPy array <code>data_points</code> that is an arbitrary number of data points (rows) <code>n</code> and an arbitrary number of columns <code>m</code>.</li>
<li>Number of k clusters <code>k</code>.</li>
<li>The initial centroids value of the data points at each cluster <code>initial_centroids</code>.</li>
</ul>

Return a list of the cluster of each point in the original list data_points with the same order (as a integer).

Example

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/KKp2gPn/kemans-before.png" alt="before clustering"/>

After clustering the points with two clusters, the points will be clustered as follows.

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/bdwVWxR/kemans-example-after.png" alt="after clustering"/>

Note: There could be an infinite number of separating lines in this example.

Example

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>
#Input
data_points = [(0,0),(3,4),(4,4),(1,0),(0,1),(4,3)]
k = 2
initial_centroids = [(1,1),(4,5)]


#Output 

k_means_clustering(data_points,k,initial_centroids) -&gt; [0,1,1,0,0,1]

</code></pre>

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/pRsRz12/example.png" alt=""/>

Implement the k-means clustering algorithm in python from scratch

k-Means from Scratch

Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department.

Note: If more than one person shares the highest salary, the query should select the next highest salary.

Example:

Input:

<code>employees</code> table

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>first_name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>last_name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>salary</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>department_id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<code>departments</code> table

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Output:

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>salary</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department

2nd Highest Salary

Let’s say that your company is running a standard control and variant AB test on a feature to increase conversion rates on the landing page. The PM checks the results and finds a .04 p-value.

How would you assess the validity of the result?

How would you assess the validity of the result?

Experiment Validity

A/B Testing

Given the <code>employees</code> and <code>departments</code> table, write a query to get the top 3 highest employee salaries by department. If the department contains less that 3 employees, the top 2 or the top 1 highest salaries should be listed (assume that each department has at least 1 employee). 

Note: The output should include the full name of the employee in one column, the department name, and the salary. The output should be sorted by department name in ascending order and salary in descending order. 

Example:

Input:

<code>employees</code> table

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>first_name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>last_name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>salary</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>department_id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<code>departments</code> table

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Output:

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>employee_nam</code>e</td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>department_name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>salary</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Get the top 3 highest employee salaries by department

Top Three Salaries

Given an integer <code>N</code>, write a function that returns a list of all of the prime numbers up to <code>N</code>.

Note: Return an empty list there are no prime numbers less than or equal to <code>N</code>.

Example:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>N = 3
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>def prime_numbers(N) -&gt; [2,3]
</code></pre>

Tell me about a data project that didn’t go the way you expected. What did you set out to do, what surprised you, and how did you handle it?

A team wants to A/B test multiple different changes through a sign-up funnel.

For example, on a page, a button is currently red and at the top of the page. They want to see if changing a button from red to blue and/or from the top of the page to the bottom of the page will increase click-through.

How would you set up this test?

Your team wants to run an AB test on the color (red or blue) and position (top/bottom of the page) of a button that links to a promotion.

How many different variants of the test should you run to see the effect that a red button has on the bottom of the page, if currently the button is blue and on the top of the page.

Your team wants to run an AB test on the color (red or blue) and position (top/bottom of the page) of a button that links to a promotion.

How many different variants of the test should you run to see the effect that a red button has on the bottom of the page, if currently the button is blue and on the top of the page.

A/B Test Variants

Button AB Test

Let’s say you work at a file-hosting website. You have information on user’s daily downloads in the <code>download_facts</code> table

Use the window function <code>RANK</code> to display the top three users by downloads each day. Order your data by <code>date</code>, and then by <code>daily_rank</code>

Example:

Input:

<code>download_facts</code> table

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>user_id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>date</code></td>
<td>DATE</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>downloads</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Output:

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>daily_rank</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>user_id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>date</code></td>
<td>DATE</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>downloads</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Write a query to display the top three users by downloads each day

Top 3 Users

Given a string, write a function <code>recurring_char</code> to find its first recurring character. Return <code>None</code> if there is no recurring character.

Treat upper and lower case letters as distinct characters.

You may assume the input string includes no spaces.

Example 1:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>input = &#34;interviewquery&#34;
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>output = &#34;i&#34;
</code></pre>

Example 2:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>input = &#34;interv&#34;
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>output = None
</code></pre>

Let’s say you want to test the close friends feature on Instagram Stories.

How would you make a control group and test group to account for network effects?

What could be a potential risk when Facebook segments the metrics of the user interface change by market or demographic groups?

What could be a potential risk when Facebook segments the metrics of the user interface change by market or demographic groups?

Network Experiment Design I

What is the primary metric that Facebook should monitor if it decides to make the user interface of its posting feature more like Instagram's?

What is the primary metric that Facebook should monitor if it decides to make the user interface of its posting feature more like Instagram's?

Network Experiment Design II

If Facebook changes its user interface to mimic Instagram's, which adverse effect should they anticipate and monitor?

If Facebook changes its user interface to mimic Instagram's, which adverse effect should they anticipate and monitor?

Network Experiment Design III

How would you make a control group and test group to account for network effects

Network Experiment Design

Let’s say we’re comparing two machine learning algorithms. In which case would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm? 

Give an example of the tradeoffs between the two.

In machine learning, when would you use a bagging algorithm over a boosting algorithm?

In machine learning, when would you use a bagging algorithm over a boosting algorithm?

Bagging vs. Boosting

Let’s say you work at Allstate. Allstate is running <code>N</code> online ads right now. The table <code>ads</code> contains all those ads, ranked by popularity via the <code>id</code> column (e.g., the entry with <code>id = 1</code> is the most popular, etc.).

Create a subquery or common table expression named <code>top_ads</code> containing the top 3 ads (by popularity) and return the number of rows that would result from the following operations

<ol>
<li><code>ads INNER JOIN top_ads</code></li>
<li><code>ads LEFT JOIN top_ads</code></li>
<li><code>ads RIGHT JOIN top_ads</code></li>
<li><code>ads CROSS JOIN top_ads</code></li>
</ol>

Note: Please make the <code>join_type</code> column in your output have the values <code>inner_join</code>, <code>left_join</code>, etc. for each of their respective join types

Note: Please return only one query with each number in a different row

Example:

Input:

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>id</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>name</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Output:

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Column</th>
<th>Type</th>
</tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code>join_type</code></td>
<td>VARCHAR</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td><code>number_of_rows</code></td>
<td>INTEGER</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Create top_ads with the top 3 ads and return the row counts for inner, left, right, and cross joins with ads

Size of Joins

You’re given a string that may contain the characters <code>{</code>, <code>}</code>, <code>[</code>, <code>]</code>, <code>(</code>, and <code>)</code>.

Task: Verify that the string is balanced. A balanced string is one where every opening character, <code>{</code>, <code>[</code>, or <code>(</code>, has a corresponding closing character, <code>}</code>, <code>]</code>, or <code>)</code>.

Write a function called <code>is_balanced(string: str) -&gt; bool</code> which verifies the balance of a string.

Example:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>is_balanced(&#39;(())[]{}&#39;) -&gt; True
</code></pre>

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>is_balanced(&#39;{([(){}])()}&#39;) -&gt; True
</code></pre>

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>is_balanced(&#39;{}[]())&#39;) -&gt; False
</code></pre>

<hr/>

Write a function that tests whether a string of brackets is balanced.

The Brackets Problem

How would you explain what a p-value is to someone who is not technical?

What does a p-value in a statistical test represent?

What does a p-value in a statistical test represent?

P-value to a Layman I

In a statistical test, how does a low p-value (less than 0.05) influence our decision about the null hypothesis?

In a statistical test, how does a low p-value (less than 0.05) influence our decision about the null hypothesis?

P-value to a Layman II

Let’s say that you’re looking at the metrics of a job board. You see that the number of job postings per day has more or less remained the same the last few months but the number of applicants that have applied to jobs has steadily been decreasing.

Why would this be happening?

How does random forest generate the forest? Additionally, why would we use it over other algorithms such as logistic regression?

What happens when you average the output on multiple decision trees?

What happens when you average the output on multiple decision trees?

Average Trees

Given a string, write a function to determine if it is palindrome or not.

Note: A palindrome is a word/string that is read the same way forward as it is backward, e.g. <code>&#39;reviver&#39;</code>, <code>&#39;madam&#39;</code>, <code>&#39;deified&#39;</code> and <code>&#39;civic&#39;</code> are all palindromes, while <code>&#39;tree&#39;</code>, <code>&#39;music&#39;</code> and <code>&#39;person&#39;</code> are not palindromes.

Example:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>word1 = &#34;tree&#34;
word2 = &#34;radar&#34;
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>def is_palindrome(word1) -&gt; False
def is_palindrome(word2) -&gt; True
</code></pre>

Given a string, write a function to determine if it is palindrome or not.

String Palindromes

Given two strings, <code>string1</code> and <code>string2</code>, write a function <code>str_map</code> to determine if there exists a one-to-one correspondence (bijection) between the characters of <code>string1</code> and <code>string2</code>.

For the two strings, our correspondence must be between characters in the same position/index.

Example 1:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>string1 = &#39;qwe&#39;
string2 = &#39;asd&#39;

string_map(string1, string2) == True

# q = a, w = s, and e = d
</code></pre>

Example 2:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>string1 = &#39;donut&#39;
string2 = &#39;fatty&#39;

string_map(string1, string2) == False
# cannot map two distinct characters to two equal characters
</code></pre>

Example 3:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>string1 = &#39;enemy&#39;
string2 = &#39;enemy&#39;

string_map(string1, string2) == True
# there exists a one-to-one correspondence between equivalent strings
</code></pre>

Example 4:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>string1 = &#39;enemy&#39;
string2 = &#39;ymene&#39;

string_map(string1, string2) == False
# since our correspondence must be between characters of the same index, this case returns &#39;False&#39; as we must map e = y AND e = e
</code></pre>

Given two strings, write a function to return <code>True</code> if the strings are anagrams of each other and <code>False</code> if they are not.

Note: A word is not an anagram of itself.

Example 1:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>string_1 = &#34;listen&#34;
string_2 = &#34;silent&#34;
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>True
</code></pre>

Example 2:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>string_1 = &#34;banana&#34;
string_2 = &#34;bandana&#34;
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>False
</code></pre>

Write a function to return True if two strings are anagrams of each other and False if they are not

Valid Anagram

Given a list of integers, identify all the duplicate values in the list. Assume that the list can contain both positive and negative numbers, and the order of the list does not matter. A number is considered a duplicate if it appears more than once in the list. Return a list of the duplicate numbers.

Example 1:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>nums = [1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3]
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>find_duplicates(nums) -&gt; [1, 2, 3]
</code></pre>

The numbers 1, 2, and 3 all appear more than once in the list, so they are considered duplicates.

Example 2:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>nums = [1, -1, 2, 3, 3, -1]
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>find_duplicates(nums) -&gt; [-1, 3]
</code></pre>

The numbers -1 and 3 both appear more than once in the list, so they are considered duplicates. Note that the order of the output does not matter.

Example 3:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>nums = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>find_duplicates(nums) -&gt; []
</code></pre>

None of the numbers in the list appear more than once, so there are no duplicates.

This problem involves identifying duplicate numbers in a list of integers. The function should return a list of the duplicate numbers.

Find Duplicate Numbers in a List

Given a string <code>str</code> of any length, write an algorithm <code>max_repeating</code> to return which character has the longest string of continuous repetition.

If two characters are tied for most continuous repetition, return the character whose longest continuous repetition occurs earliest in <code>str</code>.

Example 1:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>str = &#39;aabbaaccbbbaa&#39;
def max_repeating(str) -&gt; b
</code></pre>

Example 2:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>str = &#39;adccccbbbbc&#39;
def max_repeating(str) -&gt; c
</code></pre>

Write an algorithm to return the character with the longest continuous repetition, breaking ties by earliest occurrence

Most Repetition

Given an array and a target integer, write a function <code>sum_pair_indices</code> that returns the indices of two integers in the array that add up to the target integer. If not found, just return an empty list.

Note: Can you do it on \(O(n)\) time?

Note: Even though there could be many solutions, only one needs to be returned.

Example 1:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>array = [1 2 3 4] 
target = 5 
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>def sum_pair_indices(array, target) -&gt; [0 3] or [1 2]
</code></pre>

Example 2:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>array = [3]
target = 6 
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>Do NOT return [0 0] as you can&#39;t use an index twice.
</code></pre>

You’re a data scientist at YouTube. Leadership wants to revisit how the platform measures success, not for a specific new feature, but for the product as a whole given its current state.

How would you define and measure success for YouTube? Identify your primary and secondary metrics, explain your rationale for each, and discuss how you would choose the right thresholds for any engagement-based metrics you propose.

The role of A/B testing in measuring the success rate of an analytics experiment

Success Measurement

Product Sense & Metrics

You are given a dictionary with a key-value of <code>{string: number}</code> where values in the dictionary could be duplicates. You are required to extract the unique values from the dictionary where the value occurred only once.

Return a list of values where they occur only once.

Note: You can return the values in any order.

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>dictionary = {&#34;key1&#34;: 1, &#34;key2&#34;: 1, &#34;key3&#34;: 7, &#34;key4&#34;: 3, &#34;key5&#34;: 4, &#34;key6&#34;: 7}
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>find_unique_values(dictionary) -&gt; [3,4]

#Only 3 and 4 occurred once.
</code></pre>

Return a list of dictionary values that occur only once

Dictionary Unique Values

Find and return all the prime numbers in an array of integers. If there are no prime numbers, return an empty array.

Example:

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>[1, 2, 3] 
</code></pre>

Output:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>[2,3]
</code></pre>

Find and return all the prime numbers in an array of integers.

Prime Numbers Identification

Let’s say that you’re in charge of Square’s small business division. 

The CEO wants to hire a customer success manager to help manage a new software product. Another executive thinks that it’s worth just instituting a free trial instead.

What would be your recommendation on utilizing a customer success manager versus just a free trial to get new or existing customers to use the new product?

As a data scientist at a real estate analytics startup, you’re tasked with building a predictive model for home prices in a large metropolitan area. During your exploratory data analysis, you notice that the <code>home_prices</code> column in your dataset is heavily right-skewed (i.e., there are many lower-priced homes and a few extremely high-priced ones).

How might this skewness impact your modeling approach, and what steps would you consider to address it before training your model?

Bonus: If, instead, you discover that the target variable (<code>home_prices</code>) is heavily left-skewed (i.e., there are many high-priced homes and a few low-priced outliers), what would you do differently, if anything?

You're building a model to predict home prices and you see that the prices in your training data are right-skewed. How would you handle this situation?

Skewed Pricing

Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar. The colors of the balls are stored in a list named <code>jar</code>, with corresponding counts of the balls stored in the same index in a list called <code>n_balls</code>.

Example: 

Input:

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>jar = [&#39;green&#39;, &#39;red&#39;, &#39;blue&#39;]
n_balls = [1, 10, 2]
# 1 green ball
# 10 red balls
# and 2 blue balls
</code></pre>

Output

<pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code>sample_multinomial(jar, n_balls) -&gt; &#34;blue&#34;
</code></pre>

Write code to generate a sample from a multinomial distribution with keys 

Drawing Balls From Bin

Probability

Uber Rider deals with huge amounts of data but at Uber Fleet, the amount of data for experimentation is rather low. Let’s say you run an AB test for Uber Fleet and find out that the distribution is not normal.

What kind of analysis would you run and how would you measure which variant won?

Which of the following is NOT an acceptable way to deal with AB testing on a non-normally distributed population?

Which of the following is NOT an acceptable way to deal with AB testing on a non-normally distributed population?

Non-Normal AB Test

What kind of analysis would you run and how would you measure which variant won

Non-Normal AB Testing

In the context of hypothesis testing, what are type I errors (type one errors) and type II errors (type two errors)? What is the difference between the two?

Bonus: Describe the probability of making each type of error mathematically.

Calculate Moving Average	SQL	Easy
Predict Customer Churn	Machine Learning	Medium
A/B Test Significance	Statistics	Medium
Optimize Query Performance	SQL	Hard
Feature Importance Analysis	Machine Learning	Medium
Clean Missing Data	Python	Easy
Neural Network Architecture	Deep Learning	Hard
Calculate Cohort Retention	SQL	Medium
Bayesian Probability	Statistics	Easy
Recommend Similar Products	Machine Learning	Hard

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