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Data Analyst Interview Questions in 2022 (with sample answers)

Updated: Aug 26, 2022


Quality Analyst Interview Questions

Over the last 10 years, data has transformed our world. The innumerable emails, text messages, and YouTube videos we send and receive are all part of the almost 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created every day throughout the world. Businesses, whether large and small, deal with vast amounts of data, and their ability to extract valuable insights from it is critical. That is exactly what a Data Analyst does. They analyze statistical data and transform it into valuable information that businesses and organizations can utilize to make important decisions.


Organizations across all industries are increasingly relying on data to make crucial business choices such as which goods to manufacture, which markets to enter, what investments to make, and which consumers to target. They are also leveraging data to identify areas of the business that want improvement.


As a result, data analysis has become one of the most in-demand careers in the world, with Data Analysts sought after by the world's largest corporations. Data Analyst pay and benefits only reflect the high demand for this career, which is expected to continue expanding at a rapid pace.



As the competition in this field is rising continuously, it is getting harder to land a Data Analyst job in companies. You need to be well-versed with the basics, theoretical and practical knowledge of a Data Analyst to get the job. But aren’t sure how to work on it? Don’t worry, we have made a guide how to crack Data Analyst interview just for you! Here we have shortlisted some of the frequently asked Data Analyst Interview Questions, MS Excel Interview Questions for Data Analyst, Healthcare Data Analyst Interview Questions, Amazon Data Analyst Interview Questions, and Zoho Data Analyst Interview Questions. We have made sure to cover the vast field of it. With this, your preparation for the interview will be 100%. All the best!


Data Analyst or Entry level Data Analyst interview questions (General)

1. What is a Data Analyst and its role?

Data analysis is the act of altering data in order to uncover usable information that may be used to reach a conclusion or make a decision. Data analysis is widely employed in all industries for a variety of goals.

A Data Analyst's responsibilities include the following:

• Assist with all data analysis and coordination with customers and staff.

• Solve client-related business challenges and execute data audits Analyze outcomes and analyze data using statistical tools and offer continuing reports

• Prioritize company requirements and collaborate with business and information needs.

• Identify new processes or areas for improvement.

• Analyze, detect, and understand trends or patterns in large amounts of data.

• Obtain data from primary or secondary data sources and keep databases/data systems up to date.

• Filter and "clean" data, as well as examine computer reports

• Determine performance indicators to help you find and fix code issues.

• Securing a database by creating an access system and identifying the user's degree of access


2. What qualities and skill you need to be a Data Analyst?

To become a Data Analyst, apart from the basic qualification, you need to have the following knowledge, skills:

• Strong knowledge on reporting packages, programming language, excel, and SQL.

• Technical knowledge in database management, data models, designing, segmentation techniques, and data mining.

• Robust knowledge on statistical packages for analyzing large datasets.

• Ability to organize, collect and disseminate big data that to with accuracy.



3. How much does a Data Analyst earn?

The Data Analyst salary varies because of various factors like educational qualification, location, experience, company and skills set. But its average annual salary of an experienced Data Analyst can range from $60000 to $140,000.


4. What is the basic requirement for becoming a Data Analyst?

This Data Analyst interview question assesses your understanding of the skill set necessary to become a data scientist.

To become a Data Analyst, you must first answer to Data Analyst interview questions

• Know programming languages (XML, Javascript, or ETL frameworks), databases (SQL, SQLite, Db2, etc.), and reporting tools (Business Objects).

• Be able to efficiently evaluate, organize, gather, and communicate Big Data.

• You must be well-versed in technical areas such as database architecture, data mining, and segmentation techniques.

• Know how to use statistical package for analyzing large datasets, such as SAS, Excel, and SPSS, to mention a few.

• Good leadership and team player skill.


SQL interview questions for Data Analyst

1. What's the distinction between the TRUNCATE and DROP statements?

TRUNCATE deletes all rows from the table and cannot be reversed. The DROP command deletes a table from the database, and the operation cannot be reversed.


2. In a query, which operator is used for pattern matching?

The LIKE operator is used for pattern matching and may also be used as a - sign.

• % – Matches one or more characters.

• _(Underscore) – Only matching one character.


3. Is SQL better or Python?

SQL is often thought to be simpler and more limited in scope than Python. SQL is a fantastic, beginner-friendly first language if you're new to coding. However, it is perfectly acceptable to learn Python first, or to study the two languages concurrently.


4. Where and Having in A Statement Should Be Used in What Situations?

WHERE and HAVING are both used to filter records, however there is a big difference between them. The WHERE command filters records from a result, whereas the HAVING command filters groups. If you are using these commands, you must use the WHERE command first, followed by the HAVING command.


5. What are some methods for determining how a query may be optimised?

Queries may be improved in a variety of ways. Here are a few common examples:

WHERE clauses help to reduce the quantity of data to query.

A LIMIT clause limits the number of usable rows that the database must query.

Create an index for commonly searched columns.

The purpose of this question isn't always to simply list every case above. Because this is an open-ended topic, some interviewers may pair it with a situation in which specific optimizations can be recognised and implemented.


Excel interview questions for Data Analyst

1. Is it possible to add new rows and columns to an Excel sheet?

Yes, rows and columns may be added to an Excel sheet. To add new rows and columns, right-click on the area where you want to put them and choose Add Rows and Columns. Then choose the Insert option, from which you may choose a full row or column.


2. What exactly do you mean by Relative Cell Addresses?

When you copy a formula in Excel, the addresses of the reference cells are automatically updated to match the spot where the formula is copied. This is accomplished through the use of a technique known as Relative Cell Addresses.



3. Explain the difference between VLOOKUP and LOOKUP FEATURE?

VLOOKUP allows the user to search for a value in the table's left-most column. The value is then returned in a left-to-right order. It is not as simple to use as the LOOKUP tool. Meanwhile, the LOOKUP tool allows the user to search for data in a row or column.


Python interview questions for Data Analyst

1. What are Python Functions?

A function is a programme segment or a block of code that is written once and may be run whenever it is needed in the programme. A function is a collection of self-contained statements that has a valid name, a list of arguments, and a body. Functions make programming more functional and modular, allowing for the completion of modular tasks. Python has various built-in functions for completing tasks, and it also allows users to develop new functions.

Functions are classified into three types:

• Built-In Some built-in functions include copy(), len(), and count().

• User-defined Functions: User-defined functions are functions that are specified by the user.

• Anonymous functions, often known as lambda functions, are functions that are not defined using the conventional def keyword.


2. What exactly is the K-mean Algorithm?

K-mean is a partitioning technique that divides things into K groups. The clusters in this technique are spherical, with data points aligned around them, and the variance of the clusters is identical to one another.


3. How should you approach multi-source issues?

To deal with multi-source difficulties, you must:

Identify related data records and merge them into a single record that has all of the important properties while eliminating redundancy.

Schema rearrangement can help with schema integration.


Data Analyst interview questions for freshers

1. What is the distinction between data mining and data profiling?

The distinction between data mining and data profiling is as follows:

Data profiling is concerned with the examination of individual attributes on a case-by-case basis. It provides information on a variety of features such as value range, discrete value and frequency, occurrence of null values, data type, length, and so on.

On the other hand, data mining is concerned with cluster analysis, the detection of odd data, dependencies, sequence finding, the establishment of relationships between several characteristics, and so on.


2. What are some of the most prevalent issues that Data Analysts face?

Some of the most prevalent issues that Data Analysts confront are as follows:

• Frequently used misspellings

• Entries that are duplicates

• Values that are missing

• Values that are illegal

• Value representations that differ

• Recognizing overlapping data

Along with mentioning these mistakes, also state how you can avoid these mistakes in brief. This will help to emphasis your skills of problem solving and being detail oriented.


3. What should a Data Analyst do if data is missing or suspect?

Here the interviewer wants to see how proactive you are in coming up with solutions for situations like these. To answer this question, one must provide logical and brief solutions that can be executed easily. Here is a sample answer:

In this situation, a Data Analyst must:

• To find missing data, use data analysis methodologies such as the deletion method, single imputation approaches, and model-based methods.

• Create a validation report that includes all relevant information about the questionable or missing data.

• Examine the dubious data to determine its veracity.

• Replace any incorrect data with an appropriate validation code.



4. What criteria do you believe should be used to determine if a produced data model is good or not?

The answer to this question will differ from person to person. However, here are a few characteristics that I believe must be examined when determining if a produced data model is good or not:

• The performance of a model constructed for the dataset should be predictable. This is essential in order to forecast the future.

• A model is regarded to be excellent if it can quickly adapt to changes based on business requirements.

• If the data changes, the model should be able to scale accordingly.

• The model built should also be simple for customers to consume in order to provide actionable and lucrative results.


We truly hope that now you are better prepared for the interview. But forget not, that another important part of your job hunt is an exceptional resume. Feel free to take some professional help from the best resume writing service in India.


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