Complete Data Analytics Interview Master Guide
(Detailed Edition)
This guide contains commonly asked technical interview questions for Data Analyst roles with detailed
explanations to help you understand concepts clearly and answer confidently during interviews.
Python Basics
What are Python data types?
Python provides several built■in data types used to store different kinds of values. The most common
types include integers (int), floating point numbers (float), strings (str), lists, tuples, sets, and
dictionaries. Lists store ordered and mutable collections, tuples store ordered but immutable data, sets
store unique values, and dictionaries store key■value pairs. Understanding these types is important
because they determine how data can be stored and manipulated in Python.
Difference between list and tuple?
Lists are mutable which means their elements can be modified, added, or removed after creation.
Tuples are immutable which means their elements cannot be changed once the tuple is created. Lists
use square brackets [] while tuples use parentheses (). Tuples are generally faster and safer when data
should not change.
What is a lambda function?
A lambda function is a small anonymous function defined using the 'lambda' keyword. It can take any
number of arguments but can contain only one expression. Lambda functions are often used for short
operations such as sorting, filtering, or mapping data.
What is exception handling?
Exception handling is used to manage runtime errors in a program so that the program does not crash.
In Python, errors can be handled using try, except, finally blocks. This allows the program to continue
execution or display meaningful error messages.
Pandas & NumPy
What is Pandas?
Pandas is a powerful Python library used for data analysis and manipulation. It provides two primary
data structures: Series (one■dimensional) and DataFrame (two■dimensional table). Pandas allows
analysts to clean data, filter rows, group data, perform aggregations, and merge datasets easily.
Difference between Series and DataFrame?
A Series is a one■dimensional labeled array that can store data such as integers, strings, or floats. A
DataFrame is a two■dimensional structure similar to a table in a database or spreadsheet where data
is organized into rows and columns.
What is groupby in Pandas?
The groupby function is used to split data into groups based on some criteria, apply an aggregation
function, and then combine the results. For example, we can group sales data by region and calculate
the total sales for each region.
How to handle missing values in Pandas?
Missing values can be handled in multiple ways such as removing rows using dropna(), filling values
using fillna(), or replacing missing values with mean, median, or mode depending on the situation.
SQL
What is SQL?
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language used to communicate with relational
databases. It allows users to retrieve, insert, update, and delete data from database tables.
Types of SQL joins?
Joins are used to combine rows from multiple tables based on a related column. Common joins include
INNER JOIN (returns matching rows), LEFT JOIN (returns all rows from left table), RIGHT JOIN
(returns all rows from right table), and FULL JOIN (returns all rows when there is a match in either
table).
What is GROUP BY?
GROUP BY is used to group rows that have the same values in specified columns so that aggregate
functions like COUNT, SUM, AVG, MAX, and MIN can be applied to each group.
How to find the second highest salary?
The second highest salary can be found using a subquery that first finds the maximum salary and then
retrieves the highest salary that is smaller than the maximum salary.
Excel
What is VLOOKUP?
VLOOKUP is an Excel function used to search for a value in the first column of a table and return a
corresponding value from another column in the same row. It is commonly used for merging datasets or
retrieving related information.
What is XLOOKUP?
XLOOKUP is a modern and more powerful replacement for VLOOKUP. It can search both vertically
and horizontally and does not require column index numbers.
What is a Pivot Table?
A Pivot Table is an Excel feature used to summarize large datasets quickly. It allows users to group,
aggregate, and analyze data by dragging fields into rows, columns, and values areas.
Power BI
What is Power BI?
Power BI is a business intelligence and data visualization tool developed by Microsoft. It allows users to
connect to different data sources, transform data, build interactive dashboards, and share reports with
stakeholders.
What is DAX?
DAX stands for Data Analysis Expressions. It is a formula language used in Power BI to create
calculated columns, measures, and advanced calculations.
Difference between measure and calculated column?
A calculated column is computed row by row and stored in the data model, while a measure is
calculated dynamically based on the context of the visualization.
Statistics
What is mean, median, and mode?
Mean is the average of all values in a dataset. Median is the middle value when data is arranged in
sorted order. Mode is the value that occurs most frequently in the dataset.
What is standard deviation?
Standard deviation measures how spread out the values in a dataset are from the mean. A low
standard deviation indicates that data points are close to the mean, while a high standard deviation
indicates more variability.
What is correlation?
Correlation measures the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. It ranges
from -1 to +1 where +1 indicates strong positive correlation, -1 indicates strong negative correlation,
and 0 indicates no relationship.
Data Cleaning & EDA
What is EDA?
Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) is the process of analyzing datasets to summarize their main
characteristics using visualizations and statistical techniques.
How to detect outliers?
Outliers can be detected using box plots, Z■score method, or IQR method. The IQR method considers
values below Q1 − 1.5*IQR or above Q3 + 1.5*IQR as outliers.
What is feature engineering?
Feature engineering involves creating new variables from existing data to improve the performance of
analytical models.