Amazon Data Scientist Interview Questions

Amazon Data Scientist interview questions are famously comprehensive because Amazon evaluates both technical depth and Amazonian fit. Expect a mix of SQL and Python problems, statistics and experiment-design questions, machine‑learning discussion, and behavioral probes tied to Amazon’s Leadership Principles. Interviews typically include an initial recruiter screen, one or two technical phone screens, and a loop of 4–6 on‑site/virtual interviews where each 45–60 minute slot focuses on a different competency. Interviewers look for clear problem decomposition, metric-driven thinking, defensible trade‑offs, and the ability to translate analysis into business impact. For effective interview preparation, build a structured plan: craft concise STAR stories mapped to Leadership Principles with quantified outcomes, drill SQL (joins, window functions, CTEs, performance), refresh statistics and A/B testing fundamentals, and sharpen Python/data-manipulation skills. Practice explaining assumptions, communicating results for technical and non‑technical audiences, and walking through model choices and evaluation metrics. Mock interviews and timed problem sets that simulate the loop rhythm are especially valuable to convert knowledge into polished, confident answers.

200 Questions 1 Company06.08.2026
Showing 20 results
Role
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist Locked

Reserving an Elevator for Food Deliveries

This question tests a data scientist's ability to design a rigorous A/B experiment for a real-world operational policy with competing stakeholder outc...

Analytics & Experimentation
19
0
287 people solved
Jun 8, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist Locked

Predicting the Next Elevator Call Location

This machine learning question tests the ability to design a predictive model for spatio-temporal demand forecasting, covering problem framing, featur...

Machine Learning
5
1
65 people solved
Jun 8, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Easy
Data ScientistIntern

Evaluate NLP Classification Models

You are interviewing for a Data Scientist internship at Amazon. The interviewer asks you to walk through how you think about an NLP classification pro...

Machine Learning
21
0
251 people solved
Apr 3, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Easy
Data Scientist

Answer Amazon-style behavioral questions

You are interviewing for a role at Amazon and are asked the following behavioral questions. Answer each using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action...

Behavioral & Leadership
108
0
752 people solved
Feb 13, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist Locked

Monthly Cohort Retention

This question evaluates practical SQL skills in user retention analysis, specifically the ability to build a monthly cohort retention table from raw a...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
3
0
31 people solved
Jun 8, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Write SQL window functions for D7 retention

Assume you have the following tables (timestamps are in UTC). 1) game_sessions - user_id (STRING) - session_start_ts (TIMESTAMP) - country (STRING) Ea...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
11
1
157 people solved
Nov 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Compute an A/B test p-value by hand

In an A/B test on a game feature, you measure conversion rate (binary outcome). - Control: n₁ = 1000 users, x₁ = 120 conversions - Treatment: n₂ = 980...

Statistics & Math
12
0
99 people solved
Nov 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Easy
Data ScientistIntern

Answer Amazon Leadership Principle Scenarios

In an Amazon Data Scientist intern virtual interview, answer behavioral questions using the STAR method and tie each story to Amazon Leadership Princi...

Behavioral & Leadership
29
0
206 people solved
Apr 3, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Easy
Data ScientistSenior+

Describe a challenging project

You are interviewing for an L5 Data Scientist role. Answer the following behavioral questions in a way that demonstrates Deliver Results: 1. Tell me a...

Behavioral & Leadership
6
0
67 people solved
Jan 12, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Easy
Data ScientistSenior+

Design and evaluate a RAG system

You are interviewing for an L5 Data Scientist role focused on LLM applications. Design a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system for an internal q...

Machine Learning
15
0
119 people solved
Jan 12, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Implement robust word counts and min/max

You receive a 50GB UTF-8 text corpus on disk. Implement a Python solution that:\n- Streams the file without loading it fully into memory.\n- Counts ca...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
8
0
83 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

How would you test a price increase?

You are a data scientist at a B2C AI video editing software company (subscription-based, with a free trial and paid tiers). Product leadership is cons...

Analytics & Experimentation
5
0
85 people solved
Dec 20, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist Locked

Compute a Rolling Seven-Day Revenue Sum with Missing Dates

Solve a PostgreSQL rolling-revenue problem that needs a complete daily series per seller, including no-order dates. It assesses UTC date handling, gap...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
7
0
63 people solved
Jun 4, 2026
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Implement a high-throughput web crawler safely

Design and code (pseudocode acceptable) a multi-threaded web crawler that favors breadth-first discovery while continuously running analysis tasks on ...

Coding & Algorithms
11
0
139 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Demonstrate Amazon LP with deep follow-ups

Behavioral STAR Stories for Amazon Data Scientist Onsite Context You are preparing for an onsite Behavioral and Leadership interview for a Data Scient...

Behavioral & Leadership
8
0
62 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Build DID panel and compute effects in SQL

Using the schema and toy data below, write SQL to construct a user-week panel and compute a clean pre/post DID dataset for first reminder exposure. Re...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
6
0
108 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Easy
Data Scientist

How would you analyze and test a price increase?

Case Study (Product / Data Science) You work on a subscription-based AI video editing/creation product and leadership is considering raising prices (e...

Analytics & Experimentation
5
0
64 people solved
Nov 20, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Easy
Data Scientist Locked

How to evaluate adding video ads in a game

This question evaluates skills in product analytics, experimentation design, causal inference and monetization modeling for free-to-play mobile games,...

Analytics & Experimentation
4
0
78 people solved
Dec 9, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Navigate Crises and Sustain Team Morale Under Pressure

Navigate Crises and Sustain Team Morale Under Pressure Behavioral & Leadership — Data Scientist Onsite Scenario You are working as a Data Scientist on...

Behavioral & Leadership
12
0
49 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

How would you evaluate adding video ads?

You are a data scientist for a free-to-play mobile game. The product team wants to introduce video ads (e.g., rewarded videos and/or interstitial vide...

Analytics & Experimentation
6
0
71 people solved
Nov 4, 2025
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Frequently Asked Questions

How difficult are Amazon Data Scientist interview questions?
Amazon Data Scientist interview questions are typically challenging because they combine technical depth, problem decomposition, and behavioral rigor. Interviewers assess core statistics and machine learning knowledge, SQL fluency on large datasets, and practical coding or analysis skills, all while testing how you communicate tradeoffs and impact. Difficulty varies by level and team: entry-level roles emphasize fundamentals and clarity, while senior roles probe systems thinking, experimental design, and stakeholder influence. Expect ambiguity in business problems and follow-up questions that dig into your assumptions. Strong preparation across fundamentals, applied examples, and concise storytelling substantially improves your chances.
What is the typical Amazon Data Scientist interview process and where do data science questions appear?
The Amazon Data Scientist process usually begins with a recruiter screen, then one or two technical phone screens, followed by a multi-interviewer onsite or virtual loop. Data science topics appear throughout: SQL and coding often surface in phone screens, while machine learning modeling, statistics, experiment design, and case-style analytics problems appear in onsite technical rounds. Behavioral assessment against Amazon’s Leadership Principles is woven into every interview and can be decisive. One final interviewer may act as a Bar Raiser to evaluate long-term fit. Timing and exact rounds vary by team and level.
How long should I prepare for an Amazon Data Scientist interview and how should I pace my study?
A focused preparation window of six to twelve weeks is common, though prior experience can shorten that. Early weeks should reinforce fundamentals—SQL, probability, statistics, A/B testing, and core Python skills—while documenting measurable project results for behavioral stories. Mid-prep weeks are best devoted to solving realistic SQL problems, building small end-to-end modeling or analysis exercises, and practicing clear explanations of assumptions and tradeoffs. The last two weeks should emphasize timed mock interviews, rehearsing Leadership Principle stories with quantified outcomes, and polishing concise narratives that translate technical work into business impact.
Which key subtopics should I master for Amazon Data Scientist interviews?
Master SQL (joins, window functions, CTEs, aggregation and performance considerations) and Python for data manipulation and light coding. Solid grounding in statistics is essential: hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, power, bias sources, and A/B testing nuance. Machine learning topics should include model selection, validation, feature engineering, and how models drive business decisions rather than pure algorithmic novelty. Be comfortable with metrics design, cohort analysis, and interpreting model outputs for stakeholders. Finally, develop clear communication and structured problem decomposition so technical answers convey impact and limitations.
What standout tips and common pitfalls should I be aware of when interviewing as a Data Scientist at Amazon?
Prioritize concise storytelling that ties technical choices to measurable business outcomes and explicitly map examples to Leadership Principles. Always clarify ambiguous problem statements, state assumptions, and verbalize tradeoffs when proposing solutions. Practice writing and explaining SQL with performance-aware approaches for large datasets, and rehearse A/B testing scenarios including guardrail metrics and sample-size reasoning. Common pitfalls include vague behavioral answers, failing to quantify impact, ignoring data quality or edge cases, and overfocusing on technique without customer or business context. Treat every interviewer as both a technical and behavioral evaluator.

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