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

Analyze Top 10 Items' Revenue Contribution by Category

sales +----------+------------+---------+---------+------------+ | order_id | category | item_id | revenue | order_date | +----------+------------+-...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
62
0
197 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Determine Maximum Path Length in Directed Acyclic Graph

Scenario A backend service represents task dependencies as a directed graph; you need to understand how deep the longest dependency chain can get. Que...

Coding & Algorithms
22
0
76 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Analyze User Engagement with SQL Queries

events +----------+---------+---------------------+ | event_id | user_id | event_time | +----------+---------+---------------------+ | 1 ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
104
0
275 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Compute 3-Day Rolling Revenue Averages with Pandas

sales +------------+-----------+-------+---------+ | date | product_id| units | revenue | +------------+-----------+-------+---------+ | 2023-01...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
100
0
460 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Analyze Monthly Prime vs Non-Prime Sales and Price Buckets

sales +-----------+------------+----------+-------+ | order_id | order_date | is_prime | price | +-----------+------------+----------+-------+ | 1001...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
82
0
256 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Implement BFS to Find Shortest Path in Graph

Scenario Social network needs to compute the shortest friend-distance between two users in an undirected graph containing millions of nodes. Question ...

Coding & Algorithms
13
0
27 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Create Country-Level Spend Report Using Pandas

users +---------+---------+ | user_id | country | +---------+---------+ | 1 | US | | 2 | CA | | 3 | US | +---------+-...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
82
0
195 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Explain MySQL to MS SQL Server query syntax differences.

transactions | id | user_id | amount | txn_date | |----|---------|--------|----------| | 1 | 1001 | 25.00 | 2023-07-01 | | 2 | 1002 | 40.00 ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
105
0
371 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Implement and Analyze 'Merge k Sorted Lists' Algorithm

Scenario Algorithm coding challenge during the final interview round. Question Implement LeetCode 23 ‘Merge k Sorted Lists’ and explain your complexit...

Coding & Algorithms
18
0
47 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Resolve Conflicts Between Data Findings and Team Opinions

Resolve Conflicts Between Data Findings and Team Opinions Behavioral Scenario: Resolving Conflicts Between Data Findings and Team Beliefs Scenario You...

Behavioral & Leadership
9
0
62 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Design a Scalable, Fault-Tolerant Distributed Order System

Scenario Round covering distributed-system design and algorithm implementation. Question Design a highly available, low-latency distributed order-proc...

Coding & Algorithms
23
0
65 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Design Incremental Load Process for Large Relational Table

orders_daily_load +------------+-----------+-------------+--------+ | load_date | order_id | customer_id | amount | +------------+-----------+------...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
86
0
213 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Identify SQL Joins and Correct Query Errors

Winner +----+-------+ | ID | Name | +----+-------+ | 1 | Alice | | 2 | Bob | | 3 | Carol | +----+-------+ ​ Loser +----+-------+ | ID | Name | ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
92
0
387 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Identify Top Spenders and Segment Customers Using Python

orders +----------+---------+------------+----------+--------------+-------------------+ | order_id | cust_id | order_date | product | order_amount |...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
76
0
10 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Explore Subscription Patterns and Status Transitions with SQL/Pandas

subscriptions +-----------------+---------+-------------+ | subscription_id | status | status_date | +-----------------+---------+-------------+ | 10...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
67
0
7 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Consolidate and Rank Global Salaries in USD

employees_us +---------+----------+--------+---------+ | emp_id | name | salary | country | +---------+----------+--------+---------+ | 1 |...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
49
0
8 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Implement Function to Determine Mode and Prime Numbers

Scenario Implementing utility algorithms within a data-processing library. Question Write a function that returns the mode of an integer list; if all ...

Coding & Algorithms
19
0
56 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Calculate 7-Day Rolling Average for Energy Consumption

Scenario Hiring manager wants a quick coding exercise to verify programming fluency. Question Write a Python function that takes a list of daily energ...

Coding & Algorithms
39
0
87 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Identify Date with Highest Total kWh Consumption Using Pandas

meter_readings +----------+------------+---------------+---------+ | meter_id | timestamp | kwh_consumed | city | +----------+------------+------...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
63
0
5 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Data Scientist

Calculate Regional Revenue and Identify Top Customers

Customers | customer_id | name | region | |-------------|-------|--------| | 1 | Alice | East | | 2 | Bob | West | | 3 ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
9
1
4 people solved
Jul 12, 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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